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Free nursery business explorer

Understand what connects.

Choose one part of the nursery business to see what may be driving the issue and what to check next. To test bookings, fees or payment timing, use the nursery decision calculator.

01 / Occupancy

An empty chair is a business question.

A full nursery can still have empty days, weak rooms and unused sessions. Look at the pattern behind the headline percentage.

Which room, day or session is leaving capacity unused?

Check room performanceDiscuss this issue with Dominic
Follow the connection

Potential annual income from one fee-paying place

£16,250
Try an example

One fee-paying place × £65 per day × 5 days × 50 weeks.

Illustrative gross income, not profit or a forecast. Assumes the place sells at that private fee. Funding, discounts, demand and additional costs will change the result.
The first answer is rarely the whole answer.

These layers connect. A staffing issue may start with occupancy. Cash pressure may begin with the booking mix. TNB helps you find the cause and choose what to do next.

Check the wider business

Free whole-setting comparison

Compare one change.
See what moves.

Use the example or your own figures. Adjust the assumptions and watch income, costs and the annual balance change together.

Try a decision

Equivalent full-time places, averaged across the operating period.
Change to blended daily income, including funding and private sessions.
Including employer costs, management, cover and agency.
Use your own starting figures

The starting example is illustrative. Replace it with figures for one setting.

What do these figures mean?

Occupancy is occupied equivalent full-time places divided by available full-time places. For example, 30 occupied places in a 40-place setting means 75% in this model.

Average daily income should reflect what you actually earn from the funding and private booking mix, after discounts. Include staff and owner/management pay, employer costs and cover in payroll. Put rent, food, utilities and other operating expenses in other costs.

This model averages the whole setting. It does not assess room-by-room ratios, changing booking patterns or cash receipt dates.

Change in modelled annual balance

+£48,750

+£4,063 per month equivalent

IncomePayrollOther costs

Annual comparison using the figures entered
Per yearStartingScenario
Income£682,500£731,250
Payroll£400,000£400,000
Other costs£150,000£150,000
Annual balance£132,500£181,250
Scenario payroll / income54.7%
Modelled break-even occupancy56.4%Occupancy needed to cover only the annual costs entered.