Childcare in Lincoln
Lincoln has 53 day nurseries, 14 pre-schools, 31 school nursery classes, 45 childminders and 32 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 87 of them and rated 82 Good or better, 4 of them Outstanding. 88 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £18 to £43, typically £33. Across Lincolnshire there are 37 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 Lincolnshire, 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 111 school nursery classes across Lincolnshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
175 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 Premier Education @ Lincoln Christ's Hospital School Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Kings Camps at The University of Lincoln Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Yellow Brick Road, North Hykeham Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened TimTin Playgroup & Kids Club Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Little Learners Lincoln Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Fun Farm City Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Fun Farm Day Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed TimTin Playgroup and Kids Club Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Junior Adventures Group @ OneNK - Better Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Sturton Cygnets Pre-School Sessional day care
- Dec 2025Closed The Little Acorns Day Nursery Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Glebe Farm Nursery School Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Lincoln
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Lincoln?
Of the 7 full-day rates published by settings in Lincoln, the typical price is £33 a day, ranging from £18 to £43. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Lincoln take funded hours?
43 of the 175 settings in Lincoln 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Lincoln rated Outstanding?
Yes. 4 of the 87 settings Ofsted has inspected in Lincoln hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Lincoln take babies?
131 settings in Lincoln 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 Lincoln?
Lincolnshire 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.
Towns close to Lincoln
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.