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Nurseries in Hitchin

There are 23 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Hitchin, and 22 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Hitchin

  • Ofsted report cards: 3 settings (9 Strong standard, 9 Expected standard)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 18 settings (5 Outstanding, 13 Good)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Breachwood Green Pre-School - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 8NX, ages 2 to 4, 19 places
    Ofsted, 19 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Codicote Preschool Nursery Provision - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 8YL, 16 places
  • Early Days Pre-School - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 2NZ, ages 2 to 4, 30 places
    Ofsted, 7 December 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Goslings Playgroup - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 9HT, ages 2 to 4, 36 places
    Ofsted, 9 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Graveley Preschool - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 7LB, ages 2 to 4, 16 places
    Ofsted, 26 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Highbury Lodge Day Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 9RW, ages 0 to 4, 83 places
    Ofsted, 3 October 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Hitchin House Day Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 0TW, ages 0 to 4, 135 places
    Ofsted, 23 August 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 0AA, ages 0 to 4, 95 places
    Ofsted, 13 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Millennium First Steps Nursery Ltd - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 9UW, ages 0 to 4, 116 places
    Ofsted, 16 June 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Astwick - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 4BH, ages 0 to 4, 105 places
    Ofsted, 5 July 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Peanuts Pre-School - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 7AG, ages 2 to 4, 15 places
    Ofsted, 11 February 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Pippin Pre-School - Pre-school, Hitchin SG5 4PF, ages 2 to 9, 60 places
    Ofsted, 20 June 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Pirton Pre-School - Pre-school, Hitchin SG5 3PS, ages 2 to 4, 32 places
    Ofsted, 18 June 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Play Aloud St Andrews - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 9RD, ages 2 to 11, 78 places
    Ofsted, 2 February 2023: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Poppyfields Nursery - Pre-school, Hitchin SG5 4FD, ages 2 to 7, 108 places
    Ofsted, 5 October 2021: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Preston Village Preschool - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 7UE, ages 2 to 4, 22 places
    Ofsted report card, 21 September 2026: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Smartys Day Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 2UZ, ages 1 to 4, 58 places
    Ofsted report card, 14 July 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • St Paul's Walden Nursery - Day nursery, Hitchin SG4 8HX, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 21 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Teddybears Preschool - Pre-school, Hitchin SG4 0QA, ages 2 to 4, 45 places
    Ofsted, 17 September 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Cookie Club - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 1NS, 36 places
  • The Early Bird Pre-School (Strathmore) - Pre-school, Hitchin SG5 1XR, ages 1 to 4, 35 places
    Ofsted report card, 17 June 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Tilehouse Street Pre-School and Nursery - Pre-school, Hitchin SG5 2EE, ages 2 to 4, 25 places
    Ofsted, 30 April 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Toad Hall Nursery Hitchin - Day nursery, Hitchin SG5 1RT, ages 0 to 4, 127 places
    Ofsted, 31 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Buddies Wraparound Care - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 0JP, 40 places
  • Club Excel Leisure @ The Priory School - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 2UR, 140 places
  • DW Soccer School - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 1XT
  • Hitchin Holiday Camps Whitehill - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9HT, 40 places
  • HTFC - Wrap Around Care - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 7UJ, 30 places
  • HTFC - Wrap Around Care - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 7UJ
  • Jousters At Ickleford - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 3TG, 64 places
  • Junior Adventures Group @ Fairfield Park Lower School - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 4SG, 24 places
  • Kids Holiday Camp Samuel Lucas - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 2JQ, 50 places
  • Kidz Zone Club - Roecroft Lower School - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 4PF, 18 places
  • NumberWorks'nWords - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 1JW
  • Play Aloud Samuel Lucas - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 2JQ, 100 places
  • Premier Oughton Wrap Around Care - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG5 2NZ
  • Rising Stars Wrap Around Club - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 0QA, 23 places
  • Rising Stars Wrap Around Clubs - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9QB, 64 places
  • Super Camps At Kingshott School - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 7JX, 91 places
  • Theatretrain Hitchin - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9RS
  • The Cookie Club - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9HT
  • The Cookie Club - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9AG, 30 places
  • The Cookie Club Ltd - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 0PU, 30 places
  • The Cookie Club Ltd - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 7PB, 35 places
  • uPlay Sports CIC - Out-of-school club, Hitchin SG4 9RS

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 Hitchin

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