Bedford nurseries come ‘top of the class’ in league tables
There was cause for celebration at Lavenders Day Nursery in Bedford and Cherry Trees Day Nursery in Cranfield after ranking ‘Number 1’ in league tables for the third consecutive year.
The Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ nurseries, located on Bushmead Avenue and Duncan Road, are part of the employee-owned Childbase Partnership group, which once again secured the top position in the prestigious annual list published by Nursery World. The report assesses the quality of care and education across UK nursery chains.
At Lavenders and Cherry Trees, days are planned around children’s individual interests to encourage confidence in early developmental skills, in turn laying the foundation for a seamless transition to school. With state-of-the-art ICT, toys and equipment, messy play stations, role play areas and cosy reading nooks, every child from six weeks to five years will find endless opportunities to immerse themselves in activities which pave the way for their passions.
Childbase Partnership CEO, Emma Kneale explained; “Ranking at the top of the tables for the third consecutive year is an extraordinary achievement and a powerful testament to the dedication of our colleagues in ensuring every child gets the very best start in life. Consistency at this level doesn’t happen by chance, and while the inspection framework has evolved, these outcomes reflect the strength of our culture and our shared commitment to continually striving for excellence.”
While Ofsted has since moved away from single-word judgements as of September 2025, these results reflect the inspection framework and gradings in place at the time and underline the consistently high standards achieved across the employee-owned group.
Childbase Partnership was founded in 1989 on the principle that employee wellbeing and engagement is critical to consistently high-quality provision. This commitment has seen the group dominate the UK’s ‘Best Companies to Work For’ lists for the past 15 years.