What to look for/ask?

[Mummytobe2014]

Hello everyone, i am 37 weeks pregnant and so very very new to everything currently. I am visiting a nursery later today but i am unsure what i should be asking or looking for.
It may seem early to be checking out nurseries but i will be back at work dec and i know there are waiting lists so want to try and be organised.

Any suggestions of what i should look out for or ask wld be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

I'm looking at the moment

I'm reading the ofsted reports and asking about food and outside time, both of which are really imports to DH and I.

Also have friends who work in that line of business and they say a lot foes on gut feel, much like buying a house.

I would echo go on feel - I looked around 3 nurseries, all outstanding. The one I ended up with just felt right - I hated one, was indifferent about one and fell in love with the one I chose. It has worked out as the correct choice.

Most decent nurseries will structure in at least one, if not two outdoor sessions per day, and some have free flow to go outside.

Thank you, this place has a great outdoor space where they play and grow their own veggies etc which they use to cook their food (once a little older) the space outdoors was one of the main reasons i want to visit it.

How often are ofsted reports carried out?

I know we should visit more than one for comparison but this one is slightly more rural than others which is why there seems to be alot more outdoor space than most. Hmmm decisions!

Staff turnover - look for somewhere with low turnover and mixed age of staff. Happy staff don't usually leave (unless moving away).

Facilities - do they have access to varying resources, some may be newer than others. Do they get to go out, garden, local walks.

Ofsted reports are now around every 4 years. They can be misleading as a nursery that is great on paperwork may not be good at caring, whereas somewhere not so good on paperwork may be great at caring. Read the report, ask the manager about any concerns that were raised in it, but try to trust your gut instinct on your visit. Visit more than once, at different times if possible.

How many children per room, how many different rooms/'stages' are there?
Ie we looked around one place where the 0-2yo were all together with about 20 kids in the same room. Whereas the nursery we chose goes from 0-12mo, 12-18mo then 18-24mo. Smaller rooms with fewer children.
Is it a case of 'drop them off at the door' or can you take them through in to the room?

Thank you for your replies, went and saw nursery and it felt right so we r hoping to get a place. Thanks again :-)

Also - check out local feedback, email your nearest nct branch, also talk to local church toddler group leaders / libary groups - they will all have feedback - please don't go soley by ofsted.

Ask about first aid training. The staff don't all have to have it believe it or not. Something that [www.milliestrust.co.uk] are tring to change ??

Total fail on the link from phone front! Just google millies trust and you'll find it

Lovely thank you

When we visited, I did ask all those questions, how many children per room, what happens in a typical day, outside space, food, etc. but for the decision itself, we just went on gut feel really. We visited, and chose the place that was full of smiling happy children, laughing, being cuddled and played with, it just felt like a nice place to be, and it felt like the staff enjoyed being there too. We visited other places where the staff made us feel like it was 'just a job' and we didn't sense that they loved playing with kids the way we had found in the one we chose.