Help me decide between 2 outstanding please

[Spudtacular1000]

2x ofsted outstanding nurseries

Nursery 1

-5 min drive
-Give plenty of seconds for meals and had breakfast, morning snack, lunch and early tea 3 pm
-18 to 24 month old room with about 10 toddlers
-soft play in that room
-lovely outdoor area but not free flow
-no apprentices all very qualified
-manager was vague on some answers and hard to get some info of
-app but not updated only pics

Nursery 2

• 6 min drive
• more reluctant to give seconds and my LO is a healthy eater but when I probed more they said they would if there was ish. Give an extra snack at 2 pm though and tea at 4.
• 20 toddlers in 21 month to 2.5 yo room
• big rooms, structured activities to manage numbers
• Indoor outdoor flow
• Excellent communication with manager
• 2 apprentices in each room almost at level 2 but more staff in each room as more children
• app with all info food, sleep etc

Context : my child is a big eater and the 'good ofsted nurseries' are a bit further away or one we saw nearby had some safety issues with boiling water near children.

If you like nursery 2 best then you should go for it - both nurseries have been inspected by ofsted and are doing everything they should.
Different families have different priorities when choosing childcare and you need to go with what you prefer rather than what anyone else would.

If i was decisive enough I wouldn't have bothered with the thread - but i appreciate the responses as I am learning alot about apprentices and qualifications too now!

Do apprentices count in ratios? I am not sure from what I have googled.

Yes they do.

What are the charges for each nursery?

I havent worked it out fully but nursery too is more expensive!

Everything about nursery 2 just sounds designed to maximise profits.

This has given me alot to think about now

How do you feel about the settings? That’s what you need to go on, which you think your dc will be happier at

What's your gut feeling? I always say go with that and how you feel the vibe of the place is, nothing on paper really matters if your gut feeling about a setting is off.

I feel the communication with nursery 2 is really open which helps as I really value clarity but I dont know if that is an indication of how happy my child will be there.

They both seemed nice in different ways which I know isn't helpful!

Another thing I remembered because it's SO hot right now is that nursery 2 has air conditioning! But again that is a seasonal benefit only.

Indoor / outdoor flow won’t be relevant in the colder months. They will shut the door then and just have outdoor sessions at specific times of the day, as constantly getting 20 toddlers dressed and undressed into winter gear would be impossible. It probably feels much more important at the moment because the weather is so nice.

i would go smaller nursery with more experienced staff and lower staff turnover. Even if the manager is a bit vague…that doesn’t mean she isn’t great with the kids

Thank you

Update i was mistaken nursery 2 have 2 level 3s in baby room and 3 level 3s in toddler room and apprentices are working towards a mix of level 2s and 3s.

Also they have normal turnover but most of the staff have been around for 3,4 5, 7 years etc.

So that makes me feel a lot better.

All of the staff have been so forthcoming and nice about answering my questions.