Outstanding
122 placesDH1 1GG0191 3843610
North East
Childcare in Durham
298 registered providers with 5,814 places, down 6.6% since December 2021.
91day nurseries
168childminders
16after-school clubs
89newly registered since 2021
72.8%rated Good or better
185closed since 2021
Childminders are disappearing here. Numbers are down 31.7% since December 2021, against a national fall of about 24%.
Towns
Where to look
Pick the place you actually live.
Durham21Chester Le Street (Durham)14Seaham8Bishop Auckland7Newton Aycliffe7Stanley (Durham)7Consett6Peterlee6Spennymoor5Barnard Castle4Crook3Ferryhill3Shildon3Sedgefield2Wingate2Brandon (Durham)1Coundon1Coxhoe1Hartlepool (Durham)1Haswell1Houghton Le Spring (Durham)1Kelloe1Middlestone Moor1Newcastle upon Tyne (Durham)1Rowlands Gill (Durham)1Sacriston1Shotton Colliery1Stockton-On-Tees (Durham)1Trimdon Station1Tudhoe Moor1Wheatley Hill1Willington1
Highest rated
Settings across the council
The sixty largest and best-rated. Childminders are not named, because Ofsted withholds them.
Outstanding
111 placesDL14 0LZ01388833637
Outstanding
108 placesDH6 5AT0191 377 9192
Outstanding
90 placesSR7 7BN0191 5815487
Outstanding
90 placesDH1 1TA0191 3348153
Outstanding
79 placesSR7 9QR0191 5175 907
Outstanding
77 placesDH2 2EY03000 264 095
Outstanding
62 placesSR8 5RL0191 5864752
Outstanding
52 placesDL5 4BG07974 704 213
Outstanding
49 placesTS28 5BD01429 838206
Outstanding
44 placesDH3 4HU0191 3881978
Outstanding
42 placesDH9 0TE03000 262461
Outstanding
36 placesDH3 3HL0191 3889048
Outstanding
34 placesDH1 2EY01913849795
Outstanding
24 placesDL12 9AQ01833 690458
Outstanding
21 placesSR7 8DX0191 581 2399
Outstanding
20 placesSR7 7EE07545181069
Good
172 placesDH7 7AA01913735500
Good
169 placesDH1 5HW0191 3750244
Good
135 placesDH3 4AF0191 3881118
Good
115 placesDH8 6TJ01207 583583
Good
110 placesDH1 5SE0191 3740802
Good
100 placesDL14 6HX01388 603862
Good
98 placesDH8 8LY01207 581700
Good
97 placesDL5 6AP08454 505871
Good
89 placesDH3 3SR0191 3895817
Good
89 placesDL15 0AA07836718332
Good
88 placesDH8 7PW01207 581321
Good
86 placesDH1 5SG0191 384 5540
Good
83 placesDL5 4SF01325329931
Good
75 placesDH8 0BH01207 655454
Report card Jan 2026
75 placesDL4 1DU01388304274
Good
74 placesDH7 8ER01914470907
Good
73 placesDL14 8NP01388 663 130
Good
72 placesDL14 7NX01388 608335
Good
66 placesSR8 5UD0191 586 9222
Good
64 placesDL5 6HP01325315108
Report card May 2026
61 placesDH9 7AN01207 438755
Good
61 placesDH2 1QX0191 4111488
Good
60 placesDL15 9BG01388 768888
Good
59 placesDH6 2DZ0191 3671231
Good
58 placesSR8 2RN01915185540
Good
55 placesDH7 8XQ07951539805
Good
54 placesDL5 5HH01325312050
Good
54 placesDH6 4PG0191 377 1739
Good
52 placesDH1 4SG0191 384 1444
Good
52 placesDL16 6EX01388 816112
Good
51 placesDH9 8HW01207 232214
Good
50 placesDH8 0NW07745 086 793
Good
50 placesDL16 7DA01388 815815
Good
49 placesDL14 7PX01388607670
Good
48 placesSR7 7SH0191 513 0293
Good
48 placesDH7 6LU0191 3712895
Good
48 placesDL15 9AZ01388 767 300
Good
48 placesDH6 4HJ0191 3773759
Good
48 placesDL12 8XT01833 200150
Good
46 placesDH9 0AB0120 7280 022
Good
45 placesDL4 2DX07811922004
Good
44 placesDH7 8NL01913789890
Good
43 placesDL16 7RS01388 816299
No longer open
Settings that have closed
Worked out by comparing consecutive Ofsted releases; the closure falls in the six months before the date shown.
