As of 13 August 2026, AI can compare nurseries near you.

What to actually do

1. Use a tool built for this

   The route this page recommends

2. Do it yourself

   Second choice

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Write down your postcode, maximum travel time, required days and hours, intended start date, budget and any requirements your child has.
   2. Search for nearby nurseries using official nursery websites and the Ofsted service, then open the current pages for each setting you are considering.
   3. Gather each nursery's address, opening hours, fees, inclusions, funded-place information, availability, policies and contact details, and copy the source links.
   4. Paste your requirements, the nursery information and the source links into the prompt, then ask the chatbot to produce the comparison and shortlist.
   5. Compare every factual row in the draft against the linked Ofsted record, nursery website and written replies, and remove or mark anything that cannot be confirmed.
   6. Contact each shortlisted nursery to confirm a place, current fees, funded hours, start date, meals, staffing arrangements and any provision your child needs.
   7. Visit the shortlisted settings, ask the generated questions, observe the environment and staff interaction, and make your decision only after the visit.

   Prompt

   Compare the UK nurseries in the information below for my family. Do not invent or infer facts, and do not treat old or uncited information as current. Separate verified facts, claims made by the nursery, missing information and your judgement. Check whether each factual claim has a source, and flag anything I must confirm directly.
   
   My requirements:
   - Area or postcode: [area or postcode]
   - Maximum travel time and transport method: [details]
   - Child's age and intended start date: [age and date]
   - Days and hours needed: [details]
   - Budget or fee limit: [details]
   - Need for funded hours or a funded place: [yes/no and details]
   - Important requirements: [diet, additional needs, language, outdoor space, sleep arrangements or other requirements]
   - Priorities in order: [list]
   
   Nursery information and source links:
   [Paste the details and links for each nursery here. Include the Ofsted page, nursery website, fee information and any replies from the nursery.]
   
   Create a table covering location, opening hours, fees and what they include, availability, funded-place information, Ofsted information, meals, outdoor provision, policies relevant to my child, and unanswered questions. Do not rank a nursery where a key fact is missing. Then give a shortlist based only on my stated priorities, explain the trade-offs, and write a short list of questions to ask each nursery. End with the checks I must complete before applying, including checking the current Ofsted record, confirming a place and fees directly, and visiting each shortlisted nursery.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

3. Hand it to a person

   The distant third

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.