Test your nursery plans with clearer numbers and fewer guesses
Use these practical tools to estimate staffing, space, income and funded-hours fees before you make major decisions about your nursery. You can also download free planning resources to organise what to do next.
- Built for nursery planning in England
- Quick estimates without complicated spreadsheets
- Useful before committing to a property
- Free checklists and planning templates
Choose the number you need to understand first
Each calculator focuses on one important part of nursery planning. Use them together to build a more realistic picture rather than relying on one result in isolation.
Nursery Ratio Calculator
Enter the number of children in each age group and estimate the minimum number of staff you may need under the England EYFS ratios.
- Separate calculations for under-twos, two-year-olds and three to five-year-olds
- Includes an approved level 6 staffing option for three to five-year-olds
- Useful for early staffing models and daily deployment checks
Ofsted Nursery Space Requirements Calculator
Estimate the minimum usable indoor child space required for your planned mix of babies, toddlers and pre-school children.
- Works in square metres and square feet
- Separates child-use space from toilets, storage and staff areas
- Helps you assess a property before assuming its headline size is enough
Free Automatic Nursery Earnings Calculator
Enter your estimated number of children and get a quick indication of monthly income, expenses and possible profit using standard assumptions.
- Instant age-group estimate and income breakdown
- Includes common fixed costs and staffing-cost assumptions
- Useful as an initial reality check before creating a detailed forecast
Nursery Funding Fee Calculator
Explore how a child’s funded hours could be spread across your opening pattern and how additional attendance may affect the family fee.
- Supports common funded-hour patterns and custom hours
- Helps explain term-time, stretched and mixed attendance arrangements
- Useful when designing sessions and discussing fees with families
Calculators support planning, but they do not make the final decision for you
A calculator can help you spot an issue or compare scenarios. It cannot confirm that a property is suitable, that your staffing model is safe or that a particular nursery will be profitable.
Your final decision should use current guidance and your own local research, costs, floor plans, staffing qualifications and operational needs.
Turn the numbers into an organised nursery plan
Calculators help answer individual questions. These free resources help you organise the wider opening journey, record your thinking and prepare next steps.
Nursery Opening Checklist
Review the main areas involved in opening, including location, premises, finance, Ofsted, staffing and marketing.
Get the free checklist →Nursery Business Plan Template
Put your nursery idea, target market, staffing, premises, marketing and financial thinking into one clear document.
Download the free template →Safer Sleep Checklist
Review the sleep environment, routines, staff understanding and potential risks in a nursery baby room or sleep area.
Get the safer sleep checklist →Free YouTube Guidance
Watch practical videos about property, costs, registration, staffing and real nursery-owner experiences.
Visit the YouTube channel →Use the tools as part of one joined-up nursery check
The order can change depending on your stage, but these four steps give you a practical route from an early idea to a more informed decision.
Test the business idea
Use the earnings calculator, opening checklist and business plan template to see what you still need to research.
Start with earnings →Check likely capacity
Use the space calculator when reviewing a building, then consider how much of the property is genuinely usable for children.
Check the space →Model the staffing
Use the ratio calculator to estimate minimum numbers, then add cover for breaks, management, opening hours and children’s needs.
Check the ratios →Refine fees and funding
Think about private fees, funded attendance, consumables and how session patterns fit both families and the nursery.
Plan funded hours →Using the nursery calculators and free tools
Are the nursery calculators free?
The calculators on this page can be used free of charge. Some may ask for your name and email after a limited number of calculations so you can unlock continued free use and receive relevant nursery guidance.
Can the calculators confirm whether my nursery will be profitable?
No. They provide planning estimates based on the information and assumptions entered. Profitability depends on your real occupancy, fees, funding rates, wages, rent, opening hours and operating costs.
Can the space calculator confirm my Ofsted capacity?
No. It estimates minimum usable indoor child space. Final capacity can also be affected by layout, room use, toilets, staffing, supervision, fire safety, planning and Ofsted’s assessment of the premises.
Should I always staff at the minimum ratio?
Not necessarily. You also need to consider staff qualifications, breaks, opening and closing duties, room layouts, management time, safeguarding, SEND and children’s individual needs.
Can I use the free business plan template for a loan application?
It is a useful starting structure, but a lender-ready plan should be completed with accurate local research, realistic forecasts and details tailored to your own business and funding request.
What should I do when a result does not look realistic?
Check your entries and assumptions first. Then research the missing figures and test different scenarios. For a major property or financial commitment, consider booking a consultation before proceeding.
Use the numbers to ask better questions before you commit
Bring your calculator results, property details or business-plan assumptions to a consultation. We can look at how the figures connect and identify the next checks your nursery plan needs.