An online networking platform for parents, childcare providers and schools has revealed which areas are, on average, the best rated for childcare. The platform has taken into account the average cost and user reviews to determine which areas deliver the best childcare service. Hull has been revealed as the best city in the UK for childcare, with every reviewed childcare provider receiving a 5 star rating and only charging £5.61 per hour on average, 24% less than the national average of £7.16.
it’s official, my home town, Hull is the best place for childcare in the UK!
Online networking platform for parents, childcare providers and schools, Childcare.co.uk, has revealed which UK cities have the highest average review ratings for childcare services.
Childcare.co.uk has analysed the reviews its registered childminders, babysitters, nannies and day nurseries have received from parents, as well as what they charge per hour, using its internal national data*.
Hull topped the list as the best rated city in the UK for childcare with a 5 star rating and average hourly cost of £5.61. In second place is Middlesbrough, also with a 5 star rating however with a slightly higher hourly cost of £5.93 and Rotherham third with a 5 star rating and average hourly cost of £5.99.
Nationally, there were of a number of cities that had an average five star rating, Childcare.co.uk therefore matched the ratings with the average hourly cost for each city to create a leader board that also reflects best value for money.
Parents can leave a review by selecting how good the service was by selecting how many stars they would give out of five, five being excellent and one being a poor rating. Nationally, Childcare.co.uk service providers receive four stars out of five on average.
The average cost for each city was obtained by calculating the mean average hourly rate for the four childcare services; childminding, babysitting, nannying and day nurseries.
Members of the public can find out their local area’s average childcare cost and rating by visiting this link: https://www.childcare.co.uk/costs
The ten best cities in the UK for childcare based on reviews and average cost is as follows:
1. Hull – 5 stars / £5.61 per hour
2. Middlesbrough – 5 stars / £5.93 per hour
3. Rotherham – 5 stars / £5.99 per hour
4. Coventry – 5 stars / £6.29 per hour
5. Swansea – 5 stars / £6.53 per hour
6. Glasgow – 5 stars / £6.74 per hour
7. Belfast – 5 stars / £6.88 per hour
8. Southampton – 4.98 stars / £6.39 per hour
9. Cardiff – 4.98 stars / £6.63 per hour
10. Plymouth – 4.97 stars / £6.12 per hour
Childcare.co.uk allows parents to search for and connect with babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, private tutors and schools. Childcare providers can also advertise their services on the site – with more than 1.5 million users nationwide, Childcare.co.uk is the largest online community for parents in Britain.
Richard Conway, CEO and founder of Childcare.co.uk said,
“It’s really important to have a review system in place when it comes to childcare and we’ve found that service providers who have a review are almost twice as likely to be hired compared to those who have none. Like with many things, members of the public trust other people’s experiences and opinions, so we thought it would be a good idea to see which cities came out on top when it comes to reviews.
“We also thought it would be a good idea to pair the reviews with the average hourly childcare rate, so the results better reflect not only the places that have the best reviews but are also the best value for money, something parents are having to consider more and more with childcare.
“Last year, Santander produced figures that showed 26% of parents with school-aged children have deliberately bought or rented a property that is in a target school catchment area. We believe that childcare and early education bodies such as day nurseries are just as important as schools, however the data on where is best hasn’t been readily available until now. We hope it will help parents make educated decisions on where they should live in the UK!”
The featured image is a watercolour of the Humber Bridge by professional artist Nicola Woodward of Hull.
