Opening a Children's Nursery or Pre-School

This page contains information for those who are interested in opening a children's nursery or pre-school.

At City of Doncaster Council, we can help providers that are looking to establish a new childcare setting in the borough. We can provide business support through Business Doncaster in areas such as business planning, business start-ups, HR and recruitment, land, property and planning. Find out more about business support in Doncaster.

If you are a new provider, Early Years Inclusion Team can also visit your potential premises and help you to identify any areas of action or support you may need. The Early Years Inclusion Team can speak to you about what may be needed to meet the early years foundation stage statutory framework, discuss early years sufficiency needs and discuss what may or may not have worked in other Early Years settings in Doncaster. This may help to provide ideas around what your new setting could offer and how you can meet the needs of families in the area. 

Early Years Toolkit

Childcare Works have created an Early Years Toolkit which contains information around establishing or growing an early years childcare setting. This toolkit has been created to collate useful resources you need to start, grow and sustain an early years childcare business.

The resources are split into six categories:

  • Business Planning
  • Running of Your Childcare Provision
  • Business Growth
  • Leadership and Management
  • Partnership Working
  • SEND and Inclusive Practice

Resources listed are available free of charge, with information collated from childcare membership organisations, Government and Government funded organisations, banks, and specialist organisations. 

View the Early Years Toolkit

How to Register with Ofsted

Whether you’re thinking about registering with Ofsted, or are in the process of submitting your application, this blog post from Ofsted aims to help you understand the registration process and the actions you need to take. Ofsted have produced a pre-registration briefing for those who would like more information around how to become a childcare provider. 

The Registration Visit

One of the early years childcare providers in Doncaster helped us to film a video about their experience of registering with Ofsted and discussed their recent Ofsted registration visit. Watch it below.

Training and Qualifications for Early Years and Childcare Careers

As a nursery owner, you do not need a formal qualification in childcare or early years unless you wish to be involved in the day-to-day running of the nursery as the Nursery Manager, but knowledge of the statutory guidance, safeguarding and child-protection will be an advantage. Find out more about becoming Nursery Manager.

Whether you wish to become the Nursery Manager or employ someone in this role for you, in Nurseries on the early years register, the manager of the setting must hold an approved qualification of Level 3 or above.  Nursery Managers should have at least two years’ experience of working in an early years setting, or have at least two years’ other suitable experience. Nursery Managers appointed on or after 4 January 2024 must have already achieved a suitable Level 2 qualification in maths or must do so within two years of starting in the position. This also applies to existing managers moving to a new managerial role. Nursery Managers are responsible for ensuring staff have the right level of maths knowledge to effectively deliver the EYFS curriculum.

There must also be a named Nursery Deputy who, in their judgement, is capable and qualified to take charge in the Nursery Manager’s absence. 

In addition to the above, you will also need to employ qualified nursery staf to ensure your setting can care for children within the designated child:staff ratios. The EYFS states early years providers must employ at least one member of staff per room with a relevant Level 3 childcare qualification and at least 50% of all other staff working with children must hold a minimum of a Level 2 childcare qualification.

An approved qualification is defined by the Department for Education as meeting the criteria set out in the Early Years Qualification Requirements and Standards document. A list of approved qualifications are published on the Early Years Qualifications List.

Suitable students on long term placements, volunteers (aged 17 or over) and staff working as apprentices in early education (aged 16 or over) may be included in the ratios at the level below their level of study, if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.

Where someone with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) is working directly with three and four year old children you can use a ratio of 1:13 where there is also a member of staff who holds a relevant Level 3 qualification working with the children. For example, if there is one EYTS qualified staff member and one Level 3 qualified staff member working together, they could be educating and caring for 26 three and four year olds. 

For more information on qualifications, training and staff:child ratios, please refer to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework. You can also visit the Early Years Careers website to learn more about the different types of training and qualifications you can use to work with children. 

There are different ways to further your career in early years and childcare, with opportunities for gaining further qualifications to help advance your career. There are even qualifications available which could support you to specialise in areas such as working with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Further information on some of these qualifications can be found on: 

Early Years Training and Childcare Apprenticeships

Early years training and childcare apprenticeships are available in Doncaster through:

Information for Employers

Are an employer who looking to employ an apprentice in your new childcare provision? Find out more at about employing an apprentice.

Local Support to Gain Training and Qualifications

Advance Doncaster can offer support with training and early years qualifications. Advance Doncaster can be contacted through their website, by email at AdvanceEmploymentHub@doncaster.gov.uk or by phone on 01302 735554.

Doncaster Education and Skills Hub can support an entry level qualification to support careers in childcare and early educational employment roles with their Bridging the Childcare Gap – Level 1 Childcare Course. This project offers a structured pathway for individuals to gain qualifications and experience in childcare, with a focus on supporting under-represented groups, with several cohorts available from April 2025 to March 2026, each individual cohort lasting for 16 weeks. To find out if you qualify, ask specific questions or access further details, please email afcl@doncaster.gov.uk or register your interest by completing this online form.

 

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Last updated: 27 June 2025 16:01:15

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