Childcare in Hertford
Hertford has 13 day nurseries, 5 pre-schools, 17 school nursery classes, 4 childminders and 17 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 15 of them and rated 13 Good or better, 6 of them Outstanding. 41 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Hertfordshire there are 36 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Hertfordshire, 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 317 school nursery classes across Hertfordshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
17 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 Brightside Preschool (Hertford) CIC Sessional day care
- Jun 2026Opened SSS Provision PO Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Activate Camps @ Haileybury Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Rising Stars Activities St Joseph's In The Park Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Apple Daycare Ltd (Ware Road Hertford) Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Mini Morgans Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Hygge Bears Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Apple Daycare Ltd (Water Hall Farm) Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Activate Camps @ Haileybury Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Sports Ninjas Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Play Aloud Wheatcroft Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Rising Stars Activities St Joseph's In The Park Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Hertford
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Hertford take funded hours?
20 of the 56 settings in Hertford 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Hertford rated Outstanding?
Yes. 6 of the 15 settings Ofsted has inspected in Hertford hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Hertford take babies?
34 settings in Hertford 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 Hertford?
Hertfordshire has 36 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 Hertford
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.