48 nurseries in Central Bedfordshire
Every day nursery in the Central Bedfordshire council area, best rated first, with the ones Ofsted rated Outstanding and what a place costs after the free hours.
48 day nurseries
6 rated Outstanding
3 with a new report card (6%)
3,167 places in total
£141 a week, 50 hours for a 2 year old after free hours
Outstanding nurseries in Central Bedfordshire
7 nurseries in the area are in our top band: rated Outstanding, or graded Strong standard or better across a new report card.
| # | Nursery | Ofsted outcome | Inspected | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Splat Day Nursery & Forest School Henlow, SG16 | Strong standard in all 6 | 21 November 2025 | 35 |
| 2 | Fordfield Nursery Ltd Ruxox House Bedford, MK45 | Outstanding | 28 June 2024 | 75 |
| 3 | Cherry Trees Day Nursery Bedford, MK43 | Outstanding | 23 April 2024 | 95 |
| 4 | Rainbow Pre-School & Extended Services Biggleswade, SG18 | Outstanding | 7 November 2022 | 50 |
| 5 | Stondon Stompers Pre-school Lower Stondon, SG16 | Outstanding | 6 September 2022 | 50 |
| 6 | Gravenhurst and Villages Pre-School Bedford, MK45 | Outstanding | 3 March 2022 | 27 |
| 7 | Harper's Nursery School Ltd Bedford, MK44 | Outstanding | 11 November 2021 | 98 |
Day nurseries in Central Bedfordshire, best rated first
| # | Nursery | Ofsted outcome | Inspected | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Splat Day Nursery & Forest School Henlow, SG16 | Strong standard in all 6 | 21 November 2025 | 35 |
| 2 | Fordfield Nursery Ltd Ruxox House Bedford, MK45 | Outstanding | 28 June 2024 | 75 |
| 3 | Cherry Trees Day Nursery Bedford, MK43 | Outstanding | 23 April 2024 | 95 |
| 4 | Rainbow Pre-School & Extended Services Biggleswade, SG18 | Outstanding | 7 November 2022 | 50 |
| 5 | Stondon Stompers Pre-school Lower Stondon, SG16 | Outstanding | 6 September 2022 | 50 |
| 6 | Gravenhurst and Villages Pre-School Bedford, MK45 | Outstanding | 3 March 2022 | 27 |
| 7 | Harper's Nursery School Ltd Bedford, MK44 | Outstanding | 11 November 2021 | 98 |
| 8 | Smilers Nursery Ltd Sandy, SG19 | Expected standard in all 6 | 28 April 2026 | 66 |
| 9 | Flitwick Day Nursery Bedford, MK45 | Good | 9 September 2025 | 84 |
| 10 | Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd Beds, MK45 | Good | 2 September 2025 | 60 |
| 11 | Manor Farm Day Nursery Sandy, SG19 | Good | 7 August 2025 | 61 |
| 12 | Busy Bees at Sandy Sandy, SG19 | Good | 7 July 2025 | 70 |
| 13 | The Family Tree Day Nursery Shefford, SG17 | Good | 24 April 2025 | 51 |
| 14 | Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 26 March 2025 | 47 |
| 15 | Busy Bees, Stotfold Stotfold, Hitchin, SG5 | Good | 30 January 2025 | 64 |
| 16 | Mead Open Farm Day Nursery and Activity Day Camp Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 13 January 2025 | 114 |
| 17 | Ashbourne Day Nurseries at Houghton Regis Houghton Regis, LU5 | Good | 8 January 2025 | 104 |
| 18 | Linden House Nursery Dunstable, LU6 | Good | 5 September 2024 | 36 |
| 19 | Acre Wood Day Nursery (Arlesey) Ltd Arlesey, SG15 | Good | 5 July 2024 | 51 |
| 20 | Best Nursery (Arlesey) Arlesey, SG15 | Good | 21 May 2024 | 65 |
| 21 | BEST Nursery and Extended Services (Langford) Biggleswade, SG18 | Good | 27 February 2024 | 61 |
| 22 | Busy Bees at Biggleswade Saxon Centre Biggleswade, SG18 | Good | 6 February 2024 | 112 |
| 23 | Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 21 June 2023 | 95 |
| 24 | Fordfield House Nursery & After School Club Bedford, MK45 | Good | 20 June 2023 | 80 |
| 25 | Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd Bedford, MK45 | Good | 7 March 2023 | 65 |
| 26 | Footsteps Nursery & Pre-School Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 17 February 2023 | 45 |
| 27 | Brambley Tots Day Nursery Biggleswade, SG18 | Good | 24 January 2023 | 64 |
| 28 | Merry Poppets Nursery Henlow, SG16 | Good | 12 January 2023 | 106 |
