TNB The Nursery Business

Staffing ratiochecker

Test how a group is staffed and qualified before the session starts. Thirty seconds, then go and look at the room.

Read this first

Ratios apply across your whole setting, not room by room. A group can look short here while your setting is fully within ratio, and it can look fine while you are short somewhere else. Use this on one group at a time, then check the picture across the setting.

The framework published on 13 July 2026, in force from 1 September, makes this explicit: ratios apply to the total number of staff available to work directly with children, across the whole provision, not just each room.

Scope, and what this is not

Who it is for. Private, voluntary and independent group settings in England. Reception classes, maintained nursery classes and childminders work to different ratios and are not covered here.

What it is. A planning aid built on the EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers. Not legal advice, not an inspection outcome, and no substitute for your own judgement. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Which framework. The version in force today is the one effective 1 September 2025. A new framework takes effect on 1 September 2026. The numerical ratios do not change, so the maths here holds either way, but check the new version for the wider safeguarding and welfare changes.

Our rule

Why single staffing fails this check

The EYFS sets no numerical rule requiring two people. We stop it anyway, and it is the one place this tool is stricter than the framework. Here is the reasoning, so you can decide whether you agree.

You cannot supervise and respond at the same timeIf a child has a serious accident, seizure or choking episode, you have to give first aid to one child while the rest of the group is left unsupervised. One person cannot do both. The EYFS still requires adequate supervision of every child while that is happening.
You cannot evacuate aloneA fire or a lockdown means moving every child at once. In a baby room that is physically impossible for one person, and a drill that only works when two people are on shift is not a working drill.
There is nobody to raise the alarm for youIf you are taken ill, injured or incapacitated, the children are unsupervised and no one knows. Lone staff carry that risk personally.
It removes the protection of a witnessIf an allegation is made about your conduct, there is no second person who can say what happened. Two-person working protects staff at least as much as it protects children, and it is why most settings write it into policy.
You cannot step awayA parent at the door, a phone call, a nappy change, your own break. Each one either leaves the group unsupervised or does not happen.

Judgement still applies. A quiet early start with two children is a different risk from a full baby room, and some settings run single staffing at the edges of the day with a written rationale and a second person on call. This check does not know which one you are in, so it stops and asks you to decide deliberately rather than by default.

Reference

The ratios

1:3Babies, under 2s
At least one member of staff for every three children

1:5Toddlers, 2 to 3s
At least one member of staff for every five children

1:8Pre-school, 3 and over
Rises to 1:13 when a Level 6 works directly with the children and another Level 3 is present

These are minimums, and they apply across the setting rather than to each room in isolation.

Level 6Only QTS, EYTS or EYPS. Unlocks 1:13 for over 3s when working directly with the children and a second Level 3 is present.

Level 3Full and relevant Level 3, 4, 5 or 6, plus Level 2 English. Also the experience-based route, where the provider has approved it and the person holds a current PFA. Levels 4 and 5 do not get a higher tier.

Level 2Full and relevant Level 2, or someone studying Level 3 who has passed a competency interview and holds a current PFA. Someone studying Level 2 cannot count at Level 2.

UnqualifiedLevel 1, no relevant qualification, or someone studying Level 2. They still count towards the headcount in ratio.

Limits

What this cannot check

A green result means the numbers and the qualification mix add up for the children you entered. It is not proof of compliance. Confirm these yourself.

Qualifications are genuine and full and relevantThe tool trusts the level you select. Verify each certificate at onboarding using the government's Check an Early Years Qualification service.
The competency interview actually happenedBefore counting any apprentice or student, the competency-based interview must be completed, passed and filed.
Baby-care training and room leader experienceIn under-2s rooms, at least half of staff must be trained in the care of babies and the person in charge of the room must have suitable experience with under 2s.
Breaks are covered like-for-likeRatios and the qualification mix must hold all day, not just at the start of a session. Plan cover so the required levels are still there.
Paediatric first aid coverAt least one person with a current PFA certificate must be on the premises and available at all times children are present, and must go on outings.
Age of staffOnly those aged 17 or over count in ratios. Apprentices aged 16 or over may count. The tool does not ask for age.
Manager and deputy requirementsThe setting manager must hold an approved Level 3 or above, and there must be a named deputy who can take charge. Managers appointed since January 2024 also need a suitable Level 2 in maths, or must gain one within two years.
The whole-setting pictureThis looks at one group at a time. Ofsted looks at the whole provision.