Blackburn with Darwen

Childcare in Darwen

Darwen has 7 day nurseries, 2 pre-schools, 3 school nursery classes, 7 childminders and 4 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 12 of them and rated 11 Good or better. 11 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Blackburn with Darwen there are 31 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.

31places per 100 under-fives in Blackburn with Darwen, against 32 for England

91%of the 12 inspected here are Good or better

3 of 23are 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 Blackburn with Darwen, 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 Blackburn with Darwen, because nobody publishes how many children they take.

Everything 23 Day nurseries 7 Pre-schools 2 School nurseries 3Childminders 7After-school clubs 4

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

7 settings match. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.

Bamber, Kathryn

Childminder · Darwen, BB3 2BY

GoodBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesLong established

McClelland, Susan Patricia

Childminder · Darwen, BB3 2BH

GoodBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesLong established

Jackson, Beverly

Childminder · Darwen, BB3 1HF

GoodBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder6 placesLong established

Shipperbottom, Tina

Childminder · Darwen, BB3 2BN

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

Rimmer, Sarah Ann Halsall

Childminder · Darwen, BB3 3RP

Not yet inspectedBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminderRegistered for decades

Duxbury, Elle May

Childminder · Unit 5 Wood Street Mill, Hacking Street, Darwen, BB3 1AL

Not yet inspectedBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder3 placesNewly opened

Bolland, Gemma

Childminder · Unit 5 Wood Street Mill, Hacking Street, Darwen, BB3 1AL

Not yet inspectedBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminder3 placesNewly opened

Tick two or three to compare them.

Recently

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.

Dec 2025Closed Kittens Pre-School Full day care
Dec 2025Opened PALS-Darwen St Joseph's Primary School Full day care
Jun 2025Opened Bolland, Gemma
Jun 2025Opened Duxbury, Elle May

Questions

What people ask about childcare in Darwen

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

Which nurseries in Darwen take funded hours?

3 of the 23 settings in Darwen 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.

Which nurseries in Darwen take babies?

19 settings in Darwen 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 Darwen?

Blackburn with Darwen has 31 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 Darwen

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

Blackburn82 settings · 3.5 miles Accrington67 settings · 5.5 miles Haslingden4 settings · 6.2 miles Blackburn34 settings · 6.3 miles Rossendale27 settings · 7.7 miles Chorley77 settings · 8.2 miles

All towns Blackburn with Darwen