Written for the people who run early years settings. New pieces most weeks.
ofsted
A wrong address, an old name or a stale inspection date propagates to every site that republishes Ofsted's data. Here is the order to fix it in.
By Little Bees · 15 September 2026 · 5 min read
funding
Claiming funded hours is a monthly routine. Evidencing them is a permanent one, and the two come apart quietly if the record is not built as you go.
By Little Bees · 21 August 2026 · 5 min read
invoicing
Late payment is usually a design problem, not a character problem. Most of it comes from invoices that arrive late, change without explanation, or are hard to pay.
By Little Bees · 31 July 2026 · 5 min read
parents
Most of a parent's shortlist is built before they call you. Here is what is publicly on the record about your setting, and what it does not say.
By Little Bees · 10 July 2026 · 5 min read
safeguarding
A locked filing cabinet has one key and one person holding it. Most software has neither. Here is what "only the DSL can see this" has to mean to be true.
By Little Bees · 19 June 2026 · 5 min read
ratios
Knowing the numbers is the easy half. The hard half is showing, a year later, that you met them at 12:40 on a Tuesday when two staff were at lunch.
By Little Bees · 5 June 2026 · 4 min read
ofsted
Ofsted aims to inspect a newly registered provider within 30 months of registration. That is a long runway, and it is long enough to be forgotten about.
By Little Bees · 22 May 2026 · 4 min read
ofsted
Legacy ratings were not converted when report cards arrived in November 2025. Your certificate still stands, but it now has to be read with its date attached.
By Little Bees · 8 May 2026 · 4 min read
Introducing Little Bees - nursery management built for a new era of technology.
By Ash Hammond · 1 May 2026
ofsted
It is the middle grade of five, which makes it look like a C. It is not. Expected standard is the bar, and clearing it in every area is a full pass.
By Little Bees · 24 April 2026 · 4 min read
ofsted
Since November 2025 an inspection ends in a grade for each area inspected rather than one word for the whole setting. Here is how to read the grid you get back.
By Little Bees · 10 April 2026 · 4 min read
