Harlequin Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Long established
A day nursery in Scarborough for babies from 3 months up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:45, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2025. Open since 2017, with 48 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hour funding from North Yorkshire Council, TAX Credits and Company Voucher Schemes.
Worth knowing. Funding does not include food, which will be charged for each funded session attended.
What childcare usually costs in North Yorkshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in North Yorkshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
YO12 6LAWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 21 August 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging in this welcoming nursery. They form strong emotional bonds with their key person and other staff. Leaders place a high priority on developing children's friendships across the nursery. Babies and older children start the day by having breakfast together, which staff use to promote their social development well. Children play together, showing much cooperation and friendly behaviour with others. Staff use books and props to teach children how different emotions might make them feel and behave. Children begin to understand how their actions can impact on others.
The nursery's curriculum is dynamic and clearly sequenced. The babies in the 'Little
Explorers' room are well supported by staff as they explore their indoor and outdoor environments. For example, they discover the properties of natural materials, such as sand. Staff show babies how to use resources, for example buckets and spades, to enhance their learning. Babies develop their hand-eye coordination as they learn how to carefully scoop sand into the buckets. Staff are very responsive to children's individual needs. They sensitively encourage quieter children to participate in the daily routines and activities. This strongly supports children's self-esteem and builds their confidence to be active learners.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen staff's interactions with children further by using more questions that encourage children to share their ideas and develop their thinking skills.
- 21 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 8 October 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Harlequin Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.