Children's nurseries to acquire in the South East
Updated 9 November 2026
Looking to acquire a children's nursery in the South East? Firmbase ranks 423 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 16 staff and has been in business for 8 years; 3 firms are owned by groups that have acquired several firms in this sector. Looking beyond the South East? Explore the full UK list of children's nurseries.
423
Firms
UK 3,244
19%
Every director 55+
UK 20%
42%
Held 75%+ by one person
UK 42%
8
Median years in business
UK 9
16
Median headcount
UK 16
£250k to £500k
Median turnover band
UK £250k to £500k · includes our estimates
3 firms owned by 1 group that has bought several firms in this sector. That is 1% of this list, against 2% across the UK.
Towns with the most firms
- Brighton 42 firms
- Portsmouth 37 firms
- Reading 29 firms
- Southampton 22 firms
The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order
| Rank | Firm | Approach Score | The facts behind the score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiverton Nurseries Liphook, Hampshire | Approach Score 87/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 08887098 · Companies House |
| 2 | Kidco | Approach Score 87/100 |
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Company no. 03505567 · Companies House |
| 3 | Kids Capers Haywards Heath, West Sussex | Approach Score 86/100 |
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Company no. 08145494 · Companies House |
| 4 | Piglets DAY Nursery Southampton, Hampshire | Approach Score 86/100 |
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Company no. 03198752 · Companies House |
| 5 | 2 J'S PRE-School Rochester, Kent | Approach Score 84/100 |
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Company no. 08400898 · Companies House |
| 6 | Helen Mcilrath Gatwick | Approach Score 83/100 |
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Company no. 07616011 · Companies House |
| 7 | Crestway Preschool Chatham, Kent | Approach Score 82/100 |
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Company no. 10726595 · Companies House |
| 8 | Kiddie Capers Childcare Staplefield, West Sussex | Approach Score 82/100 |
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Company no. 12095522 · Companies House |
| 9 | Tiny Toes Day Nursery Southampton A director sits on 4 or more companies | Approach Score 81/100 |
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Company no. 09723889 · Companies House |
| 10 | Angmering Day Nursery Hailsham, East Sussex | Approach Score 80/100 |
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Company no. 09264472 · Companies House |
| 11 | Cre8tive Play Ashford | Approach Score 80/100 |
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Company no. 10143781 · Companies House |
| 12 | Chiltern Forest School Bicester | Approach Score 79/100 |
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Company no. 09046033 · Companies House |
| 13 | Star Kids Club Dartford | Approach Score 79/100 |
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Company no. 07107457 · Companies House |
| 14 | Oasis English Kindergarten & Preschool Guildford, Surrey | Approach Score 79/100 |
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Company no. 08668667 · Companies House |
| 15 | Little Acres Nursery Rochester, Kent A director sits on 4 or more companies | Approach Score 78/100 |
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Company no. 14363242 · Companies House |
| 16 | Total Childcare Services (TCS) ST. Leonards-on SEA, East Sussex | Approach Score 78/100 |
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Company no. 08826818 · Companies House |
| 17 | Footprints Montessori Surrey | Approach Score 78/100 |
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Company no. 05296088 · Companies House |
| 18 | Enzed Nurseries Haywards Heath | Approach Score 78/100 |
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Company no. 09616801 · Companies House |
| 19 | Honeypot DAY Nursery Maidstone, Kent | Approach Score 77/100 | We hold older figures than Companies House
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Company no. 04496277 · Companies House |
| 20 | Kool Kidz Sevenoaks | Approach Score 77/100 |
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Company no. 13651237 · Companies House |
| 21 | The House That Jack Built High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire | Approach Score 77/100 |
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Company no. 11730277 · Companies House |
| 22 | LI’L Angels DAY Nursery and PRE School Epsom | Approach Score 77/100 |
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Company no. 12967949 · Companies House |
| 23 | Zigzag Childcare Brighton, East Sussex | Approach Score 76/100 |
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Company no. 11357576 · Companies House |
| 24 | Playday Reading, Berks | Approach Score 76/100 |
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Company no. 11568044 · Companies House |
| 25 | Glynis Christopher Gravesend, Kent | Approach Score 76/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 09913631 · Companies House |
398 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.
You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 423 for £799 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.
Buy the list of all 423 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 South East.
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.
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
Buy the list of all 423 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders
Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.