Full-day nursery in Faverdale, Darlington
Kids 1st - Darlington
Alderman Leach Drive, Darlington, DL2 2GF · Getting there
Is it good?
Read the Ofsted reportOfsted inspection, before November 2025
Good
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
What does this mean?
This grade is from before November 2025, when Ofsted replaced single grades with report cards. The nursery's next inspection will give a report card, with a separate grade for each area instead of one overall grade.
Official records
- Ofsted registrationRegistered since December 2007Reference EY364039Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Inspections on record1 inspectionlatest 3 June 2025Ofsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Registered places108 placesthe most children it may care for at onceOfsted · checked 30 June 2026
- Food hygiene rating5 (Very good)inspected 8 October 2025Food Standards Agency · checked 13 November 2026
Fees
Fees, hours and ages: not published yet
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Estimate a monthly cost with the council area's typical day rate
Hours and ages
Opening hours and ages: not published yet.
Getting there
Alderman Leach Drive, Darlington, DL2 2GF · More nurseries in DL2
Buses
2 bus stops within 400 m, including John Fowler Way.
Parks and playgrounds
- West Park2 min walk
- Cow Green Park7 min walk
- The Haven8 min walk
- Playground1 min walk
- Playground9 min walk
NaPTAN, Department for Transport, checked 13 November 2026 · © OpenStreetMap contributors, checked 13 November 2026. Walking times are rough, from straight-line distance.
Places and next steps
Spaces: not published yet. Nurseries often fill months ahead, so ask early.
In Darlington there are about 3.8 children under 5 for every registered nursery place. Places are how many children nurseries may care for, not free spaces, so this is a guide to demand. Source: ONS Census 2021.
What parents say
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Write a reviewAbout Kids 1st - Darlington
Kids 1st - Darlington is a full-day nursery at Alderman Leach Drive, Darlington, DL2 2GF, in Faverdale, Darlington. It is registered for 108 children. Ofsted rated it Good at its inspection in June 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025. It has a Google rating of 5.0 from 13 reviews (October 2026). It is run by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited.
Run by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited (company), which runs 300 nurseries.
Compare nurseries nearby
| Nursery | Ofsted | Full day from | Hours | Ages | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids 1st - DarlingtonThis nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | This nursery |
| Busy Bees Day Nursery at DarlingtonFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 0.8 miles |
| Kids Planet DarlingtonFull-day nursery | Not yet inspected | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.1 miles |
| Pierremont Pre-SchoolFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.2 miles |
| Mowden Pre-SchoolSessional pre-school | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.2 miles |
| Danesmoor House Day NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.5 miles |
| Upperthorpe NurseryFull-day nursery | Good | not shared yet | not shared yet | not shared yet | 1.5 miles |
A dash means the nursery hasn't published it yet. Distances are in a straight line.
Nearby areas
Schools nearby
- West Park Academy Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected March 2024 under 0.1 miles
- Mount Pleasant Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected September 2022 0.5 miles
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected October 2023 0.8 miles
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School Primaryages 2–11has a nursery classOfsted: Goodinspected February 2023 0.8 miles
- Marchbank Free School ages 5–11Ofsted: Goodinspected January 2024 1.0 miles
- Mowden Junior School Primaryages 7–11Ofsted: Report cardinspected June 2026 1.2 miles
- Mowden Infant School Primaryages 5–7Ofsted: School remains Goodinspected January 2023 1.2 miles
- Reid Street Primary School Primaryages 3–11has a nursery classOfsted: School remains Goodinspected April 2022 1.3 miles
Straight-line distances. Places depend on each school's admissions rules. From the Department for Education and Ofsted.
Questions parents ask
Got a question? Ask and get an answer straight away.
What is Kids 1st - Darlington's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Kids 1st - Darlington Good at its inspection on 3 June 2025, before report cards replaced single grades in November 2025.
How many children can Kids 1st - Darlington take?
Kids 1st - Darlington is registered with Ofsted for up to 108 children at any one time.
Who runs Kids 1st - Darlington?
Kids 1st - Darlington is run by Busy Bees Nurseries Limited, which runs 300 nurseries.
What is the nearest station to Kids 1st - Darlington?
North Road is the nearest station we know of, 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
How do I contact Kids 1st - Darlington?
You can call 01325 380199 and visit www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk.
Tools for parents in Darlington
- Childcare cost calculatorMonthly cost with funded hours
- Funded hours checkerWhich schemes you qualify for
- Funded hours start dateWhen your child's hours begin
- Tax-Free Childcare calculatorThe 20% top-up on your bill
- Visit checklist for this nurseryPrintable questions, pre-filled
- Cost of nursery in DarlingtonFees by age in Darlington
About this information
- Registration and inspections: Ofsted · 30 June 2026
- Rating and review themes: Google · 31 October 2026
- Schools: DfE Get Information about Schools · 4 November 2026
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Department for Education data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Ofsted data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.
- Contains Department for Transport NaPTAN data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Source: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Read reviews on Google
Last checked 31 October 2026 · Ofsted URN EY364039 · Plain-text version · Report a mistake
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