Durham

Childcare in Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle has 4 day nurseries and 1 childminder. Ofsted has inspected 5 of them and rated 4 Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. Across Durham there are 23 places per 100 children under five, worse supplied than England as a whole at 32.

23places per 100 under-fives in Durham, against 32 for England

80%of the 5 inspected here are Good or better, 1 Outstanding

2 of 5are recorded as taking the funded hours; the rest are unknown, not a no

Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Durham, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today.

Everything 5Day nurseries 4 Childminders 1

No filterTakes under-twos Takes funded hours Open all day Publishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapest A to Z

5 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.

Day nurseries 4

Kirklands at Startforth

Day nursery · Startforth Community Centre, High Startforth, Barnard Castle, DL12 9AQ

OutstandingBirth to 8+07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week24 placesLong established

01833 690458

Little Meadows Nursery

Day nursery · 29b Harmire Enterprise Park, Barnard Castle, DL12 8XT

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+07:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week48 placesOpen a few years

01833 200150 Their website

Dawn Till Dusk Childcare

Day nursery · Middleton-In-Teesdale Primary & Nursery School, Middleton-In-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, DL12 0TG

GoodBirth to 8+07:30 to 17:30, 5 days a week★ 5.0 Google, 721 placesOpen for decades

01833 640382 Their website

Green Lane Nursery and Childcare Centre

Day nursery · Green Lane, Barnard Castle, DL12 8LG

Report card Nov 2025Takes funded hours£5.85 an hourBirth to 8+Babies from 9 months07:30 to 18:00, 5 days a week95 placesOpen for decades

01833 638581 Their website

Childminders 1

Only childminders who agreed to be listed publicly appear here. Ofsted holds many more and does not publish their details.

Claire Dominick

Childminder · Barnard Castle, DL12 9AU

GoodBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesRegistered for decades

Tick two or three to compare them.

Questions

What people ask about childcare in Barnard Castle

Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.

Which nurseries in Barnard Castle take funded hours?

2 of the 5 settings in Barnard Castle are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.

Are any nurseries in Barnard Castle rated Outstanding?

Yes. 1 of the 5 settings Ofsted has inspected in Barnard Castle hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Barnard Castle take babies?

5 settings in Barnard Castle are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.

Is it hard to get a nursery place in Barnard Castle?

Durham has 23 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.

Nearby

Towns close to Barnard Castle

Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.

Bishop Auckland11 settings · 11.5 miles Richmond12 settings · 13.4 miles Crook5 settings · 14.1 miles Catterick Garrison15 settings · 16.5 miles Newton Aycliffe10 settings · 17.1 miles Kirkby Stephen4 settings · 17.4 miles

All towns Durham