Sign up free
Skip to main content

Nurseries in Dover

There are 21 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Dover, and 7 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Dover

  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 21 settings (2 Outstanding, 19 Good)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Abbey Pre-school - Day nursery, Dover CT17 0RG, ages 2 to 11, 30 places
    Ofsted, 18 July 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Burgoyne Heights Pre-School - Day nursery, Dover CT15 5LY, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 9 July 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Choochoos Day Nursery - Day nursery, Dover CT17 0QD, ages 0 to 4
    Ofsted, 2 May 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Discovery Nursery LTD - Day nursery, Dover CT16 1PH, ages 2 to 4
    Ofsted, 8 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Discovery Nursery Ltd @ Crabble Hill - Day nursery, Dover CT17 0RX, ages 0 to 4, 74 places
    Ofsted, 4 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Happy Feet Nursery - Day nursery, Dover CT17 0DD, ages 2 to 4, 44 places
    Ofsted, 19 July 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Jack in a Box Nursery - Day nursery, Dover CT17 9HJ, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 12 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kaleidascope Childcare - Day nursery, Dover CT16 2LH, ages 2 to 5, 36 places
    Ofsted, 23 February 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kid Ease Dover Buckland - Day nursery, Dover CT16 2BJ, ages 0 to 8, 58 places
    Ofsted, 28 November 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kid Ease Dover Triangles - Day nursery, Dover CT17 0HL, ages 0 to 4, 102 places
    Ofsted, 19 June 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kid Ease Swingfield House - Day nursery, Dover CT15 7SH, ages 1 to 4, 57 places
    Ofsted, 18 May 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kingdom Preschool - Day nursery, Dover CT16 2JX, ages 0 to 4, 108 places
    Ofsted, 25 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Oaks Nursery Selsted - Day nursery, Dover CT15 7HH, ages 2 to 11, 24 places
    Ofsted, 5 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Maison Dieu Nursery - Day nursery, Dover CT16 1RU, ages 2 to 4, 50 places
    Ofsted, 10 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Next Steps Preschool - Day nursery, Dover CT17 9LW, ages 2 to 4, 50 places
    Ofsted, 25 April 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • River Pre-School - Pre-school, Dover CT17 0RA, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 29 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Shepherdswell Preschool - Day nursery, Dover CT15 7NN, ages 2 to 4, 28 places
    Ofsted, 9 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • St Margarets Nursery - Pre-school, Dover CT15 6SS, ages 2 to 4, 40 places
    Ofsted, 7 July 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sunny Corner Preschool - Day nursery, Dover CT16 2BT, ages 2 to 4, 38 places
    Ofsted, 6 November 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Tots R Us - Day nursery, Dover CT15 4AN, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 16 January 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Whitfield Wise Owls Pre-school - Pre-school, Dover CT16 3LY, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 24 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Guston Wraparound - Out-of-school club, Dover CT15 5LR, 17 places
  • Lydden Wraparound - Out-of-school club, Dover CT15 7LA, 14 places
  • Pegasus Playscheme - Out-of-school club, Dover CT17 0AS
  • River Wraparound - Out-of-school club, Dover CT17 0PP, 35 places
  • St Mary's Wraparound - Out-of-school club, Dover CT16 1QX, 15 places
  • Teachsport Canterbury - Out-of-school club, Dover CT16 3DT, 40 places
  • Tiger Club - Whinless Down - Out-of-school club, Dover CT17 9LY, 70 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)

Council area

Schools in Dover

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