Children's nurseries to acquire in the East of England

Name: Children's nurseries to acquire in the East of England
Creator: Firmbase
License: https://firmbase.co/terms

Updated 9 November 2026

Looking to acquire a children's nursery in the East of England? Firmbase ranks 283 children's nurseries using public company information to help buyers prioritise firms for research and potential outreach. The Approach Score ranks firms using public signals including director age and tenure, ownership, business scale, financial strength and recent changes. These firms are not listed for sale, and the ranking does not indicate that an owner is considering a sale.

The median firm has 14 staff and has been in business for 8 years; 5 firms are owned by groups that have acquired several firms in this sector. Looking beyond the East of England? Explore the full UK list of children's nurseries.

283

Firms

UK 3,244

19%

Every director 55+

UK 20%

39%

Held 75%+ by one person

UK 42%

Median years in business

UK 9

Median headcount

UK 16

£250k to £500k

Median turnover band

UK £250k to £500k · includes our estimates

5 firms owned by 1 group that has bought several firms in this sector. That is 2% of this list, against 2% across the UK.

Towns with the most firms

Cambridge 11 firms

The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order

Rank	Firm	Approach Score	The facts behind the score
1	Little Angels Bury ST Edmunds Bury ST. Edmunds, Suffolk	Approach Score 90/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 2005 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 9 staff · turnover est. £479k Net assets £93k (Dec 2025) Company no. 05522564 · Companies House
2	Play and Learn Before and After School Club Suffolk	Approach Score 87/100	1 director aged 65-69, 1 aged 60-64 · longest in post since 2005 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £80k Net assets £2k (Jul 2025) Company no. 05520951 · Companies House
3	Fun 4 Kids Colchester	Approach Score 81/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 41 staff · turnover est. £771k Net assets £80k (Mar 2025) Company no. 08857773 · Companies House fun4kidscolchester.co.uk
4	Club Kidz ST. Albans	Approach Score 81/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2013 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 31 staff · turnover est. £283k Net assets £8k (Jan 2026) Company no. 08359610 · Companies House clubkidz.co.uk
5	Carousel Day Nursery Southend-on-SEA, Essex	Approach Score 80/100	2 directors aged 65-69 · longest in post since 2019 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 22 staff · turnover est. £569k Net assets £46k (Feb 2026) Company no. 11806185 · Companies House carouselnursery.net
6	F.4.K. Hertfordshire	Approach Score 80/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2002 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 22 staff · turnover est. £710k Net assets £280k (Apr 2025) Charge satisfied Sep 2025 Company no. 03962420 · Companies House
7	Brentwood DAY Nursery Brentwood, Essex	Approach Score 80/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 10 staff · turnover est. £393k Net assets £86k (Mar 2026) Company no. 08939258 · Companies House brentwooddaynursery.co.uk
8	What's Occurring Colchester	Approach Score 80/100	Director aged 70 or over · in post since 2018 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 12 staff · turnover est. £402k Net assets £2k (Aug 2025) Company no. 11565737 · Companies House
9	Little Cupcakes Childcare Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire	Approach Score 79/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 2012 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 23 staff · turnover est. £599k Net assets £13k (Dec 2025) Company no. 08311266 · Companies House
10	Imperial Day Nursery and Pre-School Chelmsford, Essex	Approach Score 78/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2008 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 25 staff · turnover est. £1.1m Net assets £322k (Mar 2025) Company no. 06522389 · Companies House imperialdaynursery.co.uk
11	Poppies Day Nursery Biggleswade	Approach Score 77/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2004 Independent More about this firm 30 staff · turnover est. £1.4m Net assets £551k (Aug 2025) Company no. 05217293 · Companies House poppiesdaynursery.com
12	Yaxley OUT of School Club Peterborough	Approach Score 77/100	Director aged 65-69 · in post since 2019 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £68k Net assets £6k (Jun 2025) Company no. 12063023 · Companies House yaxleyoutofschoolclub.com
13	Fair Play Childrens Club Royston, Hertfordshire	Approach Score 76/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 29 staff · turnover est. £575k Net assets £95k (Sep 2025) Company no. 09206704 · Companies House fairplaychildrensclub.co.uk
14	Dots & Tots Brentwood, Essex	Approach Score 75/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2020 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 34 staff · turnover est. £606k Net assets £77k (Mar 2025) Company no. 12928438 · Companies House dotsandtots-nursery.co.uk
15	Buzykidz	Approach Score 75/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2008 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 11 staff · turnover est. £119k Net assets £9k (May 2025) Company no. 06495106 · Companies House buzykidz.co.uk
16	Stay N Play DAY Care Great Yarmouth, Norfolk	Approach Score 75/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2019 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 11 staff · turnover est. £577k Net assets £207k (Aug 2025) Company no. 12212225 · Companies House staynplaydaycare.co.uk
17	Jayne's Nursery Chelmsford, Essex	Approach Score 75/100	2 directors aged 65-69 · longest in post since 2013 1 individual holds 75%+ · corporate owner More about this firm 19 staff · turnover est. £449k Net assets £45k (Jun 2025) Company no. 08643444 · Companies House jaynesflowershop.com
18	Rascal's (norfolk) Great Yarmouth, Norfolk	Approach Score 74/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2012 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £298k Net assets -£118k (Sep 2025) Director resigned Mar 2026 · PSC register changed Mar 2026 Company no. 08003800 · Companies House
19	Buttercups Childcare Cambridge, Cambridgeshire	Approach Score 74/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2016 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 24 staff · turnover est. £219k Net assets £54 (Aug 2025) Company no. 10315305 · Companies House buttercupschildcareltd.co.uk
20	Bradleys Childcare Westcliff-on-SEA, Essex	Approach Score 74/100	Longest in post since 2007 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 20 staff · turnover est. £757k Net assets £234k (Feb 2025) Company no. 06425632 · Companies House
21	Wendy's Childminding Services Ware, Herts	Approach Score 73/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2012 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £119k Net assets £16k (Dec 2025) Company no. 08338155 · Companies House
22	Chuckles Bishop's Stortford	Approach Score 73/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2025 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £185k Net assets £100 (Mar 2025) Director resigned Dec 2025 · PSC register changed Dec 2025 Company no. 06497677 · Companies House chucklesukltd.co.uk
23	Celtic Rose Colchester	Approach Score 73/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2009 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 9 staff · turnover est. £152k Net assets £59k (Nov 2025) Company no. 07081966 · Companies House
24	TomBoo Bedford	Approach Score 73/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2005 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 17 staff · turnover est. £155k Net assets -£179k · newer accounts made up to Dec 2025 Director resigned Feb 2025 · PSC register changed Feb 2025 Company no. 05529099 · Companies House tomboo.co.uk
25	Scallywags Private Day Nursery Canvey Island, Essex A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 72/100	Director aged 50-54 · in post since 2005 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 24 staff · turnover est. £668k Net assets £224k (Nov 2025) Company no. 05622863 · Companies House scallywagsnursery.com

