NurseryWise Childcare in England
Essex

Childcare in Rayleigh

Rayleigh has 5 day nurseries, 4 pre-schools, 2 school nursery classes, 11 childminders and 2 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 15 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 5 of them Outstanding. 9 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Essex there are 36 places per 100 children under five, better supplied than England as a whole at 32.

36places per 100 under-fives in Essex, against 32 for England
100%of the 15 inspected here are Good or better, 5 Outstanding
3 of 24are 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 Essex, 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 154 school nursery classes across Essex, because nobody publishes how many children they take.

Everything 24Day nurseries 5Pre-schools 4School nurseries 2Childminders 11After-school clubs 2
No filterTakes under-twosTakes funded hoursOpen all dayPublishes pricesSortBest ratedCheapestA to Z

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

Downhall Under Fives

Pre-school · Ferndale Open Space, Ferndale Road, Rayleigh, SS6 9NN

OutstandingBirth to 8+Sessions in term time, often mornings28 placesOpen for decades
07752 960411

Born To

Pre-school · Dekkers Wood, Rear of 60, Rayleigh, SS6 8BW

OutstandingBirth to 8+Sessions in term time, often mornings16 placesLong established
07399995675

Fairview Under Fives Group

Pre-school · Edward Francis Primary School, Uplands Park Road, Rayleigh, SS6 8AJ

GoodBirth to 5Sessions in term time, often mornings20 placesLong established
07787035642

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.

  • Jun 2025Opened Toad Hall Day Nursery and Pre School Full day care
  • Jun 2025Closed Brooklyn Play Club Out-of-school day care
  • Jun 2025Closed Toad Hall Day Nursery Ltd Full day care
Questions

What people ask about childcare in Rayleigh

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

Which nurseries in Rayleigh take funded hours?

3 of the 24 settings in Rayleigh 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Rayleigh rated Outstanding?

Yes. 5 of the 15 settings Ofsted has inspected in Rayleigh hold an Outstanding grade.

Which nurseries in Rayleigh take babies?

22 settings in Rayleigh 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 Rayleigh?

Essex 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.

Nearby

Towns close to Rayleigh

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

Benfleet30 settings · 2.2 milesHockley14 settings · 2.2 milesLeigh-On-Sea30 settings · 3.3 milesWickford32 settings · 3.5 milesRochford18 settings · 4.4 milesWestcliff-On-Sea20 settings · 4.4 miles
All townsEssex