Honest, practical help with the decisions that matter — occupancy, staffing, funding, compliance, admin and the software that supports it all. Written by people who built and ran nurseries themselves.
A short, curated shortlist from the Nursery Insights team — chosen for the decisions most likely to be on your desk right now.
Drawn from demos, onboarding calls and conversations across the sector — the things nursery owners ask most, answered with what we’ve learned from running nurseries ourselves.
What we’ve seen work Plan the move around your calendar and your team, then go live at the moment that suits the nursery. Read more
Funding, fees & cash flowOur practical answer Worked out from real attendance — term-time, stretched and ad-hoc — so every hour is accounted for. Read more
Admin & efficiencyWhat we’ve learned When registers, invoicing and messages share one place, most of the evening admin stops needing you at all. Read more
Ofsted & complianceFrom our experience Let the everyday records build quietly in the background, so the evidence is already there when it’s asked for. Read more
Choosing softwareWhat we’ve seen work Judge it on the decisions you’ll face as you grow, not only the demo in front of you today. Read more
Occupancy & growthOur practical answer Tighten the enquiry journey so more show-arounds become places — without discounting your fees. Read more
is roughly what some managers tell us they get back — the better part of an afternoon, every week.
When registers, invoicing, funding and parent messages live in one place instead of a drawer, a spreadsheet and three notebooks, the time tends to come back to the room.
See where the hours go
This is the world every word here is written for.
We run all six nurseries from one place — the same way we ran the first.
Useful guidance from our existing library, organised around the same topics as Nursery Insights. Original article URLs are retained.
September has brought another set of changes for early years settings in England. Some are quite specific. Others affect the everyday systems sitting behind safeguarding,…
Choosing nursery management software is not really about software. It is about gaining control of your nursery. The right system should reduce administration, improve visibility,…
(Here’s How Good Nurseries Do It) There’s a clear pattern in how nurseries approach Ofsted. Some operate in a constant state of low-level panic. Documents are…
(And How Inspections Expose It) For many nurseries, paper-based systems feel familiar. Comfortable, even. A printed register on the desk. Paper accident forms…
(Here’s How Good Nurseries Do It) There’s a pattern in how nurseries approach Ofsted. Some operate in a constant low-level panic, documents scattered,…
No Hype, Just Practical Uses: AI in Early Years Artificial intelligence is being discussed across almost every sector at the moment, and early years is no…
Admin rarely appears as a headline problem in early years provision. When nursery managers talk about pressure, the focus is usually on staffing, funding, or…
DfE Changes and What You Need to Do Now Nursery invoices have traditionally been simple. A weekly or monthly fee was charged, parents paid, and the…
Why a Full Nursery Doesn’t Always Mean a Profitable One Most nursery owners have experienced this at some point. The rooms are full. Enquiries are steady.…
Running a nursery raises questions every week — about occupancy, staffing, funding, compliance, admin, parents, growth and software. Send us the question on your desk. We answer the ones nursery owners are asking most often, and turn the best into practical Nursery Insights.
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