Childcare in Darlington
Darlington has 23 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 22 school nursery classes, 14 childminders and 6 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 34 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 4 of them Outstanding. 39 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £26 to £74, typically £63. Across Darlington there are 28 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 Darlington, 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 25 school nursery classes across Darlington, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
44 settings match. 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 St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Holiday Club Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Stagecoach Darlington Centre Stage Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Closed Kids Fun Klub Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Kids Planet Darlington Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Tiny Turners Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Darlington
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Darlington?
Of the 5 full-day rates published by settings in Darlington, the typical price is £63 a day, ranging from £26 to £74. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Darlington take funded hours?
27 of the 73 settings in Darlington 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Darlington rated Outstanding?
Yes. 4 of the 34 settings Ofsted has inspected in Darlington hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Darlington take babies?
44 settings in Darlington 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 Darlington?
Darlington has 28 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 Darlington
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.