| 29 | Little Squirts Pre School Bedford, MK45 | Good | 6 January 2023 | 50 |
| 30 | Best Nursery (Shefford) Shefford, SG17 | Good | 12 December 2022 | 64 |
| 31 | Banana Moon Day Nursery Lower Sundon, LU3 | Good | 5 December 2022 | 52 |
| 32 | Cedars Day Nursery Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 30 November 2022 | 99 |
| 33 | AJJ'S Nurseries T/A Bizzie Bees Dunstable, LU6 | Good | 19 October 2022 | 50 |
| 34 | Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Astwick Hitchin, SG5 | Good | 5 July 2022 | 105 |
| 35 | Little Steps at St Georges School Dunstable, LU5 | Good | 27 January 2022 | 60 |
| 36 | Aristotots Nursery School (LB) Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Good | 1 December 2021 | 60 |
| 37 | Puddleducks Nursery Bedford, MK45 | Good | 29 November 2021 | 42 |
| 38 | Merry Poppets Nursery Ltd Bedford, MK45 | Good | 27 October 2021 | 83 |
| 39 | The Marston Day Nursery Marston Moretaine, MK43 | Good | 20 September 2021 | 101 |
| 40 | Busy Bees At Biggleswade Biggleswade, SG18 | Good | 19 August 2021 | 106 |
| 41 | Cleverkidz Dunstable, LU5 | Needs attention in 4 of 6 | 15 April 2026 | 122 |
| 42 | Diamond Days Nursery Dunstable, LU6 | Not yet graded | Not yet | 24 |
| 43 | Duckies' Learning Centre Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Not yet graded | Not yet | 39 |
| 44 | Early Childhood Playbus Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Not yet graded | Not yet | 16 |
| 45 | Kik-Back Ltd Leighton Buzzard, LU7 | Not yet graded | Not yet | |
| 46 | Kip McGrath Biggleswade Biggleswade, SG18 | Not yet graded | Not yet | |
| 47 | Orchard School & Nursery Bedford, MK45 | Not yet graded | Not yet | 100 |
| 48 | Toddington Childcare and Forest School Dunstable, LU5 | Not yet graded | Not yet | 63 |
How the ranking works: our ranking policy. What the grades mean: Ofsted report cards explained.
Towns in Central Bedfordshire
- Biggleswade 6
- Dunstable 6
- Hitchin 11
- Leighton Buzzard 11
- Sandy 5
Nurseries by postcode in Central Bedfordshire
- LU3 (Luton, Cavendish Road, Lower Sundon) 17
- LU5 (Dunstable, Houghton Regis) 4
- LU6 (Dunstable) 3
- LU7 (Leighton Buzzard) 11
- MK43 (Bourne End, Brogborough, Box End) 8
- MK44 (Begwary, Bletsoe, Blunham) 4
- MK45 (Ampthill, Barton-le-Clay, Clophill) 11
- SG5 (Stotfold, Ickleford, Shillington) 6
- SG16 (Henlow, Henlow Camp, Lower Stondon) 3
- SG18 (Biggleswade, Langford, Lower Caldecote) 6
- SG19 (Sandy, Potton, Gamlingay) 5
Nursery fees in Central Bedfordshire
What day nurseries in East of England charge on average. Fees in Central Bedfordshire itself can sit above or below this.
| Child's age | 25 hours a week | 50 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 | £192no funded hours | £155after 30 funded hours |
| 2 years old | £176no funded hours | £141after 30 funded hours |
| 3 to 4 years old | £67after the free 15 hours | £135after 30 funded hours |
Regional average, not any one nursery's price. Source: Coram Childcare Survey 2026. Work out your own monthly cost.
30 hours free childcare in Central Bedfordshire
The free hours follow national rules, so they are the same in Central Bedfordshire as anywhere in England. Every day nursery listed here is registered with Ofsted, which is what a nursery needs to offer them.
| Who | Free hours a week |
|---|---|
| Working parents, child from 9 months | 30 hours |
| Every 3 and 4 year old | 15 hours |
| 2 year olds in families getting some benefits | 15 hours |
Nursery list and inspection outcomes from Ofsted's register of childcare providers, as at 30 June 2026.
Fees shown are regional averages from the Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2026, not any one nursery’s price. Confirm with the nursery before enrolling.
Eligibility rules are the government’s (childcarechoices.gov.uk). Whether a nursery offers the funded hours, and what it charges for meals and consumables, is the nursery’s decision; ask for its funded-hours terms in writing.