What a nursery website should tell parents

Key takeaways

A nursery website should show its Ofsted registration and latest inspection outcome with a link to the report, fees and how funded hours work, session times, age groups, staff qualifications, food and allergy arrangements, safeguarding, and how to visit or join the waiting list. Parents compare nurseries on these points.

• Link to your Ofsted registration and latest inspection report.
• Explain fees, funded hours and any additional charges clearly.
• Show sessions, age groups, staff qualifications and ratios.
• Publish safeguarding and allergy arrangements.

What should a nursery website tell parents?

A nursery website should tell parents about Ofsted registration and inspection, fees and funded hours, sessions and availability, age groups, staff, food, safeguarding and how to visit. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) treats Ofsted details and fees as the two items parents check first.

• What information should every business website have?
• What first-time buyers of your service need to read

How should Ofsted details be shown?

Show your Ofsted unique reference number and link to your latest inspection report on the Ofsted website. Parents will look it up anyway, so linking directly shows openness. Update the link and any summary when a new report is published.

• Show your regulator and registration number online

How should fees and funded hours be explained?

Show session fees and explain how government-funded hours work at your setting, including eligibility, how hours are stretched or used, and any additional charges, such as meals or consumables, and whether they are optional. Clear fees prevent disputes and help parents budget.

• Should you show prices on your website?
• Say what is included in your service, line by line

What about staff, ratios and the curriculum?

Describe staff qualifications, key person arrangements and how you meet the EYFS statutory framework, including staff-to-child ratios. Real photos of rooms, outdoor space and staff, used with permission, matter far more to parents than stock images, because they show what a normal day looks like.

• Team photos on your website: what works and what does not
• Should you say how big your team is on your website?

What about safeguarding, food and health?

Publish a safeguarding summary with the designated lead's role and concerns route. Explain meals, how allergies and dietary needs are handled, and illness and medication policies. These are among the questions parents ask on every visit.

• A safeguarding policy on your website: who needs one
• What a catering company website should include

When is less better?

Less is better on long policy lists. Parents want summaries on the main pages, with full policies on request or on a policies page. A homepage of policy links tells them little about daily life at your nursery.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a nursery's fees are 'available on request' and funded hours are not explained, so every enquiry starts with the same phone call. Publishing a clear fees and funding page frees staff time and attracts parents who know the setting fits their budget.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Nursery website checklist

• Link to the latest Ofsted report.
• Publish fees and explain funded hours.
• Show sessions and age groups.
• Describe staff, ratios and key persons.
• Summarise safeguarding and allergies.
• Explain how to visit and join the waiting list.

• What an osteopath or chiropractor's website must show
• What a tutoring business website should include

Next step

Write a single page called 'Fees and funding' that explains your prices, funded hours and extras in plain words. Link it from the homepage.