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Nurseries in Darlington

There are 31 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Darlington, and 8 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Darlington

  • Ofsted report cards: 2 settings (7 Strong standard, 5 Expected standard)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 25 settings (4 Outstanding, 21 Good)

Grades are shown only where the inspectorate has published the report.

Childminders and home childcarers

  • 42 registered childminders in Darlington (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)
  • 6 registered home childcarers in Darlington (Ofsted childcare register, as at 30 June 2026)

Childminders look after children in their own homes. We show how many are registered, not who they are.

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • All Saints Blackwell Pre-School - Pre-school, Darlington DL3 8DT, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 13 May 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Big Kids Little Kids Nursery and out of School Club - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 1QU, ages 0 to 12, 104 places
    Ofsted, 12 January 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Broadway Daycare - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 1EJ, ages 1 to 11, 55 places
    Ofsted, 18 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Busy Bees Day Nursery at Darlington - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 9EX, ages 0 to 4, 88 places
    Ofsted, 9 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Danesmoor House Day Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 8RH, ages 0 to 10, 76 places
    Ofsted, 29 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Darlington College Childcare Centre - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 1DR, ages 0 to 7, 53 places
    Ofsted, 12 December 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Eastbourne Pre-School - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 1LJ, ages 2 to 4, 24 places
    Ofsted, 18 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Ferndene Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 8PQ, ages 0 to 4, 78 places
    Ofsted, 20 August 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • First Class Learning Darlington - Pre-school, Darlington DL1 5RF
  • Flora House Day Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 8PA, ages 0 to 7, 60 places
    Ofsted, 8 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kids 1st - Darlington - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 2GF, ages 0 to 4, 108 places
    Ofsted, 3 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kids Planet Darlington - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 6DX, 64 places
  • Kids Planet High Bank - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 2QE, ages 0 to 4, 140 places
    Ofsted report card, 14 January 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Little Acorns - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 2ET, ages 2 to 4, 36 places
    Ofsted, 26 September 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Lingfields Limited - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 1RW, ages 0 to 5, 59 places
    Ofsted, 27 January 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Lowson Street Pre-School - Pre-school, Darlington DL3 0EY, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 22 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • MAGIK Out of School Club - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 1LD, ages 3 to 11, 70 places
    Ofsted, 6 July 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Maidendale Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 4SU, ages 0 to 9, 72 places
    Ofsted, 14 June 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Middleton St George Day Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 1JG, ages 0 to 8, 27 places
    Ofsted, 29 July 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Mowden Pre-School - Pre-school, Darlington DL3 9QG, ages 3 to 4, 20 places
    Ofsted, 12 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Outdoor-Ambition Ltd - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 0EG
  • Parkside Childcare - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 5TY, ages 2 to 4, 34 places
    Ofsted, 5 September 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Pierremont Pre-School - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 6DG, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 2 March 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sadberge Pre-School - Day nursery, Sadberge DL2 1SW, ages 2 to 4, 21 places
    Ofsted, 4 March 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Secret Garden Day Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 2DF, ages 0 to 8, 40 places
    Ofsted, 16 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Serendipity Nursery And Outdoor Learning - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 1DL, ages 0 to 4, 57 places
    Ofsted report card, 18 February 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Stagecoach Darlington Centre Stage - Pre-school, Darlington DL1 1LA
  • St. Edwin's Pre-School - Day nursery, Darlington DL2 2LR, ages 2 to 4, 20 places
    Ofsted, 21 May 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Outdoor Pre-School - Pre-school, Darlington DL3 8JA, ages 2 to 4, 32 places
    Ofsted, 24 January 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Play Hut - Day nursery, Darlington DL1 3BL, ages 0 to 10, 69 places
    Ofsted, 22 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Upperthorpe Nursery - Day nursery, Darlington DL3 7PZ, ages 0 to 4, 99 places
    Ofsted, 29 November 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Active Kids Holiday Playscheme - Childcare setting, Darlington DL3 9DE
  • Kip McGrath Darlington - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL1 5SZ
  • Secret Garden (Darlington) Limited at Springfield Primary - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL1 2AN, 18 places
  • Sporting Futures - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL3 8NN, 40 places
  • Sports Camps - Childcare setting, Darlington DL3 0HT
  • Stagecoach Darlington - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL1 5RP
  • St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Holiday Club - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL3 7HP, 56 places
  • West Park Out of School club - Out-of-school club, Darlington DL2 2GF, 45 places

Nursery groups with settings here

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Ofsted grades before November 2025 (England)

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall grade on a four-point scale: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate. Ofsted also graded the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, and said whether safeguarding was effective.

Settings keep their last grade until Ofsted visits again, so many nurseries still show a grade from this older scale.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Schools in Darlington

Sources: Ofsted, registers as at 30 June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.