70 nurseries in Medway

Every day nursery in the Medway council area, best rated first, with the ones Ofsted rated Outstanding and what a place costs after the free hours.

70 day nurseries

7 rated Outstanding

9 with a new report card (13%)

3,639 places in total

£152 a week, 50 hours for a 2 year old after free hours

Outstanding nurseries in Medway

7 nurseries in the area are in our top band: rated Outstanding, or graded Strong standard or better across a new report card.

Top-band day nurseries in Medway
#	Nursery	Ofsted outcome	Inspected	Places
1	City Way Day Nursery Rochester, ME1	Outstanding	14 January 2025	78
2	Parkwood Christian Fellowship Preschool Gillingham, ME8	Outstanding	4 November 2024	43
3	Nuffy Bear Day Nursery - Medway Rochester, ME2	Outstanding	26 April 2024	25
4	Alphabets Day Nursery Chatham, ME5	Outstanding	20 October 2022	40
5	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chatham Chatham, ME4	Outstanding	7 July 2022	79
6	Scallywags (Medway) Limited Gillingham, ME8	Outstanding	7 June 2022	104
7	Castle View Day Nursery Ltd Rochester, ME2	Outstanding	26 April 2022	70

Day nurseries in Medway, best rated first

All 70 day nurseries in Medway
#	Nursery	Ofsted outcome	Inspected	Places
1	City Way Day Nursery Rochester, ME1	Outstanding	14 January 2025	78
2	Parkwood Christian Fellowship Preschool Gillingham, ME8	Outstanding	4 November 2024	43
3	Nuffy Bear Day Nursery - Medway Rochester, ME2	Outstanding	26 April 2024	25
4	Alphabets Day Nursery Chatham, ME5	Outstanding	20 October 2022	40
5	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Chatham Chatham, ME4	Outstanding	7 July 2022	79
6	Scallywags (Medway) Limited Gillingham, ME8	Outstanding	7 June 2022	104
7	Castle View Day Nursery Ltd Rochester, ME2	Outstanding	26 April 2022	70
8	Prima Montessori Day Nursery Gillingham, ME7	Strong standard in 4 of 6	17 April 2026	132
9	Rochester Preschool Rochester, ME1	Expected standard in 5 of 6	23 April 2026	40
10	Teeny Feet Day Nursery Chatham, ME5	Expected standard in 5 of 6	19 February 2026	30
11	Sprites Woodland Nursery Ltd Chatham, ME5	Expected standard in 5 of 6	3 December 2025	20
12	Little Explorers Rochester, ME1	Expected standard in 5 of 6	19 November 2025	58
13	Play A Way Activity Centre Gillingham, ME7	Expected standard in all 6	23 April 2026	52
14	Dockside Day Nursery & Pre-School Chatham, ME4	Expected standard in all 6	19 February 2026	107
15	Abacus Day Care Limited Chatham, ME5	Expected standard in all 6	12 February 2026	80
16	Smilers Rochester, ME3	Good	30 June 2025	52
17	Witty Kiddies Gillingham Gillingham, ME7	Good	13 May 2025	70
18	The Hundred of Hoo Nursery & Kids Club Ltd Rochester, ME3	Good	12 March 2025	99
19	Little Teddies Walderslade Chatham, ME5	Good	26 February 2025	12
20	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Gillingham Gillingham, ME8	Good	18 February 2025	112
21	Phoenix Day Nurseries UK Limited Rochester, ME3	Good	10 December 2024	59
22	Smilers Ltd Rochester, ME2	Good	29 October 2024	70
23	St Nicholas Playgroup Rochester, ME2	Good	7 October 2024	35
24	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Hempstead Gillingham, ME7	Good	19 September 2024	76
25	Hedgehogs Chatham Day Nursery Chatham, ME4	Good	30 July 2024	32
26	Hedgehogs Hoo Day Nursery Rochester, ME3	Good	23 July 2024	40
27	Little Acres Day Nursery and Pre-School Rochester, ME3	Good	25 June 2024	96
28	St Mary's Day Nursery Rochester, ME2	Good	30 May 2024	40
29	2J's Pre-school Gillingham, ME7	Good	21 May 2024	40
30	Cherubs Montessori Day Nursery Rochester, ME2	Good	11 March 2024	75
31	Kloisters Day Nursery and Pre-School Rochester, ME1	Good	12 February 2024	87
32	2J's Pre-School Rochester, ME2	Good	8 February 2024	60
33	Kestrel Under Fives Playgroup Chatham, ME5	Good	8 February 2024	40
34	Rainbows Day Nursery Strood, ME2	Good	29 January 2024	30
35	Parkwood 'Poppets' Playgroup Gillingham, ME8	Good	8 December 2023	25
36	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Gillingham Brompton Gillingham, ME7	Good	7 September 2023	92
37	Swallow Risers Playgroup and Out Of School Club Chatham, ME5	Good	5 July 2023	30
38	Owl & Bear Daycare Chatham, ME5	Good	20 June 2023	72
39	Play A Way Day Nursery Gillingham, ME7	Good	13 June 2023	42
40	Buttercups at Little Teddies Chatham, ME5	Good	7 June 2023	26
41	Sunshine Thames View Pre-School and Out of School Club Gillingham, ME8	Good	25 April 2023	50
42	Witty Kiddies Strood Rochester, ME2	Good	23 March 2023	55
43	1st Friends day nursery and creche Ltd Gillingham, ME8	Good	3 March 2023	24
44	Poppins Pre-School Gillingham, ME7	Good	27 January 2023	52
45	Hoo Saints Hoo, ME3	Good	19 January 2023	36
46	Phoenix Education Day Nursery Rochester, ME2	Good	10 January 2023	73
47	Hedgehogs Rochester Day Nursery Rochester, ME1	Good	20 December 2022	33
48	Tiny Tugs Medway Trust Day Nursery Gillingham, ME7	Good	15 December 2022	55
49	Busy Bees Day Nursery at Rainham Gillingham, ME8	Good	28 September 2022	81
50	Lordswood under 5's playgroup Chatham, ME5	Good	6 September 2022	30
51	Honeypot Day Nursery Ltd Chatham, ME5	Good	19 July 2022	46
52	Little Lights Nursery Rochester, ME1	Good	30 June 2022	40
53	Fairview Fledglings Gillingham, ME8	Good	13 April 2022	30
54	Rainbow Pre-School and Out of School Club Gillingham, ME8	Good	27 January 2022	30
55	Play A Way Day Care Centre Gillingham, ME7	Good	6 August 2021	35
56	The Gillingham Nursery Gillingham, ME8	Good	5 August 2021	67
57	Benjamin Rabbit Nursery Chatham, ME4	Good	22 July 2021	84
58	Bluebells Day Nursery & Preschool Chatham, ME5	Needs attention in 6 of 6	26 March 2026	48
59	Cambridge Tuition Centre Chatham, ME4	Not yet graded	Not yet
60	Conexus Tuition Broadway Class Gillingham, ME8	Not yet graded	Not yet
61	Eden Childcare Nursery and Preschool Rochester, ME2	Not yet graded	Not yet	27
62	Growing Minds Nursery and Pre-School Rochester, ME3	Not yet graded	Not yet	30
63	Hedgehogs Hempstead Gillingham, ME7	Not yet graded	Not yet	33
64	Little Thinkers at All Faiths Rochester, ME2	Not yet graded	Not yet	19
65	Marina Montessori Day Nursery & Pre School Chatham, ME4	Not yet graded	Not yet	73
66	Mini Treasures Day Nursery Rochester, ME1	Not yet graded	Not yet	36
67	Myrtle Learning Rochester, ME1	Not yet graded	Not yet
68	Play A Way Nursery & Pre-School Chatham, ME4	Not yet graded	Not yet	126
69	SENter Light Childcare Rochester, ME2	Not yet graded	Not yet	18
70	The Nest Nursery Rochester, ME1	Not yet graded	Not yet	38

