Childcare in Rotherham
Rotherham has 40 day nurseries, 5 pre-schools, 57 school nursery classes, 38 childminders and 24 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 63 of them and rated 60 Good or better, 14 of them Outstanding. 101 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Rotherham there are 24 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 Rotherham, 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 77 school nursery classes across Rotherham, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
164 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 2026Closed Happy Kids Clifton Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Lime Tree Nursery (Herringthorpe) Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Curiosity Cottage (Herringthorpe) Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Curious Little Minds (Thorpe Hesley) Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Happy Kids Clifton Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Rainbow Friend Childcare Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened The Lime Trees at Thrybergh Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened Pop's Outdoor Maltby Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened The Lime Trees at Wickersley Northfield Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened The Lime Trees at Brinsworth Manor Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Opened EmpowerEd Tuition Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Fenwood House Day Nursery Blackburn Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Rotherham
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Rotherham take funded hours?
72 of the 164 settings in Rotherham 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Rotherham rated Outstanding?
Yes. 14 of the 63 settings Ofsted has inspected in Rotherham hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Rotherham take babies?
100 settings in Rotherham 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 Rotherham?
Rotherham has 24 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 Rotherham
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.