Sign up free
Skip to main content

Nurseries in Nelson

There are 13 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted and Care Inspectorate Wales registers in Nelson, and 8 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Nelson

  • Ofsted report cards: 2 settings (7 Strong standard, 2 Expected standard, 3 Needs attention)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 7 settings (3 Outstanding, 4 Good)
  • Care Inspectorate Wales ratings: 1 setting (3 Good, 1 Adequate)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Barrowford Preschool Nursery - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 8PU, ages 0 to 4, 72 places
    Ofsted, 12 August 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Crescent Nursery Nelson - Pre-school, Nelson BB9 7QP, ages 2 to 4, 39 places
    Ofsted report card, 1 October 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Edenfield Nursery - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 0PQ, ages 2 to 4, 100 places
    Ofsted, 3 February 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Include Me 2 Pendle - Pre-school, Nelson BB9 8EL
  • Ladybird Playgroup - Day nursery, Nelson CF46 6HL, 16 places
    Care Inspectorate Wales: Good in 3 themes, Adequate in 1 theme
  • Lynwood Nursery - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 0QA, ages 1 to 4, 49 places
    Ofsted, 13 March 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Naik Gems Nursery - Pre-school, Nelson BB9 9AJ, 18 places
  • Parrock House Day Nursery - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 6QF, ages 0 to 4, 50 places
    Ofsted, 28 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Pendle Court Day Nursery & Pre-School - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 7BT, ages 0 to 5, 222 places
    Ofsted report card, 21 August 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 2 areas, Needs attention in 3 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Smartypants Exclusive Childcare Ltd - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 0DZ, ages 0 to 4, 138 places
    Ofsted, 19 August 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Star Learning - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 8EH
  • The Beacon Day Nursery - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 7HS, ages 2 to 4, 52 places
    Ofsted, 31 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • The Rocking Horse Club - Day nursery, Nelson BB9 8BP, ages 1 to 4, 92 places
    Ofsted, 27 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Excel Learning & Activity Centre - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 0QR
  • FUNDA Sports, Physical Activity Holiday Camps & Childcare - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 8JJ, 20 places
  • Harringtons Learning Centre - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 5EG
  • Holy Saviour Breakfast and After School Club - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 8HD, 30 places
  • Kip Childcare Burnley/Nelson - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 7JS
  • Learning Cubs - Nelson - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 7UY
  • PALS- Great Marsden Primary School - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 0NX, 24 places
  • Pendle Tuition and Childcare Centre - Out-of-school club, Nelson BB9 9AR

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

Care Inspectorate Wales ratings

Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) rates childcare settings on four themes: well-being, care and development, environment, and leadership and management. Each theme is rated Excellent, Good, Adequate, Poor.

There is no overall rating: read the four themes together.

Source: Care Inspectorate Wales

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)

Funded childcare hours in Wales

Parents of 3 and 4 year olds can apply for up to 30 hours a week of government funded nursery education and childcare (the Childcare Offer for Wales): at least 10 hours of nursery education and up to 20 hours of childcare, for up to 48 weeks of the year. Nursery education hours are applied for separately, through your council.

Flying Start funds 12.5 hours a week of childcare for 2 year olds. It is being made available across Wales starting with the most disadvantaged areas.

Source: GOV.WALES: Get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds · GOV.WALES: Get help from Flying Start (checked 31 October 2026)

Council area

Schools in Nelson

Sources: Ofsted, Care Inspectorate Wales, registers as at 31 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.