How we estimate nursery fees
Most UK nurseries don't publish their fees, which makes it hard for parents to compare cost. So that every area has a figure to start from, we publish a transparent estimate — and replace it with real data wherever we have it.
Where a fee figure comes from
We show the best source we have, in this order:
- Confirmed by the provider — the nursery has told us its prices directly.
- Published by the provider — taken from the nursery's own website, with a link and the date we read it.
- Reported by parents — an average of what families told us they pay (shown once at least three parents have reported).
- Modelled estimate — used when we have none of the above.
How the model works
Our modelled estimate starts from published regional averages for a full-time place (the Coram Family and Childcare annual childcare cost survey), then adjusts for a few local factors:
- the region the nursery is in;
- its Ofsted grade (Outstanding settings tend to cost a little more);
- the size of the setting;
- local property prices, as a proxy for the cost of running a setting there.
We deliberately keep these adjustments modest and cap the property-price effect, so no single factor can distort the figure. Every modelled number is shown with a confidence level and a low–high range — it is an estimate, never a quote.
Help us make it accurate
If you know what a nursery actually charges, add it on that nursery's page — every report makes the local picture more accurate. Providers can confirm their real prices for free by claiming their profile.