Tour script
The whole tour on one sheet, in the order it happens. The green lines are the approved wording from the Language Guide — say them in your own voice, but don't drift from what they promise. Glance at this; never read it aloud.
Before they arrive 2 min
Read their care plan — the child's name, their age, and one thing about them. Tell the team a visitor is coming. Coats, drinks, a clear table.
- No care plan yet? They haven't filled the fact file in. Tablet at reception on arrival — they fill it in, not you.
- Family Bag packed and out of sight.
The welcome 5 min
First ten seconds decide the tone. Use their surname. Take their coats before anything else.
Say"Hi, you must be the [surname] family — welcome to JLK. Can I take your coats?"
Don't say"Have you got an appointment?" · "Sorry to keep you waiting" · "Let me just find someone."
- Sign them in on the tablet (Visitors → Prospective parent — tour) as you take their coats: each adult (no ID needed for families), their children under “Children with them”. Badge on.
- Phones somewhere safe, such as the office, for the tour. Show the fire exits as you pass them. Sign them out at the door when they leave.
Ask before you show 3 min
Four questions, sat down, before you walk anywhere. What they answer decides what you point at for the next half hour.
- "What made you start looking?"
- "What would [child] be like on their first morning here?"
- "Have you seen anywhere else — what did you like or not like?"
- "Is there anything you're worried about that I should know before we walk round?"
Then set the shape"We'll have a look round, see the garden, then come back here and I'll talk you through fees, funding and settling in. About 45 minutes — shout if you need to stop."
The walk round · room to room 20 min
Croydon (seven rooms) and Lewisham (Tadpoles, then Frogs) are laid out in separate rooms, so the route goes room to room. Their child's room first, while the parent is freshest — that is where the tour becomes emotional.
- Their child's room — 10–12 min. Most of your time. Name the room leader. Sit on the floor if the children are on the floor.
- The room they'd move into next — 5 min. Don't go fully in. "This is where [child] would be by next year — just so you can picture it." At Lewisham that is Tadpoles into Frogs, and it happens once — say so, it reassures.
- One more space — 3 min. Kitchen, sleep room, sensory room. Shows breadth.
Say, pointing"You'll notice it's pretty quiet between rooms. That's deliberate — we keep the moves calm so the children stay regulated through the day."
Don't say"And this is the toddler room, and this is the pre-school room…" — naming rooms is not showing them anything.
The walk round · Bromley, one open space 20 min
Bromley is a single space, not a set of rooms — so you are not walking a parent from door to door. You are standing in one place and showing them how the day works around the children. That is a strength: say so rather than apologising for it.
- Where their child would be — 10–12 min. Stand in that part of the space. Name who would be with them. Most of your time goes here.
- How the space changes through the day — 5 min. Point out how it is set up now versus at lunch, at nap, in the afternoon. One space doing several jobs is the thing to show.
- The quiet area and the sleep arrangements — 3 min. Parents worry most about this in an open space. Get in front of it before they ask.
Say"We're one open space here rather than separate rooms — which means the older ones look out for the little ones, siblings stay together, and your child never has to be moved to a different room and start again with a new team."
If they ask about noise or the babies"Have a look at how it's zoned — the babies have their own protected area with their own staff, and we bring the day to them rather than moving them about. Stand here a minute and listen; it's calmer than people expect."
Don't say"We don't have separate rooms" · "It's only one room, I'm afraid" · "We're smaller than most places." Never present it as the thing we lack.
Outside 5 min
Physical break, lighter conversation. This is usually where the parent relaxes most — let the pace drop.
- Say how often they go out, not what the equipment is.
- No garden on site? Say the park route plainly and how often you go. Don't skate past it.
Back to the welcome area — the practical bit 10 min
Sit down. Tea topped up. Fees come after they have fallen for the place, never before. State the number cleanly and stop talking.
Fees"A full day at this site is £[X]. There's a one-off £[55/75] registration fee, and we hold a deposit equal to a month's fees which comes off your final invoice. If you're using fully funded hours only, the registration fee is waived."
