Childcare in Chatham (Medway)
Chatham (Medway) has 19 day nurseries, 9 pre-schools, 13 school nursery classes, 16 childminders and 6 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 32 of them and rated 28 Good or better, 3 of them Outstanding. 31 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Medway there are 27 places per 100 children under five, worse supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Medway, 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. It also leaves out the 48 school nursery classes across Medway, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
63 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Closed Victoria Playgroup Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Closed Bluebells Childcare Services Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened NexGen Sports Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Bluebells Day Nursery & Preschool Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened ID PE & Sport's Maundene Holiday Course Centre Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Opened Cambridge Tuition Centre Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Conexus Tuition Chatham Class Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Opened MFSE Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Abacus Day Care Limited Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Stay & Play Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Apex ASC Chatham Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Closed Crestway Pre-School Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Chatham (Medway)
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Chatham (Medway) take funded hours?
22 of the 63 settings in Chatham (Medway) 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Chatham (Medway) rated Outstanding?
Yes. 3 of the 32 settings Ofsted has inspected in Chatham (Medway) hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Chatham (Medway) take babies?
46 settings in Chatham (Medway) 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 Chatham (Medway)?
Medway has 27 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.
Towns close to Chatham (Medway)
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.