Nursery management software · UK
Built inside a working nursery. Ready for yours.
SmartNursery runs the registers, ratios, funded hours and invoices at our own nursery group every day. Every feature started as a problem we had to solve for ourselves, which is why it fits the way UK settings actually work.
You'll speak to the person who builds it, not a sales team.
Example data
Fees & funding
From the booking form to the bank, without the spreadsheet
Fees are where nursery admin hurts most. In SmartNursery, each step feeds the next, so a change of days or a new funding term flows through to the invoice on its own.
Booking pattern
Record each child's regular days and sessions once. Ad-hoc extras and holidays sit on top.
Billing plan
The pattern becomes a monthly plan. Rate changes recalculate every plan at once.
Funded hours
FEEE hours are deducted automatically, term-time or stretched, with monthly capping for term-time settings.
Invoice
Generate every invoice for the month in one run, with funding, extras and consumables itemised.
Payment matched Coming soon
Bank statement lines come straight in and are matched to the right child as receipts.
Compliance
Records Ofsted asks for, already in order
We're inspected too. When a new requirement lands, we have to meet it in our own settings first, so it gets built properly.
- Injuries on arrival
Mark injuries on a body map at drop-off. Parents acknowledge them online, alongside your accident records.
- Authorised collectors with photos
Every person allowed to collect a child has a photo on file. Uploads are checked automatically to make sure a real, clear face is shown.
- Policies in one place
Store your policies once and share them across every setting in your group.
- Device register and checks
Log every nursery device and record regular, unannounced checks, with prompts when one is due.
- Statutory ratios, live
Each room's ratio is worked out from who is actually in, using the right ratio for each age group.
Example data
Paperwork, signed online
Send contracts and forms for parents to sign on their phone. Each signed copy is saved as a PDF with a full audit trail, without paying a separate e-signature service.
Staff & rotas
Rotas that already know who's off
The rota, the staff register and holiday requests share the same data, so the room totals you see are the ones you'll actually have.
- Weekly rota with room totals
See staff and children side by side for each room and session, with planned absences already taken out.
- Staff sign-in and sign-out
Forgot to sign out? Staff get a message the next day asking for their leaving time, and the register is updated.
- Rota confirmation
Every Friday, staff are sent next week's rota and asked to confirm it.
- Absence and Bradford Factor
Each staff profile shows sickness spells and a Bradford Factor score, so patterns are easy to spot.
Parents
Less chasing, fewer phone calls
Parents register online, keep their own details up to date and get notified on their phone.
- Online registration
New families complete registration online, including contacts, medical details and photos of who'll collect.
- Bookings and extra sessions
Parents check their child's bookings in the parent portal and request extra sessions without ringing the office.
- Sickness and holidays
Parents tell you when their child is off sick or away on holiday, so the register and ratios are right before the day starts.
- Contacts and collectors
Parents keep their address, phone numbers and email up to date, and add or remove emergency contacts and people authorised to collect.
- Allergies confirmed by parents
Parents confirm or remove allergy information themselves, so your records match what they've told you.
- Invoices and balances
Parents view their invoices and ask about an outstanding balance from the portal.
- Push notifications
Send updates straight to parents' phones.
Your learning journal
SmartNursery doesn't store learning journeys. Our own settings use Tapestry for that, and SmartNursery handles everything around it. Its observation helper writes up each observation and suggests the EYFS areas it covers, ready to paste into the journal your staff already know.
Writing help
Less time at the keyboard, more time with the children
SmartNursery's built-in AI helps staff with the writing that eats into the day.
Observations
Note down what you saw in your own words. The observation helper writes it up and suggests which areas of the EYFS it covers.
Accident reports
Spelling and grammar are checked as reports are written, so the record parents sign is clear and professional.
Emails to parents
Say what you need to tell parents in a sentence or two, and SmartNursery drafts the email for you.
Why settings choose us
Small enough to listen. Built to last.
Talk to the builder
Questions and requests go to the developer who wrote the system. No ticket queue, no call centre.
Changes in days, not years
When a funding rule or Ofsted requirement changes, we have to deal with it in our own nurseries. You get the fix at the same time.
Serious foundations
Built on Oracle, the database banks and government rely on, and hosted on our own UK servers with daily backups.
In daily use
From our own settings
SmartNursery was built for the settings in our own nursery group, and they still run on it every day. Here's what the people who use it say.
"SmartNursery has revolutionised the way we manage our nursery. The invoicing alone has saved us hours every month, and the ratio planning tools give us complete peace of mind."
"The all-in-one solution has helped us save time and money. We used to have three different systems – now everything is in one place. The support team is fantastic too."
"From attendance tracking to FEEE claims, SmartNursery has everything we need. Our last Ofsted inspection was so much easier because all our records were organised and accessible."
Book a demo
See it with your setting in mind
Tell us a little about your setting and we'll arrange a time that suits you. No obligation and no pushy follow-up.
- 01We reply within two working days to arrange a time.
- 02A 30-minute video call, built around how your setting runs.
- 03If it's a fit, we'll talk you through moving your data across.
Prefer email? sales@smartnursery.co.uk