How to choose a nursery in London
Every nursery tour looks lovely. Here is how to see past the display boards and work out whether your child would actually be happy there.
Published 2026-09-01 · Reviewed by the Earnest Care care team · Named author and credentials to be added
When choosing a nursery, look past the facilities and assess three things: whether staff turnover is low, whether children look genuinely engaged rather than merely occupied, and how the staff talk about children when they think you are not listening. Ask about ratios, the key person system, settling in, and what happens when a child is upset.
Before you visit
Read the Ofsted report - the full one, not the grade. The grade tells you what an inspector concluded on one day; the report tells you what they actually saw. Pay particular attention to anything about staff deployment, the quality of interactions, and safeguarding.
Then check the date. A 'Good' judgement from 2019 tells you very little about the setting in 2026, particularly if the manager has changed. Ask directly whether the leadership team is the same one that was inspected.
Visit at a busy time
Ask to visit between 9.30 and 11am, or around 4pm. Any setting can look calm at 1pm when half the room is asleep. You want to see it working under normal load - that is when you find out whether the staffing is genuinely adequate and whether the adults stay warm when things get loud.
The twelve questions
| Question | What you are listening for |
|---|---|
| How long has each member of staff in this room been here? | The single most revealing question you can ask. Low turnover means a well-run setting. If the answer is vague, or everyone started in the last year, ask why. |
| Who would be my child's key person? | A name, immediately. If they cannot tell you, the key person system is nominal rather than real. |
| What are your actual ratios today, not the statutory minimum? | The statutory minimum is 1:3 under two, 1:4 for two year olds, 1:8 for three and four year olds. Good settings often staff above it and will say so plainly. |
| What happens when a child is inconsolable? | You want a specific description of comforting a real child, not a policy. Listen for warmth. |
| How does settling in work, and what does it cost? | A staged process over several visits, extended as needed, and not charged for. Being charged for settling sessions is a red flag about how the setting thinks. |
| What do you do outdoors when it rains? | 'We go out anyway, we have waterproofs' is the answer you want. 'We stay in' means your child may go weeks without fresh air in a London winter. |
| Can I see this week's menu, and who cooks it? | Cooked on site is better than delivered. Ask how they handle a child who refuses everything. |
| How will I hear about my child's day? | A written daily update plus a verbal handover. An app that nobody fills in properly is worse than nothing. |
| Who is your designated safeguarding lead, and are they here every day? | A name, and cover arrangements when they are absent. Hesitation here matters more than anywhere else. |
| What is your policy on screens? | In an early years setting the honest answer should be close to 'almost never, and never as a way of managing behaviour'. |
| How do you support a child who isn't talking much yet? | You are testing whether they notice individual children and act, or wait for someone else to raise it. |
| What would you change about this nursery if you could? | The best question of all. A manager who answers honestly is reflective and self-critical. A manager who says 'nothing' is either not paying attention or not being straight with you. |
What to watch, not ask
- Are staff down at child height? Adults standing over a room, talking to each other, is the clearest sign of a setting running on supervision rather than engagement.
- Do children approach the staff freely? Children go to adults they trust. Watch where they go when something goes wrong.
- Is the noise happy or chaotic? There is a real difference and you will hear it immediately.
- How do staff speak about children in front of you? If they are dismissive about a child while you are being shown around, imagine what happens when nobody is watching.
- Is the display work obviously adult-made? Twenty identical perfect handprints tell you the adults did it. Genuine children's work looks like children's work.
Warning signs
- You are not allowed to see the room your child would be in
- You are only offered tours outside session times
- Fees are quoted vaguely or extras are not itemised in writing
- Pressure to pay a deposit on the day of the tour
- Staff seem stretched, harried, or noticeably outnumbered
- The manager cannot name your child's would-be key person
- Any hesitation about safeguarding questions
Trust the feeling
Parents who ignore an uneasy feeling about a setting usually regret it, and parents who feel immediately comfortable are usually right. You are not being irrational - you are picking up on dozens of small signals about warmth and competence that you cannot fully articulate. Visit three settings and the differences become very obvious.
Frequently asked questions
What questions should I ask on a nursery tour?
When is the best time to visit a nursery?
Should I choose a nursery based on its Ofsted rating?
How far in advance should I look for a nursery place in London?
Let's talk about what your family needs
A short, no-pressure conversation is usually all it takes to work out the right kind of support. We will be honest with you if we are not the right fit.