DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much does part-time nursery cost in the UK?
A part-time nursery place, usually two or three fixed days a week, suits families who share care between parents or grandparents, or who simply don't need cover for the whole week. It's priced per month based on the days you book, not by the hour. The catch is that the per-day rate is often higher than a full-time place, because nurseries reward the families who fill more sessions and leave the odd-day bookings to pay a premium for the gaps they create in the room.
The quick version
- Part-time almost always means fixed days each week, booked in advance, rather than casual hours you can move around.
- The per-day rate is commonly higher than on a full-time place, because full weeks come with a better daily rate and part-time bookings leave harder-to-fill gaps.
- Funded hours can cover a large slice of a part-time place, sometimes nearly all of it, depending on your child's age and how the funded sessions line up with your booked days.
- Who runs the nursery matters: a private chain, a small independent, a charity or a school-run setting can each price the same two days very differently.
- Popular days such as Monday and Friday fill up first and can be harder to book than midweek days.
- Meals, nappies and other extras are usually charged the same way as on a full-time place, so they don't shrink just because you're there less.
What people actually paid
Where these 14 prices come from — 4 named sources
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the nursery (part-time) page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 63% less than the advertised list price for nursery (part-time).
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Why the price varies so much
Part-time fees turn on how many days you take, which days they are, and your child's age, but two other things move the price just as much: who owns the nursery and where it sits. A private chain sets rates centrally and prices for occupancy across all its rooms, so a part-time slot that leaves a gap costs more per day than a full week that doesn't. A small independent nursery has less room to discount and often charges close to its full-time daily rate regardless of pattern. School-run and charity or community settings tend to sit lowest, because they aren't chasing the same margin, though they also have fewer part-time spaces going. A younger child in the baby room costs more per day than an older one in preschool, since baby rooms need a lower staff-to-child ratio and that staffing cost gets spread across fewer children. Postcode plays a large role too, with London and the South East charging well above the rest of the country for a broadly similar service. Funded hours then sit on top of all of this and can wipe out a large part of the bill, so two families booking the exact same two days, in different postcodes or with different providers, can end up paying very different top-ups once the funded hours are applied.
How to pay less
- Line up your funded hours with the specific days you book, so as much of the place as possible is covered before you pay anything on top.
- Use Tax-Free Childcare to top up whatever sits above the funded hours rather than paying the full rate out of taxed income.
- Ask whether midweek days carry a lower rate or are simply easier to get than Mondays and Fridays; some settings price them the same but some don't.
- Compare a part-time nursery place against a childminder for the odd extra day, since hourly booking can flex around your week in a way a fixed nursery slot can't.
- Check the Universal Credit childcare element if you're a lower-income working family, as it applies to part-time hours too and is easy to overlook once you assume it's only for full-time care.
- Ask a school-run or charity-run setting directly about their part-time rate, since these tend to price differently from private chains and independents and are worth ringing round even if they weren't your first thought.
Common questions
Why does part-time cost more per day than full-time?
Nurseries need to fill places to cover fixed costs like staff and rent, so they often give a better daily rate to families who book a full week. Two or three days leaves gaps in the room that are harder to fill with another part-time family on the same pattern, and the price reflects that risk.
Can funded hours cover a whole part-time place?
Sometimes. If your child qualifies for the wider funded hours and you only book a couple of days, the funded hours can cover most or all of those sessions, leaving little more than meals and extras to pay. It depends on how the funded hours are split across the week and how the nursery allocates them.
Which days are best to book?
Midweek days such as Tuesday to Thursday are often easier to get than Mondays and Fridays, which parents tend to grab first when building a two or three day week. Asking early, before a term starts, gives you a better chance of the pattern you actually want.
Is part-time nursery or a childminder better value?
It depends on your child's age and how flexible you need to be. A childminder charges by the hour and can suit odd or changing days, while a part-time nursery place gives fixed days in a group setting with a set monthly bill. Comparing both against the exact days you need, not just a headline rate, is the fairest test.
Does it matter if the nursery is privately owned or run by a school or charity?
Yes. Private chains and independents generally price part-time days closer to, or above, their full-time daily rate to protect occupancy, while school-run and charity or community nurseries tend to charge less for the same pattern, partly because they aren't pricing for the same margin. It's worth asking directly rather than assuming all part-time rates work the same way.
Will my part-time bill change as my child gets older?
Usually it goes down per day, because baby and toddler rooms carry a lower staff-to-child ratio and that cost is built into the price. Once your child moves into a preschool room the daily rate typically drops, even if you keep the same two or three days, so it's worth checking the new room's rate rather than assuming it stays flat.