Knowing the right questions to ask when visiting a nursery can make the difference between a confident decision and weeks of uncertainty. Most parents leave a nursery visit having looked at the rooms and met the manager – but without asking the things that really matter. This checklist gives you 15 specific questions to take to every nursery visit in Hounslow in 2026, covering safety, staff, learning, fees, and settling in.
Print it, save it to your phone, or bring it along to your Purple Bees showaround. Either way, you will leave every visit with the information you need.
Before You Visit: Two Things to Check First
Before you step through the door, do two quick checks.
First, look up the Ofsted rating. Every registered nursery in England has an inspection report published at reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Read the full written summary rather than just the overall grade. It tells you what inspectors observed, what they praised, and what the nursery was asked to improve.
Second, check current availability. Popular nurseries in Hounslow often have waiting lists, particularly for baby rooms and funded 2-year-old places. Therefore, it is worth calling ahead before visiting so you do not fall in love with a nursery that has no spaces for several months.
Want to ask us these questions in person?
Book a relaxed showaround at Purple Bees – no pressure, no obligation.
Questions to Ask About Safety and Safeguarding
1. What is your safeguarding policy, and who is your designated safeguarding lead?
Safeguarding is the most important thing a nursery does. Every Ofsted-registered nursery must have a designated safeguarding lead – a named member of staff who holds responsibility for child protection. Find out who that person is, how the nursery trains its staff, and what happens when a concern is raised. Also confirm that the nursery DBS-checks every member of staff before they start work. The answer should always be yes, with no exceptions.
What to look for: a confident, specific answer with named people and clear processes – not vague reassurances.
2. How do you manage arrivals and departures – who is authorised to collect my child?
A secure drop-off and collection process is non-negotiable. Find out how the nursery verifies who is authorised to collect a child. Also ask what happens when someone unexpected turns up, and whether the entrance stays secure throughout the day.
What to look for: a clear, consistent system such as a password or photo ID requirement for anyone other than the named parent.
3. What are your staff-to-child ratios, and how do you maintain them?
By law, nurseries in England must maintain these minimum ratios:
- 1:3 for children under 2
- 1:4 for children aged 2
- 1:13 for children aged 3 to 5 with a qualified teacher present (otherwise 1:8)
Find out whether the nursery consistently meets or exceeds these ratios. In addition, ask how they manage cover when a staff member is sick or on leave.
What to look for: honest, specific answers – not just the legal minimums repeated back.
Questions to Ask About Staff and Team
4. What qualifications do your staff hold, and how long have they worked here?
The quality of the people caring for your child matters more than any room decoration or equipment. Find out what percentage of staff hold at least a Level 3 early years qualification, and whether anyone holds Early Years Teacher Status. Most importantly, ask how long the team has been together.
Staff turnover is one of the most revealing signs of a well-run nursery. A stable team means children build consistent, trusting relationships with the same familiar faces every day. In contrast, high turnover is a red flag worth exploring further.
What to look for: a team that has been together for several years, with a manager who speaks about her staff warmly and by name.
5. Will my child have a key worker – and what does that mean in practice?
The key worker approach is a cornerstone of good early years practice. Your child should have one named member of staff taking primary responsibility for their settling-in, developmental observations, and day-to-day relationship with your family.
However, do not simply accept “yes, we have key workers” as a sufficient answer. Find out what happens when the key worker is off, how often you can speak to them directly, and how the relationship continues when your child moves between age groups.
What to look for: a thoughtful, specific answer. The key worker relationship forms the emotional foundation of your child’s nursery experience.
Questions to Ask About Learning and Development
6. How do you follow the EYFS, and what does learning look like day to day?
The EYFS framework applies to every nursery in England. However, there is enormous variation in how nurseries deliver it. Some settings are highly structured. Others are almost entirely child-led. Most good nurseries sit somewhere in between.
Find out how staff plan learning activities, whether they follow children’s interests or adult-directed themes, and how they record each child’s development. For example, ask to see a learning journal – most nurseries are happy to show you one with names removed.
What to look for: a confident explanation with real examples, not a rehearsed speech about the framework.
7. Do you offer anything beyond the standard EYFS curriculum?
This is where nurseries truly differentiate themselves. Some offer forest school sessions, music programmes, language enrichment, or specialist approaches to early communication and speech.
Find out whether the nursery runs specific programmes that go beyond the standard curriculum. Furthermore, ask how these are built into the regular nursery day – rather than offered as extras that only some children access.
What to look for at Purple Bees: our Let’s Talk Together programme delivers a structured approach to speech, language, and communication every single day. Ask us about it on your visit.
