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Nurseries in Harpenden

There are 19 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Harpenden, and 16 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Harpenden

  • Ofsted report cards: 3 settings (8 Strong standard, 10 Expected standard)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 14 settings (7 Outstanding, 7 Good)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Activate Camps@St George's School - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 4TD
  • Artisans Kindergarten - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 5SF, ages 2 to 4, 50 places
    Ofsted report card, 28 November 2025: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Batford Day Care - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 5BQ, ages 0 to 3, 63 places
    Ofsted, 27 August 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Bright Horizons Harpenden Central Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 4EL, ages 0 to 4, 52 places
    Ofsted, 25 October 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Bright Horizons Harpenden Luton Road Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 2UE, ages 1 to 4, 98 places
    Ofsted, 5 August 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Busy Bees Day Nursery at Harpenden Leyton Road - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 2HZ, ages 0 to 4, 55 places
    Ofsted, 14 November 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Busy Bees Day Nursery at Rothamsted Lodge - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 2JS, ages 1 to 5, 70 places
    Ofsted, 1 February 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Cosmos Nursery and Kindergarten - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 4UN, ages 1 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted report card, 26 June 2026: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Fingertips Woodland Nursery - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 4QL, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 8 June 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Friends Together - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 1PF, ages 3 to 11, 48 places
    Ofsted, 11 January 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Fusion Pre School Southdown - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 1QD, 30 places
  • Harpenden Day Nursery and Pre School - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 4HA, ages 0 to 3, 36 places
    Ofsted report card, 1 October 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Highfield Pre-School - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 4BX, ages 2 to 4, 40 places
    Ofsted, 18 September 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Noah's Ark Nursery at the Lea - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 4LE, ages 3 to 9, 37 places
    Ofsted, 10 October 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Noah's Ark Pre-School - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 5EP, ages 2 to 4, 33 places
    Ofsted, 22 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Kinsbourne Common Nursery And Pre-School - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 3QE, ages 1 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 29 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Kinsbourne Common Nursery And Pre-School - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 3QE, ages 1 to 4, 20 places
    Ofsted, 7 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • United Reformed Church Pre-School and Nursery - Pre-school, Harpenden AL5 4ED, ages 2 to 4, 45 places
    Ofsted, 1 February 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Whanau Day Nursery Harpenden - Day nursery, Harpenden AL5 2HU, ages 0 to 4, 55 places
    Ofsted, 1 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Apex Sports Camp RP School - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 3AD
  • Barracudas - Harpenden - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 1AD, 80 places
  • Cascade Camps at Katherine Warington School - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 5FH, 72 places
  • Club Excel @ St Hilda's Harpenden - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 2ES, 92 places
  • FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior School - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 5PU, 40 places
  • FizzBug Holiday Club @ Harpenden Leisure Centre - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 2HU, 35 places
  • Fusion Childcare Services - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 1QD, 140 places
  • Get Set Go - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 5HL, 30 places
  • Jousters At High Beeches - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 5SD, 90 places
  • Jousters At Roundwood - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 3AD, 70 places
  • Jousters at Wood End - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 3EF, 110 places
  • Stagecoach Harpenden - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 4QP
  • Team Horizon Holiday Camp - Harpenden. - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 2TP
  • The Club - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 2TP, 32 places
  • The Little Gym Harpenden - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 2JQ
  • Timeout After School and Breakfast Club CIO - Out-of-school club, Harpenden AL5 4QW, 60 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 Harpenden

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