Nurseries in Bicester

OX26 is the main postcode district for Bicester. It covers the town centre and many surrounding residential areas, although nearby villages may use different OX postcodes.

All 3 and 4 year olds can receive 15 funded hours a week. Eligible working families can receive up to 30 funded hours a week from 9 months old until school age, normally across 38 weeks of the year.

There can be more pressure on places for younger children. In its 2026 childcare planning, Oxfordshire County Council identifies Bicester and surrounding areas as having one of the county's highest sufficiency concerns for children aged 9 to 23 months and for 2 year olds. Parents needing particular days or full day childcare may therefore benefit from looking for a place early.

No. Providers can decide whether to offer 15 hours, 30 hours or another funded pattern, and the number of funded places may be limited. Eligibility for 30 hours does not guarantee that every nursery will have the sessions you need.

Yes. Families using the 30 hour entitlement can split their hours between providers, provided the child attends no more than two childcare sites in one day. This can be useful if one setting cannot provide your full weekly schedule.

The basic funded entitlement must be provided without a top up charge. You may still pay separately for meals, additional hours or other optional services, but you should not have to buy these extras to access the funded hours.

Yes, where the provider offers it. Instead of using the full weekly entitlement for 38 weeks, families may use fewer funded hours each week across more weeks of the year.

Oxfordshire provides several early years SEND funding routes for eligible children and settings. These include Inclusion Funding, Early Years Additional Funding and Disability Access Fund. For 2026 to 2027, Disability Access Fund is £975 per eligible child per year.