NurseryWise Childcare in England
Dorset

Childcare in Gillingham (Dorset)

Gillingham (Dorset) has 3 day nurseries, 1 pre-school, 2 school nursery classes, 3 childminders and 1 after-school club. Ofsted has inspected 5 of them and rated 4 Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. 5 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Dorset there are 37 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.

37places per 100 under-fives in Dorset, against 32 for England
80%of the 5 inspected here are Good or better, 1 Outstanding
4 of 10are 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 Dorset, 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 60 school nursery classes across Dorset, because nobody publishes how many children they take.

Everything 10Day nurseries 3Pre-schools 1School nurseries 2Childminders 3After-school clubs 1
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

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

Day nurseries 3

Tops Gillingham

Day nursery · Tops Nursery, Middlefield House, Gillingham, SP8 4FA

GoodBirth to 8+06:00 to 20:00, 5 days a week★ 4.8 Google, 2892 placesLong established
01747 835533Their website

Pre-schools 1

Childminders 3

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

Belmont, Nicola Jane

Childminder · Gillingham, SP8 4JW

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

Ladlow, Emilie Claire Frances

Childminder · Gillingham, SP8 4LL

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

Rayne, Rebecca Charlotte

Childminder · Gillingham, SP8 4HS

Not yet inspectedBirth to 8+Hours arranged with the childminderNewly registered

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 Topsie Gillingham Sessional day care
  • Jun 2025Closed PH Sports - Wyke Primary School Out-of-school day care
Questions

What people ask about childcare in Gillingham (Dorset)

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

Which nurseries in Gillingham (Dorset) take funded hours?

4 of the 10 settings in Gillingham (Dorset) 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 Gillingham (Dorset) rated Outstanding?

Yes. 1 of the 5 settings Ofsted has inspected in Gillingham (Dorset) hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Gillingham (Dorset) take babies?

7 settings in Gillingham (Dorset) 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 Gillingham (Dorset)?

Dorset has 37 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 Gillingham (Dorset)

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

Shaftesbury8 settings · 4.7 milesWincanton4 settings · 5.7 milesSturminster Newton7 settings · 7.6 milesWarminster29 settings · 10.4 milesBlandford Forum17 settings · 12.4 milesSherborne15 settings · 12.7 miles
All townsDorset