Frequently asked questions

With 105 nurseries nationwide, the easiest way to find your local Partou is to use our helpful ‘find a nursery’ search button.

Simply enter your postcode in our helpful ‘find a nursery’ search button at the top of this page and we’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

At Partou, we know that ‘one size does not always fit all’ when it comes to parenting. That’s why we operate varied opening hours throughout our nurseries.

Whilst our core hours are 08:00 until 18:00, many of our settings will open a little earlier or close later.

Please visit your local nursery page to find out their specific opening times and offerings.

Before committing, we strongly advise families to visit the nursery in person. Not only is this a great way to get peace of mind that our environments meet the needs of your child, but it can also help to build relationships with our nursery teams and learn more about what we do.

You can book a tour at any time by calling our friendly family care team on 0333 034 8962 or booking a visit via your local nursery page.

Yes. In addition to nursery tours, we also hold Open Days 3-4 times a year.

Usually running over the weekend, or through the evening, these days provide the highest convenience to busy families. They’re also a great way to ask any questions to our team or other prospective families.

Keep an eye out for the latest Open Day events on your nursery’s page.

The strong reputation of Partou nurseries within their local areas often creates a high level of demand.

Despite this, we always work exceptionally hard to find placements that meet your childcare requirements. To find out the availability at your local nursery, please complete the enquiry form on their designated page or call our friendly care team today.

Fees across Partou nurseries are highly competitive as we aim to provide high quality childcare at a price that is affordable to families.

When determining fees at specific settings, we conduct a thorough review into operational costs including property, staffing and utilities. As these vary throughout each setting, we reflect this by implementing different rates, ensuring we only charge what is necessary to maintain high standards.

For more information on your local nursery’s fees, please visit their page.

There are a number of goverment programmes that can help you in paying your childcare fees.

From tax-free childcare to funded sessions (15/30 hours per week), Partou’s expert Nursery Support Officers work exceptionally hard to advise families on which programme is best for them.

For more information on funding, please visit our dedicated funding resource page.

At Partou, the children lead the way. They explore their surroundings and learn about the world they live in, by choosing for themselves which activity they want to join in with next.

Our team are there to care for them and keep them safe. To nurture their emerging abilities and encourage them to seize each fun-packed day. But not to tell them what to do next.

Why? Because when children are allowed to choose their own activities, rather than being told what to do, they naturally choose the activities they’re most interested in. And scientific research has shown that being interested in what they’re doing is the easiest and best way for children to learn.

Prior to joining Partou, we will ask you to complete a child profile form which aims to discover key information about your child’s individual needs. This helps us to prepare for your child’s first day, where their designated key person will also conduct a check-in conversation with you to find out more about their requirements.

If you share that your child has been diagnosed with a special educational need/disability, or express concerns regarding their development in a particular area, then the nursery’s SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator) will work closely with you to ensure they receive the additional support they need.

The additional support provided by Partou SENCo’s include the preparation of tailored learning plans, regular progress monitoring and exploration of external support and funding that can benefit your child either in nursery or at home.

At Partou, we believe in giving babies and young children the very best start in life, building strong foundations that support their transition to ‘big school’.

We focus on developing the independence of your children, giving them plenty of opportunities to become agents of their own learning so that they are confident in new situations and become great problem solvers.

Our positive approach to understanding children’s behaviour means that we can support the development of emotional literacy. This not only encourages a sense of self in young ones but also enables an understanding of how their actions make others feel. As such, they progress on their journey with improved confidence and the ability to create great relationships.

In addition to this, our curriculum supports all seven areas of learning to ensure your child has the skills, knowledge, and awareness to meet the developmental milestones needed to succeed in school-life.

Your child will be assigned a key person when they start at Partou and will have a key person in each room that they transition to.

The role of the key person is to understand the needs of your child, collaborate with you on developmental next steps, plan a range of activities to support their learning, and assess your child’s progress.

The key person will have regular conversations as well as meeting with you each term to discuss your child’s development; you will also be kept updated via your child’s online learning journal.

All of our nurseries are registered with Ofsted, the government body responsible for inspecting, regulating, and reporting on educational and early years settings to ensure that they meet minimum quality and safety standards.

At Partou, we are extremely proud of our Ofsted performance with the vast majority of our nurseries receiving ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ ratings. To find out the rating of your local nursery, please visit their dedicated page.

At Partou nurseries, we have most things that your child may need throughout the day. We recommend that you dress your child comfortably, practically and in clothes that you do not mind getting messy!

As part of our learning experience, we love exploring the outdoors and encourage play in all weather. Therefore, welly boots, rain macs, warm winter coats with gloves, hats, and scarves may be required in the winter whereas shorts and sunhats are preferred in summer.

Settling in sessions will be arranged by the nursery manager and your child’s key person.

These sessions will allow you to spend time within the nursery with your child as well as providing opportunities for your child to settle independently.

We want your child to feel safe and secure and this happens once they have built relationships with adults other than you. As the development of these relationships is unique to every child, we work closely with families to ensure both you and your child are settled before their nursery journey begins.

At Partou, we believe that children are the leaders. That’s why we enable them to explore their natural interests through a wide range of activities.

Our environments are designed to engage children, with supportive adults always close by to provide learning opportunities and teaching moments.

Some of the most popular activities at our nurseries include:

• Sensory/exploration play
• Outdoor play and Early-Years sports
• Messy play, including sand, water and other art resources
• Construction activities with building equipment
• Role play
• Loose part play, using authentic items
• Physical play, including movements to music and sound
• Storytime

How many meals your child has in a day will depend on the session hours that they attend. In a full day there will be an opportunity for breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch & afternoon tea, making sure they never go hungry.

Water and fruit is also available to children throughout the day.

All of our menus have been created by a company-nominated chef, who has years of experience in keeping the tummies of children filled with nutritionally balanced meals tailored to appeal to children’s tastebuds.

All of our meals follow the latest health guidelines and are fully reviewed by an expert, external nutritionist. Our meals are prepared on-site daily using high quality, fresh ingredients.

We cater to all dietary requirements, whether that be for allergy, religious or other reasons.

We take great care in the preparation of our food to avoid cross-contamination and ensuring that all of our meals can be swapped for similar ingredients.

Strict allergy policies are adhered to throughout our nurseries, ensuring your children is not put at risk.

All of our team members undergo stringent, safe recruitment procedures before they are employed by us to ensure that everyone who will have contact with your child has undergone all necessary safety checks.

This includes a new DBS with us if they are not already live on the DBS update service. Potential changes to suitability are monitored at management and senior management level on a termly basis and DBS suitability is further checked on an annual basis in line with statutory guidance.

If the concern is regarding your nursery manager, or you would prefer confidentiality, then you will be able to find contact details for the nursery’s area manager on the safeguarding poster that is displayed at the nursery entrance. This poster informs of all the details that may be needed when reporting a concern.

During the registration process, you will be asked to give permission for first aid and emergency medical attention to be sought for your child in the case of an emergency.

Team members, who have been first aid trained, are positioned throughout our nurseries to ensure they can act fast if your child becomes ill or requires medical attention.

Acting in the best interests of you and your child, our team members and management team will always inform you of any incidents or illnesses and seek emergency contact if medical assistance is required.

When you register your child, you will be asked to complete a form in which you will provide parent and emergency contact details. The form also includes the opportunity to create a password that must be given during collection.

We ask that you keep us up to date with any changes regarding parental/guardian responsibilities or emergency contacts to ensure the highest levels of safety.

We will never release your child to anyone we have not met before, or you have not given us prior authorisation to do so, even if they are listed as an emergency contact.