Childcare in Scarborough
Scarborough has 24 day nurseries, 4 pre-schools, 12 school nursery classes, 9 childminders and 6 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 31 of them, and rated every one Good or better, 6 of them Outstanding. 24 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across North Yorkshire there are 39 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 North Yorkshire, 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 169 school nursery classes across North Yorkshire, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
55 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 Friarage Nursery Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Wild Things Scarborough College Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Mucktubs Preschool Full day care
- Dec 2025Opened Childhaven Under Two's Full day care
- Jun 2025Opened St James Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2025Opened Mencap Full day care
What people ask about childcare in Scarborough
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Scarborough take funded hours?
21 of the 55 settings in Scarborough 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 Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.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 Scarborough rated Outstanding?
Yes. 6 of the 31 settings Ofsted has inspected in Scarborough hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Scarborough take babies?
40 settings in Scarborough 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 Scarborough?
North Yorkshire has 39 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 Scarborough
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.