Wonderland Daycare Nursery
GoodTakes funded hours★ 4.6 on GoogleBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Luton for children from birth to 8+, open 08:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £11.50 an hour, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in May 2023. Open since 1997, with 42 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Full day | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 Yearsbirth to 2y | £73.00non funded children | – | |
| 2-3 Years2y to 3y | £66.50non funded children | – | |
| 3-5 Years3y to 5y | £66.50non funded children | – | |
| All ages | – | £11.50 |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £1.50 Meal cost for 0-3 years old - Tea
- £3.50 Meal cost for 0-3 years old - Lunch
- £2.00 Meal cost for 3-5 years old - Tea
- £4.50 Meal cost for 3-5 years old - Lunch
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Government funded hours for all entitled children.
Worth knowing. Subject to availability; set session times; additional hours at hourly rate.
What childcare usually costs in Luton
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Luton 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
LU1 3PDWhat 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, 9 May 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are warm and caring at this welcoming nursery. They gather detailed information about children on entry which helps staff to get to know children well.
Babies and children who are new are comforted soothingly by staff. Children are encouraged to make choices and staff listen to these. Older children learn to play cooperatively with staff support. For example, children pretend to be teachers at school and write letters on a board. Staff join in the play, pretending to be in the class. They guide children to encourage all their friends to answer questions.
Children benefit from the play-based approach across the nursery. They behave well and explore with confidence, becoming more sociable as they grow through the nursery. Staff help babies to develop very early communication skills. Babies and staff pass toys back and forth to each other and babies babble. Staff acknowledge these early communications with warm, positive responses. The babies confidently explore. They practise toddling and climbing over equipment to gain confidence in their movements as they learn to balance. Staff play football with older children. They encourage children to have a go at kicking balls and scoring goals. This physical play supports children's overall coordination and motivation to be healthy.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff deepen their understanding of high-quality interactions and use this to extend children's learning to the highest level n review the organisation of routines so that staff provide more opportunities to strengthen and enhance children's learning.
- 9 May 2023Good
- 26 June 2019Good
- 15 November 2018Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Wonderland Daycare Nursery
- Youngest age taken
- Nappies
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 £11.50 an hour still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.