Nursery

Definitely get onto it quick as waiting lists are a mile long. I'm only 20 weeks pregnant with our first and we had to sign them up 3 weeks ago for a July 2026 start. I terms of questions I did a Google, looked at ofsted reports to see if there were any themes to ask about. Ratio of staff to children, what you get for your money (ie are nappies/ food/wipes included, education priorities but most of it though is just the general feel you get walking through the door and seeing the facilities.

definitely do multiple show arounds ar different nurseries. OFSTED ratings. additional fees Ie breakfast, snacks, lunch, tea. have a look into funding or tax free childcare it’ll help with the monthly cost. look how the staff interact with the children. i went to a nursery down the road from me as i thought great it’s very convenient as it’s not far to go but the rooms was just beige didn’t seem fun or exciting, staff interacted with the children lovely but just didn’t give me a welcoming vibe. went to another nursery maybe around 10/15 min drive from me and its the opposite staff are so lovey with the children so welcoming when on the show around children are so happy to go into the setting it’s bright and colourful so many activities in the go, amazing OFSTED reports definitely look around and keep options open research if they have websites facebook pages see what they offer some offer forest school, having someone come in to do sports (from a fellow nursery worker)

Look at the additional fees for consumables Always look at the Ofsted reports. Go for a few look around days with your child and look at how happy the children look and how the staff are. Do they look happy at work? Is your child comfortable there? For example, when I looked at my son's current nursery, it was the one that he seemed most comfortable in. He went to play straight away. It's colourful, lots of toys and activities, the staff were happy, bubbly and smiley, they absolutely love every child they look after, the other children looked so happy to be there, the menus are amazing, they take the time to get to know every single child and their interests, they offer hugs if the child likes them, they go on lots of trips and days out, have a theme every week, Ofsted reports are amazing. Don't be afraid to ask them questions either 😁 Good luck!