Childcare in Colchester (Essex)
Colchester (Essex) has 49 day nurseries, 31 pre-schools, 22 school nursery classes, 44 childminders and 36 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 100 of them and rated 90 Good or better, 22 of them Outstanding. 82 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Essex there are 36 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Essex, 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 154 school nursery classes across Essex, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
182 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 2026Opened SCS Academy Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Fun 4 Kids at Kendall Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Little Doves Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Sparrows Playgroup Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education Activities - Kings Ford Infants School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Junior Adventures Group @ Langham CO4 Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed CMXSC @ Roach Vale Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Colchester Education LTD Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Conexus Tuition Colchester Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Safari Childcare Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Afterschool Chillout Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Safari Childcare Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Colchester (Essex)
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Colchester (Essex) take funded hours?
43 of the 182 settings in Colchester (Essex) 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Colchester (Essex) rated Outstanding?
Yes. 22 of the 100 settings Ofsted has inspected in Colchester (Essex) hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Colchester (Essex) take babies?
150 settings in Colchester (Essex) 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 Colchester (Essex)?
Essex has 36 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 Colchester (Essex)
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.