Best nurseries in Colchester
52 Ofsted-registered nurseries and pre-schools, best Ofsted result first: the latest report card or overall grade, then the most recent inspection. Childminders are not listed (Ofsted does not publish their addresses).
| # | Nursery | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brinkley Lane Day Nursery School Full day care · 54 places · CO4 9XN | Outstanding (2025) |
| 2 | Great Tey Pre-School Sessional day care · 30 places · CO6 1JQ | Outstanding (2024) |
| 3 | Nannas Neighbourhood Nursery Full day care · 56 places · CO4 3JP | Outstanding (2022) |
| 4 | Just Imagine Day Nursery - Colchester Academy Ltd Full day care · 37 places · CO4 3JL | Outstanding (2022) |
| 5 | Abacus Kindergarten Sessional day care · 40 places · CO4 0PZ | Outstanding (2022) |
| 6 | Nannas Day Nurseries Full day care · 44 places · CO4 5XT | Outstanding (2022) |
| 7 | Little Angels Pre School Ltd Sessional day care · 39 places · CO4 3HR | Outstanding (2021) |
| 8 | Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Severalls Business Park Full day care · 106 places · CO4 9AS | Report card: 5 strong (Feb 2026) |
| 9 | Nannas Day Nurseries Full day care · 60 places · CO4 5JR | Report card: 5 strong (Nov 2025) |
| 10 | Chesterwell Day Nursery Full day care · 84 places · CO4 6AZ | Report card: 5 strong (Nov 2025) |
| 11 | Squirrels Pre-School Full day care · 26 places · CO4 9SR | Good (2025) |
| 12 | Grove Preschool Stanway Sessional day care · 20 places · CO3 0PG | Good (2025) |
| 13 | Little Explorers Pre-School Sessional day care · 24 places · CO4 3QE | Good (2025) |
| 14 | Yellow Brick Rd Nursery Highwoods Sessional day care · 22 places · CO4 9YN | Good (2025) |
| 15 | Rowhedge Under 5's Sessional day care · 35 places · CO5 7HR | Good (2025) |
| 16 | Chestnut House Kindergarten Full day care · 76 places · CO4 5LE | Good (2025) |
| 17 | Holly Corner Kindergarten Full day care · 37 places · CO3 4RX | Good (2025) |
| 18 | Plume Avenue Nursery Full day care · 60 places · CO3 4PQ | Good (2025) |
| 19 | The Old Schoolhouse Kindergarten Full day care · 46 places · CO3 8PB | Good (2025) |
| 20 | Oaklea Montessori Cic Full day care · 26 places · CO1 2DE | Good (2025) |
| 21 | Celtic Rose Center Sessional day care · 30 places · CO1 2RB | Good (2025) |
| 22 | Butterfly Blue Day Nursery Full day care · 120 places · CO2 7FJ | Good (2024) |
| 23 | Kiddi Caru Nursery Full day care · 122 places · CO2 8JB | Good (2024) |
| 24 | St Johns Green Playgroup Sessional day care · 30 places · CO2 7HE | Good (2024) |
| 25 | Dragonfly Day Nursery Ltd Full day care · 68 places · CO1 1DZ | Good (2024) |
| 26 | Second Steps Day Nursery (Colchester) Limited Full day care · 69 places · CO3 4RG | Good (2023) |
| 27 | Banana Moon Colchester Full day care · 106 places · CO1 1TY | Good (2023) |
| 28 | The Beeches Pre-school Full day care · 14 places · CO4 3AQ | Good (2023) |
| 29 | Childsplay Day Nursery Full day care · 70 places · CO1 1XF | Good (2023) |
| 30 | Myland Pre-School CIC Sessional day care · 26 places · CO4 5DY | Good (2023) |
| 31 | Woodland Barn Day Nursery Full day care · 48 places · CO1 2EX | Good (2023) |
| 32 | Busy Bees Day Nursery at Colchester Stanway Full day care · 103 places · CO3 8LT | Good (2022) |
| 33 | Lexden Lodge Kindergarten Full day care · 125 places · CO3 3QD | Good (2022) |
| 34 | Humpty Dumpty Pre-School (Colchester) Sessional day care · 26 places · CO4 9GF | Good (2022) |
