# Choosing a nursery

How to compare nurseries, what to ask on a visit and how to read Ofsted's report cards.

Page: https://toddly.co.uk/guides/choosing

- [How to choose a nursery](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/how-to-choose-a-nursery.md): A practical, step-by-step way to choose a nursery in England: what matters most, how to shortlist, what to check and how to decide.
- [Questions to ask on a nursery visit](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/questions-to-ask-on-a-nursery-visit.md): The questions worth asking when you visit a nursery, grouped by topic, with what a good answer sounds like.
- [Ofsted report cards explained](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/ofsted-report-cards-explained.md): How Ofsted's new nursery report cards work since November 2025, what each grade means, and how they differ from the old Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate grades.
- [Nursery staff ratios explained](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/nursery-staff-ratios.md): The legal minimum staff-to-child ratios for nurseries in England by age, what they mean in practice, and what to ask on a visit.
- [Nursery vs childminder vs nanny](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/nursery-vs-childminder-vs-nanny.md): How nurseries, childminders and nannies compare on cost, flexibility, funded hours, ratios and regulation, to help you choose the right kind of childcare.
- [Settling in at nursery](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/settling-in-at-nursery.md): How nursery settling-in sessions work, how long settling usually takes, and practical ways to help your child and yourself through the first weeks.
- [Nursery red flags to look out for](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/nursery-red-flags.md): Warning signs to look out for when choosing a nursery, from the visit itself to the contract and the Ofsted report, and what to do if you spot one.

## Other guides

- [Paying for nursery](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/paying.md): Funded hours, Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit and the extras nurseries charge.
- [Types of nursery](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/types.md): Montessori, forest school, Reggio, Steiner, bilingual, term-time and more, explained plainly.
- [Nursery by age](https://toddly.co.uk/guides/ages.md): What to expect from 9 months to the move into reception.