Nurseries in Hereford

Shining Stars Pre-School St Weonards Academy (HR2) and Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd Nursery and Pre-school (HR3) hold Ofsted's Outstanding grade. Busy Bees takes babies and opens all year; Shining Stars at St Weonards is a term-time pre-school.

Published day rates before funded hours: Wildhearts Outdoor £50, Busy Bees Nurseries Ltd Nursery and Pre-school £79, Down On The Farm £80 and Hunderton Neighbourhood Nursery & Kids Club £81.

Wildhearts Outdoor, Shining Stars Pre-School St Weonards Academy and Lord Scudamore Academy Nursery take children from 2 or 3 rather than babies; Down On The Farm, Wildhearts Outdoor, Shining Stars Pre-School St Weonards Academy and Lord Scudamore Academy Nursery follow term dates. The others we list take babies and open all year, such as Hunderton Neighbourhood Nursery & Kids Club.

Yes. Down On The Farm, Wildhearts Outdoor, Shining Stars Pre-School St Weonards Academy and Lord Scudamore Academy Nursery offer forest school or an outdoor-led approach.

Yes. Eligible 2 year olds whose families receive qualifying support can receive 15 funded hours a week through Herefordshire's Best Start entitlement. This provides up to 570 funded hours a year.

Potentially. Some providers offer stretched funding, allowing the annual entitlement to be taken as fewer hours each week across up to 52 weeks instead of the standard 38 week pattern.

Early years settings can access Early Years Inclusion Funding where a child has significant or complex needs requiring support beyond ordinary provision. Eligible children receiving Disability Living Allowance may also attract Disability Access Fund, with Herefordshire's 2026 to 2027 funding schedule setting this at £975 a year for an eligible child.

Hereford addresses are mainly spread across HR1, HR2 and HR4, covering the city centre and residential areas to the north, south and west. Some of these postcode districts extend beyond the city, so the full address is useful when comparing nearby childcare.

Yes. Herefordshire allows funded childcare to be used with one or more approved providers, giving families flexibility to combine different childcare arrangements where suitable.

No. This is particularly relevant for families living around Hereford because of its proximity to the Welsh border. The expanded English funded childcare entitlement cannot be used with providers located in Wales.

Providers may charge separately for meals, snacks, nappies, sun cream, additional hours or optional activities. They cannot charge a top up fee for the funded hours or make a registration fee a condition of accessing a funded place.