| 35 | Safari Childcare Full day care · 32 places · CO3 9BE | Good (2022) |
| 36 | Christchurch Preschool Sessional day care · 33 places · CO3 3AT | Good (2022) |
| 37 | Oaklea Montessori St John's Full day care · 24 places · CO4 0HP | Good (2022) |
| 38 | Rainbow Playgroup Sessional day care · 20 places · CO4 5ET | Good (2022) |
| 39 | Sunhill Early Learning Colchester Full day care · 87 places · CO4 5QJ | Good (2021) |
| 40 | The Beeches Pre-School Annexe Full day care · 23 places · CO4 3XG | Good (2021) |
| 41 | The Wilson Marriage Centre Nursery, Little Learners Full day care · 22 places · CO1 2LR | Report card: 1 strong, 4 expected (Nov 2025) |
| 42 | Bright Horizons Colchester Day Nursery and Preschool Full day care · 108 places · CO4 6BT | Report card: 5 expected (Feb 2026) |
| 43 | Angelina's Day Care Ltd Full day care · 90 places · CO1 2TX | Report card: 5 expected (Feb 2026) |
| 44 | Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Colchester Full day care · 159 places · CO3 0RH | Requires improvement (2025) |
| 45 | Tadpoles Pre-School Sessional day care · 26 places · CO6 1EJ | Requires improvement (2025) |
| 46 | Abacus Little Learners Sessional day care · 24 places · CO4 0HH | Not yet inspected |
| 47 | Caterpillars Pre-School Marks Tey Sessional day care · 30 places · CO6 1HL | Not yet inspected |
| 48 | Centre Preschool (Colchester) CIO Sessional day care · 50 places · CO3 9EF | Not yet inspected |
| 49 | Colchester Northern Gateway Sports Park Kids Camp Sessional day care · CO4 5YX | Not yet inspected |
| 50 | Kidz fun Early years Sessional day care · 8 places · CO2 7DP | Not yet inspected |
| 51 | Stanway Pre-school Sessional day care · 34 places · CO3 0QG | Not yet inspected |
| 52 | Stepping Stones play and learn group Sessional day care · 45 places · CO1 2LR | Not yet inspected |
How much does nursery cost in Colchester?
Typical weekly nursery prices for a child under two in East of England, from the Coram Childcare Survey 2026. A guide only: ask each nursery for its own fees.
Working parents in England can get 30 funded hours a week in term time from when their child is 9 months old, so a 25-hour place can cost little or nothing in term time. Every 3 and 4 year old gets at least 15 funded hours. Funded hours cover 38 weeks a year; nurseries can charge for extra hours, meals and activities. Check what you can get at Childcare Choices.
Questions
What are the best nurseries in Colchester?
Of 52 nurseries and pre-schools in Colchester, 10 have Ofsted's top results (Outstanding, or mostly strong or exceptional on the new report card). Listed first: Brinkley Lane Day Nursery School, Great Tey Pre-School, Nannas Neighbourhood Nursery.
How much does nursery cost in Colchester?
In East of England, a part-time place (25 hours a week) for a child under two typically costs £192 a week without funded hours (Coram Childcare Survey 2026). Working parents can get 30 funded hours a week in term time from 9 months.
How many nurseries are there in Colchester?
52 Ofsted-registered nurseries and pre-schools, 45 of them inspected so far.
Source: Ofsted early years inspections. Ofsted's report card (from November 2025) grades curriculum, achievement, behaviour, children's welfare and leadership as exceptional, strong, expected, needs attention or urgent improvement; earlier inspections gave one overall grade.