258 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.

You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 283 for £799 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.

Buy the list of all 283 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.

What's in the file

One row per firm, in Approach Score order, as Excel + CSV.

It holds the facts behind each score, points for each part of the score, financials with dates, publicly available contact details, where identified, director names and named shareholders.

Some people with significant control appear as Other individual, with no further detail. Director email lookups are not included.

How this list is filtered

5 or more staff, from filed headcount or our estimate where none is filed.
Registered office in the East of England.

See every filter on the UK list

How this list is built

The Approach Score ranks firms mainly on public Companies House information about owner tenure and age, ownership, size, financial strength and recent register changes.

Firms with higher scores appear first in each list.

Use the ranking to order research, then check each business directly.

Read how the Approach Score works

What it does not mean

No firm here is for sale, and the score says nothing about any owner's plans.

At least 95% of the firms where we hold directors had them checked in or after November 2026.

What we do not cover

Regulatory information is not included in this list. Buyers should check the relevant register as part of their due diligence. Check Ofsted's registered childcare search in England, Scotland's Care Inspectorate directory and Care Inspectorate Wales's service search. In Northern Ireland, confirm registration with the relevant health and social care trust.

Why age bands but no people's names

Age bands come from the month and year of birth on Companies House. This page shows no exact ages and no people's names. Both come with the purchased list. The band edges from 45 to 65 are the ages where the score changes. A row shows no age bands when a director's surname is in the firm's name, its group's name or its website. Those directors' ages still count towards the score.

Is this your firm?

You can ask us to take it off every acquisition page, and out of every list we sell after that. Give us your name and work email, and we send you a link to confirm. If your email address is on the firm's own website domain, the firm comes off once you confirm. If it is not, a person reviews your request first. A list already sold stays with its buyer.

To have personal data erased, see our privacy policy.

Other areas

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Buy the list of all 283 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.