How the ranking works: our ranking policy. What the grades mean: Ofsted report cards explained.

Towns in Medway

Nurseries by postcode in Medway

Nursery fees in Medway

What day nurseries in South East charge on average. Fees in Medway itself can sit above or below this.

Average weekly price in term time, South East, Coram Childcare Survey 2026
Child's age	25 hours a week	50 hours a week
Under 2	£202no funded hours	£161after 30 funded hours
2 years old	£185no funded hours	£152after 30 funded hours
3 to 4 years old	£72after the free 15 hours	£144after 30 funded hours

Regional average, not any one nursery's price. Source: Coram Childcare Survey 2026. Work out your own monthly cost.

30 hours free childcare in Medway

The free hours follow national rules, so they are the same in Medway as anywhere in England. Every day nursery listed here is registered with Ofsted, which is what a nursery needs to offer them.

Check which hours your child can get

Who	Free hours a week
Working parents, child from 9 months	30 hours
Every 3 and 4 year old	15 hours
2 year olds in families getting some benefits	15 hours

Nursery list and inspection outcomes from Ofsted's register of childcare providers, as at 30 June 2026.

Fees shown are regional averages from the Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2026, not any one nursery’s price. Confirm with the nursery before enrolling.

Eligibility rules are the government’s (childcarechoices.gov.uk). Whether a nursery offers the funded hours, and what it charges for meals and consumables, is the nursery’s decision; ask for its funded-hours terms in writing.