Willingtots Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Bedfordshire for children from birth to 5, open sessions in term time, often mornings. £20.00 an hour. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 1993, with 32 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £20.00Christopher Burton Suite £30.00Main Hall |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
What childcare usually costs in Bedford
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Bedford from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
MK44 3PUWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 4 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into the setting gleefully. They say goodbye to their parents and begin their morning routine. Children hang up their own coats, wash their hands and register themselves by finding their own name and putting it into a plant pot.
Children have developed positive and warm relationships with the caring staff.
When selecting an activity to do, they invite staff to share their experiences with them. They seek cuddles and reassurance when it is needed and enjoy the responsibility of carrying out tasks for others.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- allow children more time to respond to questions asked, to encourage them to be able to express their own ideas.
- 4 November 2022Good
- 1 December 2016Good
- 9 July 2013Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Willingtots Preschool
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £20.00 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.