Insights
Analysis and commentary across the full range of early years advisory. From funded hour economics and regulatory compliance through to estates risk and international market entry.
Guides and Resources
Frameworks, benchmarking tools and sector analysis drawn from the disciplines we work across every day. Each resource is designed to be useful on its own. If you want to go deeper on any of these topics, that is what the diagnostic is for.
FrameworkNursery Margin Benchmarking Guide
How to benchmark margin performance across the five diagnostic areas. What to measure, where the data sits, and what the numbers should look like for groups of different sizes and structures.
ToolCost Per Funded Hour Calculator
How to calculate the true cost of delivering a funded hour, broken down by local authority, age band and setting. Includes worked examples showing where most groups underestimate cost and overestimate what the funded rate covers.
FrameworkTechnology Selection Framework
The evaluation criteria Litus uses for nursery management system and safeguarding platform selection. Covers functionality, integration, scalability, data migration, and total cost of ownership.
TOOLNursery Ratio and Occupancy Calculator
Statutory minimum staff for every room under the EYFS framework from September 2026, the staff your own ratio needs, what the floor space allows, headroom and occupancy, and what running above the minimum costs each week.
ToolEarly Years Funding Rates 2026-27 by Local Authority
The hourly rate the DfE pays each of the 151 English local authorities for under 2s, 2-year-olds and 3 and 4-year-olds, ranked, with the change on 2025-26. Search, filter by region, sort and copy the table.
TOOLMargin Health Check
Twenty-five questions across the five areas where nursery margin leaks, scored on screen in about seven minutes. A score out of 100 and a chart of all five areas show where your group is strong and where a diagnostic would start.