8. How do you support children with additional needs or developmental delays?
Even if your child has no identified additional needs right now, this question reveals a great deal about the nursery’s culture. Find out whether the setting has a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo), how they work with outside agencies such as speech and language therapists, and what happens when a concern about a child’s development is identified.
What to look for: a nursery that discusses inclusion openly and positively – not one that becomes defensive or vague.
Want to ask us these questions in person?
Book a relaxed showaround at Purple Bees – no pressure, no obligation.
Questions to Ask About Settling In and Routine
9. What is your settling-in process – and can we take it at my child’s pace?
The settling-in period is one of the biggest factors in how well a child adjusts to nursery. Find out how many settling-in sessions the nursery includes, whether a parent or carer can stay during early visits, and how they respond when a child needs more time than expected.
What to look for: a flexible, gradual process that follows the child’s comfort – not a fixed “three sessions and you are done” policy.
10. What does a typical day look like for a child in my child’s age group?
Ask for a specific walkthrough from arrival to pick-up. When does breakfast happen? When do children go outside? How does the nursery manage lunchtime? When do younger children sleep, and how does the nursery handle individual sleep routines?
This question gives you practical information about whether the routine fits your family. It also tells you whether the nursery has a clear, child-centred structure – or whether the answer is too vague to be useful.
What to look for: a confident, specific answer that shows staff follow a consistent, warm daily rhythm.
Questions to Ask About Communication
11. How will you keep me updated about my child’s day and development?
Most parents spend a large part of their working day away from their child. Therefore, find out exactly how the nursery communicates with families. Do they use a daily diary app such as Tapestry or Evidence Me? How do handovers work at pick-up? How often do parents receive a formal developmental update or attend a parents’ evening?
What to look for: a nursery that treats parents as genuine partners in their child’s learning – not one that offers a brief “they had a good day” at the door.
12. What is your policy on mobile phones and photography?
Find out whether staff may use personal mobile phones while working with children. In addition, clarify who takes photos of children, where the nursery stores those photos, and how it manages parental consent.
What to look for: a clear mobile phone policy that restricts personal device use during working hours, and a GDPR-compliant approach to children’s images and data.
Questions to Ask About Fees and Funding
13. What exactly is included in your fees – and what will I be charged on top?
This is the question most parents forget to ask clearly enough. Request a full written breakdown covering the daily or hourly rate, available sessions, whether meals are included, and what the nursery charges separately – for example, nappies, trips, bank holidays, and sick days. Also confirm the deposit required to secure a place and the notice period if your circumstances change.
What to look for: transparent, written fee information you can take away and review calmly. For a full breakdown of typical nursery costs in Hounslow and how funded hours reduce your bill, read our nursery fees guide for Hounslow parents.
14. Do you accept funded childcare hours for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and the 30-hour entitlement?
Make sure the nursery is registered to accept the funded hours your child is entitled to. Ask how funded hours interact with the session structure. Some nurseries only offer funded hours in specific sessions, or charge separately for meals and wrap-around care on top.
For a full guide to what your family may be entitled to, read our free childcare guide for 2-year-olds in Hounslow or our 30 hours childcare guide for Hounslow.
15. How quickly are places filling up – and what is the process for securing one?
Do not leave a visit without asking this. Hounslow nursery places – particularly baby rooms and funded 2-year-old spaces – fill up quickly in 2026. Consequently, find out whether the nursery has a waiting list, what deposit it requires, and how far in advance most families book.
What to look for: an honest answer. A nursery that tells you places are going quickly is giving you genuinely useful information, not a sales tactic.
Purple Bees Day Nursery – Hounslow TW3
Bring This Checklist to Your Purple Bees Showaround
We welcome every question on this list. Come and meet our team, see the rooms, and get honest answers – in a relaxed, no-pressure visit.
Book a Free Showaround93A Inwood Rd, Hounslow TW3 1XH · 020 8572 1919
One Final Thing: Trust Your Instincts
Every question on this checklist is worth asking. Nevertheless, none of them replaces the feeling you get when you walk through the door.
Watch how staff interact with the children who are already there. Notice whether the children look happy, engaged, and settled. Pay attention to whether the nursery feels warm and calm – or rushed and chaotic.
As a result, the right nursery is one where the answers to these questions are strong and where your instincts tell you your child will be happy. Both things matter equally.
Bring This Checklist to Your Purple Bees Showaround
We welcome every question on this list – including the ones that feel hard to ask. Our team at Purple Bees Day Nursery is used to parents arriving with lists, worries, and a lot of “is it okay to ask about…” moments. It is always okay.
Purple Bees Day Nursery is at 93A Inwood Road, Hounslow TW3 1XH. We accept children from 3 months to 5 years. Our showarounds are relaxed, unhurried, and free – with no pressure and no obligation.
