Wilstead Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Bedford for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2022. Open since 2008, with 40 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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
MK45 3BXWhat 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, 2 February 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are confident and motivated to learn at this welcoming pre-school. They build strong, trusting relationships with their key person. Children become independent at pre-school. Staff use opportunities to build on their personal care skills during the routine times of the day. Children put their coats on to go outside and set up their own lunch boxes ready to eat.
Children explore and experiment with interesting resources and materials to their satisfaction. In the construction shed, children pretend to mend the roof. They think about how to create a higher platform to stand on to reach the roof. Staff help children think about how to make it sturdy and safe. This helps to give children practical opportunities to solve problems.
Staff provide rich opportunities for children to develop their love of reading as they re-enact favourite stories. Children follow staff around the garden on a 'bear hunt', repeating familiar phrases and using words playfully. Staff expertly enable children to recall the sequence of the story, splashing in water then squelching in mud.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to consider how they organise large-group times so that all children are equally engaged.
- 2 February 2022Good
- 16 June 2015Outstanding
- 16 October 2008Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Wilstead Pre-School
- What it costs
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.