More than 600 inspections have now been carried out this year on nurseries across the length and breadth of Scotland by the Care Inspectorate.
The regulator awards grades ranging from six points for excellent to one point for unsatisfactory. The grades are applied across the four categories of setting, staff, leadership and quality of care, play and learning.
And despite many childcare facilities across the country earning high rankings, no nursery in Scotland has now been given full marks by the care regulator in more than a year.
This comes despite the number of top performing nurseries north of the Border typically reaching double figures every year before the Covid pandemic, peaking at 36 in 2016.
Using official data published by the care regulator, The Times and Sunday Times has published a full Scottish childcare league table.
And the table shows Scotland’s two biggest cities were the local authorities with the highest number of nurseries that scored 20 and above, showing that at least one of their services was rated “excellent” by the regulator.
Glasgow boasts 101 nurseries with this distinction, while Edinburgh has 94 facilities that recorded the same achievement.
However, a number of the nurseries that grace the top ten of the league table hail from outside of the Central Belt, including in locations such as Aberdeen and Inverness.
Under the gradings system, the maximum combined points achievable is 24.
In explaining the league table, the Sunday Times said the data used was extracted from the Care Inspectorate Datastore, which is updated every month by the government regulator.
Nurseries are weighted so those graded most recently appear further up the table, to give parents an assurance the score is as current as possible.
Based on the league table, here are the top highest ranked nurseries in Scotland.
1. Seaton School Nursery, Aberdeen
Aberdeen can lay claim to the top performed nursery in the league rankings, based on 2024 inspection reports. Seaton School Nursery was rated excellent for staff and leadership, but scored second tier “very good” for setting and care, play and learning | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
2. Toronto Primary School Nursery Class, Livingston
Toronto Primary School Nursery Class, situated in Livingston, was the second best performed childcare facility in the rankings. Like Seaton School Nursery, Toronto rated excellent for staff and leadership, but scored second tier “very good” for setting and care, play and learning | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
3. Langlees Early Learning and Childcare Centre, Falkirk
Langlees Early Learning and Childcare Centre, based in Falkirk, was the third highest ranked facility. The nursery scored top marks for leadership and care, play and learning, but fell just short on staff and setting | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps
4. Paxton Nursery, Methil
Paxton Nursery, in Methil, was the fourth highest ranked facility in Scotland. Like Langlees, Paxton scored top marks for leadership and care, play and learning, but fell just short on staff and setting. The nursery is open 39 weeks of the year to provide care and support to the families within Levenmouth community | Google Maps Photo: Google Maps