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Nurseries in Gainsborough

There are 12 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Gainsborough, and 2 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Gainsborough

  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 9 settings (1 Outstanding, 8 Good)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Apple Tree Day Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 4NJ, ages 0 to 4, 34 places
    Ofsted, 30 April 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Gapa Nursery - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 1NL, ages 1 to 4, 45 places
    Ofsted, 22 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Hackberry - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 4AR
  • Happy Days Day Nursery - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 4BY, ages 0 to 9, 44 places
    Ofsted, 4 December 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Hillcrest - Little Treasures - Pre-school, Gainsborough DN21 1SW, 15 places
  • Lea Pre-School & Kids Club - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 5EP, ages 2 to 11, 48 places
    Ofsted, 28 May 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Meynell Kindergarten - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 3PS, ages 0 to 4, 48 places
    Ofsted, 30 June 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Riverside Day Nursery - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 2DY, ages 0 to 4, 33 places
    Ofsted, 29 February 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Scotter Pre-School - Pre-school, Gainsborough DN21 3SB, ages 2 to 4, 36 places
    Ofsted, 5 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Trinity Day Nursery - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 1JP, ages 1 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 4 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • YMCA Beginnings Day Care - Day nursery, Gainsborough DN21 1NY, ages 0 to 4, 62 places
    Ofsted, 5 August 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • YMCA Lincolnshire Honeypot Daycare - Pre-school, Gainsborough DN21 1TE, 20 places

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Kids Hangout @ Parish - Out-of-school club, Gainsborough DN21 2LN, 32 places
  • MSP Clubs @ Castle Wood Academy - Out-of-school club, Gainsborough DN21 1EH

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 Gainsborough

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