The top nurseries in Scotland have been named for 2025.
Recognising the best in Scotland, the annual DayNurseries.co.uk awards are based not only on reviews from parents and guardians but also on Care Inspectorate (CI) data. Each facility is ranked on factors including care, food, facilities, staff, safeguarding, management and value for money, with nurseries which have received low CI ratings excluded from the running.
For the fifth year in a row, Bright Horizons at 44 St Swithin Street in Aberdeen has been named among Scotland’s best, with a number of last year’s top nurseries – such as Happitots Nursery Cumbernauld and Smiley Stars’ locations in Ibrox and Mansewood – also maintaining their status.
So from the Borders to the north-east, here are the 20 best nurseries in Scotland.
13. Heads of Ayr Nursery, Deunure Road, Ayr, KA7 4LD
For a third year, Heads of Ayr Nursery has been ranked among Scotland’s top nurseries. Caring for children aged between 2 and five years old, parents and guardians write that the staff and activities offered by the nursery are excellent. | Google Maps
14. Kingsmeadows Nursery, Cavalry Park, Peebles, EH45 9BU
Based in Cavalry Park in Peebles, Kingsmeadows Nursery offers a welcoming, friendly, safe and nurturing environment to children aged from 3 months to five years old. Promoting a culture of mutual respect, in the Care Inspectorate’s 2022 report the facility was ranked as Very Good across the board. | Google Maps
15. Little People Nursery, Baird Avenue, Dryburgh Industrial Estate, Dundee, DD2 3TN
Ranked as one of the best nurseries in Scotland for a fourth year in a row, Little People Nursery is located within Dryburgh Industrial Estate in Dundee. Offering childcare to children up to five years old, the nursery has indoor and outdoor activities on offer with a warm and homely environment. | Google Maps
16. Pear Tree Nursery Church Street, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 3EX
During a 2024 inspection, the Care Inspectorate found Pear Tree Nursery on Church Street in Haddington to offer a clean, well organised and welcoming environment for children highlighting provisions such as natural light in its playrooms which “gave a strong message to children that they mattered”. Children from three months to five years old are cared for here, with the nursery very close to the town centre and public transport links. | Google Maps