Childcare in Herne Bay
Herne Bay has 13 day nurseries, 2 pre-schools, 3 school nursery classes, 5 childminders and 1 after-school club. Ofsted has inspected 19 of them and rated 16 Good or better, 3 of them Outstanding. 5 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Kent there are 33 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Kent, 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 138 school nursery classes across Kent, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
24 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 Beltinge and Reculver Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed West Faversham Community Association at Herne Centre Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Beltinge Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2025Closed Khickster Entertainment - Herne Bay Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Herne Bay
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Herne Bay take funded hours?
7 of the 24 settings in Herne Bay 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Herne Bay rated Outstanding?
Yes. 3 of the 19 settings Ofsted has inspected in Herne Bay hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Herne Bay take babies?
21 settings in Herne Bay 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 Herne Bay?
Kent has 33 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 Herne Bay
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.