# What a nursery or childminder website needs

> What a UK nursery, pre-school or childminder website needs: vacancies, fees and funded hours, Ofsted details, safeguarding, photos with consent and privacy.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/blog/what-a-nursery-or-childminder-website-needs
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

**Short answer:** A nursery or childminder website needs current vacancies by age group or day, fees explained alongside funded hours and any additional charges, your Ofsted (or equivalent) registration and a link to your latest inspection report, a picture of a typical day, staff qualifications, your safeguarding approach, and a way to book a visit. Photos of children must only be used with parental consent.

Published 2026-09-26. 8 min read. Category: Advice by type of business.

Choosing childcare is one of the most anxious decisions parents make, and they do most of their research online. A nursery website or childminder website has to answer the practical questions (do you have a space, what does it cost, where are you) and the emotional ones (will my child be safe and happy here) without making parents ring round.

This guide covers day nurseries, pre-schools, out-of-school clubs and registered childminders in the UK. Most of the examples are for England, where Ofsted regulates early years; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators and funding schemes.

## Vacancies and fees first

The first question every parent asks is whether you have a space, for which days and from when. Put your current availability near the top of the homepage, by age group or room for nurseries and by day for childminders, with a date showing when it was last updated. Out-of-date vacancy information wastes everyone’s time.

The second question is what it will cost. Publish your fees clearly: daily or session rates by age, what is included (meals, nappies, activities), and any additional charges. Then explain how government-funded hours work in your setting. In England, funded hours for working parents were extended to children from nine months old, reaching up to 30 hours a week (term time) from September 2025, alongside the universal 15 hours for three- and four-year-olds. Government guidance says funded hours must be free at the point of delivery and any additional charges for consumables or activities must be voluntary, so be careful how you describe them. Check the Department for Education’s current guidance.

## Pages a nursery or childminder website needs

**Nursery and childminder website pages and what each must do**

| Page | What it must do |
|---|---|
| Home | Current vacancies, age range, area, Ofsted grade, and a “book a visit” button. |
| Fees and funding | Rates by age and session, what is included, funded hours explained, additional charges, and Tax-Free Childcare. |
| A day with us | Routine, meals, outdoor time, naps and learning, with photos that respect children’s privacy. |
| Our team | Staff with qualifications, first aid and DBS status; for childminders, you and any assistants. |
| Ofsted and policies | Registration number, link to the latest report, safeguarding, settling-in and key policies. |
| Settling in | How the first weeks work, what to bring, and how you keep parents updated. |
| Contact and visit | Book a visit, opening hours, holiday closures and location (or area only for home-based childminders). |

## Ofsted, registration and the regulator

In England, most early years providers must register with Ofsted or, for childminders, with Ofsted or a childminder agency. Show your registration number and link directly to your latest inspection report on the Ofsted website. Parents will look it up anyway, and linking to it shows confidence. If your most recent grade is not what you would like, say briefly what has changed since the inspection, without misrepresenting the report.

In Wales, childcare is regulated by Care Inspectorate Wales; in Scotland by the Care Inspectorate; and in Northern Ireland registration is with the local Health and Social Care Trust. The same principle applies: show your registration and link to the latest report.

## Safeguarding and photos of children

Parents want reassurance that their child will be safe. Explain your safeguarding approach in plain English: who your designated safeguarding lead is, how staff are checked (enhanced DBS checks), how you manage mobile phones and photos in the setting, and how parents can raise a concern. Link to your full safeguarding policy.

Photos of children on your website are personal data and need clear, specific consent from parents. Many settings use photos where children cannot be identified, such as hands, backs of heads or activities, and keep identifiable images for private parent apps. Never publish children’s full names alongside photos.

Childminders who work from home should think carefully before publishing a full address. Many show the area or nearest landmark publicly and give the address when a visit is booked.

## Show a real day

Parents want to picture their child in your setting. A page that walks through a typical day, with times, meals, activities and rest, does this better than any list of values. Include photos of the rooms, the garden, the food and the resources, and describe how you follow the Early Years Foundation Stage in terms parents understand: “We spend time outside every day, whatever the weather” rather than “We provide opportunities for physical development”.

## Mistakes childcare websites make

- Vacancy information that is months out of date or missing entirely.
- Fees hidden, or funded hours explained so vaguely that parents cannot work out their real cost.
- Identifiable photos of children without clear consent.
- A childminder’s full home address on the homepage.
- No link to the latest inspection report.
- Stock photos of children who have never been to the setting.

## What a good childcare website looks like

Open a good nursery website on a phone and the first thing you see is the age range, the area and a line on current vacancies, followed by a “book a visit” button. One tap takes you to fees, with daily and session rates by age and a plain explanation of how funded hours work in that setting, including what is included and what is optional.

The day page walks through the routine hour by hour with photos of the rooms, garden and meals, taken so that children cannot be identified. The team page introduces the manager and key staff with qualifications and first aid. The Ofsted page shows the registration number, links to the latest report and summarises the key policies. Everything is written in plain English, and the manager can update vacancies from a phone in a minute.

A good childminder site is simpler but follows the same pattern: who you are, your qualifications, which days you have spaces, your fees and funding, a typical day, the area you are in and how to arrange a visit.

## What a childcare website costs

Childminders often start with a simple DIY site at £10 to £40 a month. Freelance builds for nurseries typically cost £800 to £3,500, and specialist agencies working with nursery groups commonly quote £4,000 to £15,000. Nursery management software with a parent app is usually a separate subscription.

We design childcare websites from scratch, write the fees and funding pages in plain English, and make vacancies easy for you to update from your phone. A childminder or single nursery fits Monthly at £299 plus £99/month (12 months minimum) or Own It at £1,795 plus £49/month. Nursery groups with several settings, each needing its own page, vacancies and profile, would look at Pro at £6,950 plus £299/month. Nerdsharks builds for home-based childminders and multi-site nursery groups alike.

## Questions

### What should a nursery website include?

A nursery website should include current vacancies, fees and how funded hours work, the Ofsted registration and a link to the latest report, a description of a typical day, staff qualifications, safeguarding information, settling-in details and a way to book a visit.

### Can I put photos of children on my nursery website?

You can only put photos of children on your nursery website with clear, specific consent from their parents, because photos are personal data. Many settings use images where children cannot be identified, and never publish children’s names with photos. Keep consent records and remove photos on request.

### Should a childminder publish their address online?

Many childminders choose not to publish their full home address online for privacy and safety. Showing the area or nearest landmark still helps parents find you in local searches, and you can share the full address when a parent books a visit.

### How should nurseries explain funded hours on their website?

Nurseries should explain which funded hours they offer, for which ages, how they are delivered across the week or year, and any additional charges. In England, government guidance says funded hours must be free at the point of delivery and additional charges must be voluntary. Check the Department for Education’s current guidance.

### Do I need to link to my Ofsted report?

Linking to your latest Ofsted report is not always a legal requirement on your website, but it is strongly recommended. Parents check it anyway, and a direct link shows confidence. Include your registration number so parents can find the right report.