Nurseries and pre-schools in Wiltshire and Somerset, in numbers
Official counts of businesses in this trade, council area by council area, and how they've changed. Every figure links to where it comes from.
Child day-care businesses
350 based in Wiltshire and Somerset's five council areas in March 2026, up 11% since 2010. Across England: up 45%.
| Council area | 2010 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 90 | 105 |
| Swindon | 25 | 45 |
| Somerset | 130 | 120 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 25 | 35 |
| North Somerset | 45 | 45 |
| All five | 315 | 350 |
What this counts: SIC 88910. Day nurseries and playgroups.
Pre-primary education
120 based in Wiltshire and Somerset's five council areas in March 2026, up 14% since 2010. Across England: up 71%.
| Council area | 2010 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 55 | 55 |
| Swindon | 5 | 10 |
| Somerset | 25 | 20 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 5 | 15 |
| North Somerset | 15 | 20 |
| All five | 105 | 120 |
What this counts: SIC 85100. Nursery schools.
What we list
We list 633 nurseries based in Wiltshire and Somerset. Official counts and our list measure different things: the count covers every registered business with this industry code, and we only list firms whose details we could check. See the list
A short history
The Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act 1948 is an early law on the subject. A Parliament page lists it with a clause on inspecting premises, imposing conditions and prohibiting the keeping of foster children 2. That page does not summarise the Act in full.
Later, the Care Standards Act 2000 moved regulation of childminding and day care in England from local authorities to the Chief Inspector of Schools, which means Ofsted. The Explanatory Notes say these functions were combined with nursery education inspection in a new Early Years Directorate within Ofsted 1.
Today, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 in England. Early years providers must follow it. There are two versions: one for childminders and one for group and school-based providers 3. The current versions take effect from 1 September 2026 3. The GOV.UK page was first published on 31 March 2014 3.
I found no source for Wiltshire or Somerset specifics.
What it costs
The Department for Education publishes the hourly rates it pays each local authority for funded early years places. The 2026 to 2027 rates were published on 15 December 2025 and the main page was last updated on 13 January 2026 45. Councils get separate rates for children aged 9 months to 2 years in eligible working families, for the two-year-old entitlements, and for three- and four-year-olds 5.
These are funding rates paid to councils. They are not the fees a nursery charges parents. The figures for each council sit in a spreadsheet, “Early years funding rates and step-by-step calculations 2026 to 2027” 4. This research could not open that spreadsheet, so no Wiltshire or Somerset figure is given here.
Councils must pass on at least 97% of the funding to providers in 2026 to 2027, up from 96% 5. No published nursery fee figure for the two counties could be found. Fees vary by provider.
Who checks the trade
Ofsted inspects and publishes reports on early years providers in England. Its report search covers childminders, pre-schools, day nurseries and out-of-school care. You can search by name, URN, keyword, location or postcode 6. Check a setting’s latest report before you visit.
Sources
- UK Business Counts (enterprises by industry), Office for National Statistics Counts are published in multiples of 5. Each figure counts enterprises live at a reference date in March. Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14/10/2026.
- Care Standards Act 2000: Explanatory Notes legislation.gov.uk (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 14/10/2026.
- Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act 1948 UK Parliament (Historic Hansard) (api.parliament.uk). Checked 14/10/2026.
- Early years foundation stage statutory framework GOV.UK (Department for Education) (gov.uk). Page updated 01/09/2026. Checked 14/10/2026.
- Early years funding: 2026 to 2027 GOV.UK (Department for Education) (gov.uk). Page updated 13/01/2026. Checked 14/10/2026.
- Early years funding rates 2026 to 2027: easy explainer GOV.UK (Department for Education) (gov.uk). Page updated 13/01/2026. Checked 14/10/2026.
- Ofsted inspection reports Ofsted (reports.ofsted.gov.uk). Checked 14/10/2026.