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Pre-schools in Colchester

There are 66 pre-schools registered with Ofsted within 5 miles of Colchester, Essex, and 46 of them are rated Good or Outstanding. Compare inspection reports, the ages they take, opening hours and how far they are from you.

Pre-schools
66
Outstanding
9
Good
37
After-school clubs
18
Find your best match

66 nurseries near Colchester

Within 5 miles, closest first.
Distance
Child's age
Ofsted rating

Some settings do not publish age ranges and are excluded by this filter. Select Any age to see them and ask each setting which ages it accepts.

Directory listingCastleColchester · CO1 1XF
Castle, Colchester

Childsplay Day Nursery

Clarendon Way, COLCHESTER · CO1 1XF

0.7 miles from Colchester
OfstedGoodSep 2023Full day care70 places

A full day care nursery in Colchester, rated Good by Ofsted in September 2023. Registered for 70 places and run by Gary Mark Seward & Karen Valerie Seward Partnership.

Ages
0 – 8 years
Hours
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Directory listingCastleColchester · CO1 2RB
Castle, Colchester

Celtic Rose Center

St James Church Hall, Guildford Road · CO1 2RB

1.2 miles from Colchester
OfstedGoodJan 2025Sessional30 places

A sessional nursery in Colchester, rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Registered for 30 places and run by McGibbon, Rosaleen Anne.

Ages
0 – 5 years
Hours
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Directory listingMile EndColchester · CO4 5ET
Mile End, Colchester

Rainbow Playgroup

Methodist Church Hall, Nayland Road · CO4 5ET

1.6 miles from Colchester
OfstedGoodJan 2022Sessional20 places

A sessional nursery in Colchester, rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Registered for 20 places and run by Rainbow Playgroup Committee.

Ages
0 – 5 years
Hours
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Childcare in Colchester at a glance

Inspection results
46 of the 66 pre-schools within 5 miles of Colchester (70%) were rated Good or Outstanding at their latest graded Ofsted inspection: 9 Outstanding and 37 Good.
Ages taken
66 list babies under 2, 66 take 2 to 3-year-olds, 66 take 3 to 5-year-olds. Registered age ranges are a guide, so check the room your child would join with each setting.
Funded hours
Working parents apply for funded hours on GOV.UK. For the 15 hours for eligible 2-year-olds, contact Essex's Family Information Service.

Read our guides to choosing a nursery and funded hours

Browse Colchester by age

Questions parents ask about pre-schools in Colchester

Straight answers from the Ofsted register, updated as inspections come in.

There are 66 Ofsted-registered pre-schools within 5 miles of Colchester. 9 are rated Outstanding and 37 are rated Good at their latest inspection.

Nearby areas

41 places
Wider areaAll pre-schools in Essex
Show all 41 places