Funding"You'll get either 15 or 30 funded hours depending on your eligibility. At JLK that's structured as three full days for 30 hours, or mornings or afternoons for 15. Any hours beyond your funded entitlement are charged at our standard hourly rate. I can walk you through how to apply for your code today if it helps."
Settling in"We do at least three settling visits before they start properly — first with you here, then a short stay while you pop out, then a longer one. We deliberately wait two to three weeks before matching a permanent key person — we want to see who your child naturally goes to, rather than assigning someone on day one."
Safeguarding, woven in"Every member of staff is DBS-checked and trained in safeguarding annually. The front door is locked at all times — you'll have a sign-in code. Sleep checks happen every 10 minutes and are recorded. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead at this site is [name]."
Don't say"Childcare is so expensive these days isn't it" · "We're one of the cheaper ones" · "Don't worry about that now" · "We're very safe" · "They'll be fine, they always are."
If they say they're still looking around 1 min
Say"Of course — it's a big decision and we'd expect you to. If you'd like, we can hold a space for [child's name] for 7 days while you finish looking. No pressure either way. What else would help you decide?"
Don't say"We get full quickly" · "Other parents have signed up after one visit" · "Are you visiting [competitor] too?"
The Family Bag 2 min
Seated. Slow. Use the child's name. This is a gift, not paperwork.
Say"Before you go — this is the JLK Family Bag. There's a little gift in there for [child's name], a packet of everything you'd need if they were starting tomorrow, and a couple of things just for the two of you to read over a cuppa later. No rush — have a look when you're home."
Don't say"Here's some leaflets" · "Sorry, there's a lot of paperwork."
Walk them to the door 1 min
Always say goodbye to the child by name. Parents notice it every single time.
Say"It was lovely to meet you all. I'll drop you an email within the next day or two with anything you've asked me to send through, and a quick recap of what we talked about. Take care, [child's name] — we hope to see you back here soon."
Don't say"Let me know if you have any questions" · "I'll be in touch soon" · "Hope you choose us!"
Before you do anything else 5 min
Fill in the Family Tour Form while it is fresh. Every tour, one form, no exceptions. Then the follow-up email inside 48 hours — specific to what they told you, not a template.
The numbers, straight
| Croydon | Lewisham | Bromley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full day | £88 under 2s £80 at 2+ | £72 | £72 |
| Registration fee | £75 | £55 | £55 |
| Open | 08:00–18:00 extended 07:00–19:00 | 08:00–18:00 | 08:00–18:00 |
| Layout | 7 rooms | 2 rooms — Tadpoles (to 2), Frogs (2+) | One open space, mixed age |
- Registration fee is waived for families using fully funded hours only. Always say this.
- Deposit — equal to one month's fees, refundable, comes off the final invoice.
- 30 funded hours = three full days, 08:00–18:00. 15 hours = mornings 08:00–11:00 or afternoons 13:00–16:00. The stretched 09:00–15:00 across five days is not available.
- Meals included in the daily fee — breakfast, hot lunch, tea, made on site. Funded-only families pay a small voluntary food contribution and may pack their own instead.
- Nappies, wipes and sun cream included at all three sites. At Croydon nappies and wipes are included for full-time bookings; part-time and ad-hoc families bring their own.
- No charged extras. We don't run paid classes — no languages, dance, football or cooking. Say it as a positive: no bolt-ons.
- Key person matched after 2–3 weeks of attending, not on day one.
- Registration is online only — "we'll email you a secure registration link". Never "form".
🚫 Never, in any context
- The word "childcare" — we say nursery, early years or pre-school.
- "The Developing Minds" — our subtitle is The Developing Mind Nursery, singular.
- Naming or criticising another nursery.
- Promises about Ofsted outcomes. We talk about what we do.
- Anything starting "to be honest with you…" — it implies the rest wasn't.
- Quoting a fee lower than the table above.
Fill these in for your site before you print
Designated Safeguarding Lead: SENCo:
Manager on site: Who covers the welcome if you're mid-tour:
Where the Family Bags are kept:
Current spaces by age — babies: 2+: