A nursery tour offers a valuable opportunity to see our setting as it truly is — busy, caring, and centred around the needs of the children in our care. During your visit, you’ll experience real nursery life in action, including children playing, learning, resting, and expressing their emotions.
Because tours take place during the normal nursery day, there may be moments that feel unfamiliar or surprising. The information below is designed to help you understand what you may see and why.
During your visit, we’ll talk you through our daily routines, our approach to learning and development, and how we work in close partnership with families. We welcome your questions and encourage open conversations so you can decide whether our nursery is the right fit for your child and your family.
Booking Your Nursery Tour
Once you have submitted a tour request, our team will review it and contact you within 5 working days to arrange a visit, subject to availability within the nursery. Tour availability can depend on when you are hoping your child will start. If you are looking for a later start date, your tour may also be delayed.
Our nursery teams spend their days focused on caring for and supporting the children, so tours need to be carefully planned around our busy daily routines. We aim to offer tours at times that allow us to give you proper attention while maintaining a calm and secure environment for the children.
We kindly ask for your patience while our team organises your visit. We will respond as soon as possible and appreciate your understanding as we balance tour requests alongside the important work of caring for the children in our nurseries.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is our number one priority. To protect the privacy, safety, and wellbeing of all children in our care, we operate strict safeguarding and security procedures. Any visitors entering our nurseries are not permitted to bring mobile phones or other mobile devices such as smart watches, smart glasses, iPads or any recording devices into the building. Please leave your devices at home or in the car, or our team will support you with storage during your visit and explain these procedures in more detail on arrival. Leaving devices on site in the designated area is done at your own risk.
Before your visit, please ensure you have booked your tour in advance, you should have a confirmation email with individual details of the nursery about parking and other useful information. You will be required to bring photo identification with you when signing in. This helps us maintain our secure environment and ensures we are fully prepared to welcome you.
Emotional Responses From Children
Visitors coming into the nursery can sometimes trigger emotional responses from children, particularly babies and younger toddlers. This is completely normal. Young children are still developing their understanding of who is familiar and what feels predictable, and a change in their environment can naturally lead to emotional reactions.
You may notice that our team doesn’t always respond immediately when a child becomes unsettled. This is a considered and professional approach. Our experienced staff assess each situation carefully and understand when a child may benefit from a short period of space to self‑soothe and regulate their emotions independently. Staff are always nearby, observing closely, and ready to offer comfort when it is needed.
Crying Babies and Separation Awareness
Crying is a natural way for babies to communicate their needs and emotions. It is especially common in baby rooms, where children may be in their settling in period or they can be strongly attached to particular members of staff. If a familiar practitioner steps out of the room — even briefly — a baby may become upset.
Our team is highly experienced in supporting children through these moments. Comfort may involve cuddling, reassurance, distraction, or sometimes allowing a brief period for the child to settle themselves if this is developmentally appropriate. On occasion, a baby may cry for slightly longer than you might expect. This is never neglect. It is a thoughtful approach used to support emotional development and self‑soothing skills and is always guided by the child’s individual needs.
Activity Levels Throughout the Day
Nursery environments naturally change throughout the day. Depending on the time of your tour, you may observe:
- Quiet, focused activities such as story time or puzzles
- Creative or sensory play, including painting, sand, or water play
- Active free play where children explore independently
Children’s routines are individual and flexible. Feeding times, sleep patterns, and care routines all influence what is happening in each room, which means the environment you see is responsive and child‑led rather than fixed or staged.
Thoughtful and Purposeful Staff Decisions
Everything you see during your tour has intent behind it, even when it may not be immediately obvious.
- If a child is crying: Staff may be supporting another child, encouraging self‑regulation, or carefully observing before stepping in with support.
- If children are eating at unexpected times: This may be part of a planned activity to support social interaction, communication skills, or physical development such as chewing and drinking.
All decisions made by our team are guided by early years best practice and tailored to support each child’s development and wellbeing.
A Professional and Caring Team
Our nursery teams are highly trained to manage busy environments while remaining calm, organised, and attentive. Even in moments that may appear hectic — such as several babies needing comfort at once — staff work professionally within required staffing ratios to ensure every child feels safe and supported.
Questions During Your Tour
We understand that seeing nursery life in action can raise questions. If there is anything you notice during your tour that you would like explained, please ask a member of the team — we are always happy to talk through our approach.
If, after your visit, you have any further questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact the nursery directly by email so we can respond fully.
Our aim is for every parent to leave their tour feeling informed, reassured, and confident in the care we provide. Here are a few questions you might like to ask our nursery team.
- How do you keep children safe throughout the day?
- What safeguarding training do staff receive?
- How do you manage visitors coming into the nursery?
- What are your staff‑to‑child ratios in each room?
- How do you support strong, secure attachments between staff and children?
- How long have staff members typically worked here?
- How do you support children when they are upset or crying?
- How do you help children develop confidence and emotional regulation?
- What happens if a child becomes distressed during the day?
- What does a typical day look like for my child’s age group?
- How do you balance structured activities with free play?
- How do you adapt routines to meet individual children’s needs?
- How do you support early learning and school readiness?
- How do you observe and track children’s progress?
- How do you support communication and language development?
- How do you manage meals and snacks during the day?
- How do you support children with sleep and rest times?
- How do you handle personal care such as nappy changing or toileting?
- How do you communicate with parents about their child’s day?
- How can parents share information or concerns with the nursery?
- How do you involve families in their child’s nursery experience?
- How do you create a calm, nurturing environment?
- What makes your nursery special or different?