Childcare in Hartlepool
Hartlepool has 16 day nurseries, 1 pre-school, 31 school nursery classes, 24 childminders and 1 after-school club. Ofsted has inspected 28 of them and rated 27 Good or better, 4 of them Outstanding. 45 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Hartlepool there are 23 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 Hartlepool, 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 31 school nursery classes across Hartlepool, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
24 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 Sunshine & Smiles Nursery Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Closed The Barn Hartlepool Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Footprints LFL@Stranton Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Bloom Childcare Limited Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Little Rays of Sunshine Daycare Full day care
- Jun 2025Opened Little Wonders Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Avondale Cheeky Monkeys Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Oscar Playcentre Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Hartlepool
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Hartlepool take funded hours?
35 of the 73 settings in Hartlepool 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Hartlepool rated Outstanding?
Yes. 4 of the 28 settings Ofsted has inspected in Hartlepool hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Hartlepool take babies?
41 settings in Hartlepool 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 Hartlepool?
Hartlepool has 23 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 Hartlepool
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.