| Setting | Town | Places it had | Last rating | Gone by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nursery | Consett | 70 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Your Co-op Little Pioneers Nursery & Pre-school Seaham | Seaham | 65 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Kids Active | Consett | 50 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Little Stars Early Years | Willington | 24 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Deerness Valley Nursery | Durham | 20 | Good | Jun 2026 |
| Conkers Life Kindergarten | Rowlands Gill | 16 | Outstanding | Jun 2026 |
| First Class Learning Bowburn | Durham | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2026 |
| Bishop Auckland College Nursery | Bishop Auckland | 67 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| Westfield House | Crook | 49 | Outstanding | Dec 2025 |
| Little Darlings Wrap Around Care Limited | Spennymoor | 36 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| The Valley Nursery at Pelton Primary | Chester Le Street | 24 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Seascape creche | Peterlee | 3 | Good | Dec 2025 |
| CNS Hunwick | Crook | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| CNS Lumley | Chester Le Street | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| Kip McGrath Chester Le Street | Chester Le Street | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| CNS After School | Stanley | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2025 |
| First Steps At Woodlea | Houghton Le Spring | 48 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| First Steps @ Lumley | Chester Le Street | 16 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2025 |
| Giant Steps Haswell | Durham | 49 | Outstanding | Dec 2024 |
| Selby@BIR | Consett | 14 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2024 |
| Playdays Nursery | Newton Aycliffe | 54 | Good | Jun 2024 |
| Giant Steps Sherburn Village | Sherburn Village, Durham | 36 | Good | Jun 2024 |
| Dipton Out of School Hours Club | Stanley | 25 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2024 |
| Seaside Lane Nursery | Peterlee | 20 | Good | Jun 2024 |
| Bowes Pre-School | Barnard Castle | 20 | Good | Jun 2024 |
| Castle Kindergarten | Darlington | 52 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2023 |
| Happy Smiles | Consett | 32 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Early Learners | Durham | 26 | Good | Dec 2023 |
| Butterflies Day Care | Ferryhill | 24 | Needs improvement | Dec 2023 |
| Saplings Nature Kindergarten | Peterlee | 12 | Outstanding | Dec 2023 |
| Stagecoach Performing Arts Chester Le Street | Chester Le Street | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2023 |
| Child's Play Private Nursery | Seaham | 96 | Good | Jun 2023 |
| Child's Play Private Nursery | Ferryhill | 75 | Outstanding | Jun 2023 |
| Do Re Mi Day Nursery | Durham | 39 | Outstanding | Jun 2023 |
| The Old Bridge Nursery | Durham | 27 | Good | Jun 2023 |
| Stagecoach Washington | Chester Le Street | 0 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2023 |
| Welcome Nurseries @ Barnard Castle | Barnard Castle | 110 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2022 |
| Little Tots Academy | Consett | 70 | Inadequate | Dec 2022 |
| Little Pioneers Nursery & Pre-school. | Seaham | 60 | Outstanding | Dec 2022 |
| St. Oswald's Sunshine Club | Durham | 48 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Horden Youth and Community Centre Nursery | Peterlee | 37 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Little Stars Playgroup | Sacriston | 36 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Giant Steps Seaham | Seaham | 28 | Outstanding | Dec 2022 |
| Ushaw Moor Childcare | Durham | 26 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| Bishop Ian Ramsey Pre-School | Consett | 15 | Good | Dec 2022 |
| First Steps @ Lumley | Chester Le Street | 0 | Not yet inspected | Dec 2022 |
| Woodlands Day Nursery | Durham | 72 | Needs improvement | Jun 2022 |
| Stepping Stones Co-operative Nursery Ltd | Consett | 48 | Good | Jun 2022 |
| House of Eden | Newton Aycliffe | 45 | Good | Jun 2022 |
| Kirklands At Startforth | Barnard Castle | 24 | Not yet inspected | Jun 2022 |
| Craghead Childcare @ Burnside Family Centre | Stanley | 24 | Good | Jun 2022 |