Application records
Stores child details, parent details, start preferences, days required, sessions, hours, priority, status, offer deadlines, consent and retention dates.
Nursery waiting list plugin · v2.3.2
Nursery360 is a WordPress waiting list system for UK nurseries. It turns applications into tracked records, gives parents a secure lookup portal, gives staff a proper admissions dashboard, and keeps emails, notes, reports, exports, occupancy and GDPR workflows in one place.
Plugin modules
The plugin creates its own database tables for applications, notes, email logs and templates. It is built for daily admin work, not just collecting form submissions.
Stores child details, parent details, start preferences, days required, sessions, hours, priority, status, offer deadlines, consent and retention dates.
A built-in native application form (shortcode or Elementor widget) is the primary intake. Gravity Forms is supported as an optional alternative, with full field mapping.
Entries get a unique, configurable reference such as WL20260001, stored back into Gravity Forms meta and available as merge tags.
Registration and status-change emails use editable templates, merge tags, optional attachments, reply-to settings, logging and entry notes.
The [nwl_parent_lookup] shortcode creates a public status page where parents search by email, phone or reference, with nonce checks and request rate limiting.
Managers can view status counts, year group demand, capacity, available places, monthly trends, average wait and conversion from offer to enrolled.
Filtered CSV exports include child, parent, preference, status, priority, notes and date fields, with permission checks for export access.
Records include consent, retention date, deletion request state and hard-delete logic that removes related notes and email logs for privacy requests.
Administrators get full access, plus two built-in roles, Waiting List Manager and Nursery Staff, with staff scoped to their assigned nurseries and granular capabilities.
How it works
Nursery360 keeps the admission journey structured: parent application, staff review, status updates, parent lookup, place offer and enrolled outcome.
Use the native application form, or map Gravity Forms fields to child, parent, schedule, room/year group and consent fields.
Submissions become waiting list entries with a unique reference, calculated age group and initial status.
Staff filter by status, year group, date and search terms, then update status, priority, notes and offers.
Parents receive emails and can check live progress through the public lookup page.
Operational controls
Status stages, capacity, templates, public lookup and staff access are all controlled from one admin, so admissions stop living in a shared inbox.
Technical map
A concise implementation map from the plugin source.
| Area | Included capability | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Entries, notes, email logs and email templates tables with indexed status, email, phone, year group and Gravity Forms IDs. | Admissions data is searchable, auditable and separate from ordinary form entries. |
| Parent journey | Automatic /waiting-list-stats/ page, shortcode, AJAX lookup, status timeline, public notes and offer deadline display. | Parents can self-serve status checks without calling the nursery for every update. |
| Staff workflow | Filtered entries, quick status updates, notes, bulk actions, export links and edit screens. | Admissions teams can manage high-volume waiting lists from one admin surface. |
| Communications | Registration emails, status-change triggers, custom emails, bulk send, template attachments and email history. | Every parent communication is templated and logged against the child record. |
| Compliance | Consent fields, retention dates, deletion request flag, hard deletion of entries, notes and email logs, role-based access and export permissions. | Nurseries get a cleaner operational path for privacy requests and staff permissions. |
No. It ships a native application form (shortcode or Elementor widget). Gravity Forms is an optional alternative, and its fields can be mapped directly to child, parent and preference fields.
Yes. The plugin creates a public lookup page and shortcode where parents can search by email, phone number or reference. Results can show status, timeline progress, public notes, year group and offer deadline.
Yes. Staff can send template emails, custom emails and bulk messages. Registration and status-change emails can also send automatically, with every email logged against the entry.
Yes. Settings include total occupancy and configurable year groups with capacity, age ranges and enrolled counts, so managers can see available places and demand by group.
Entries track consent, retention dates and deletion requests. Export and admin actions are capability-controlled, and hard deletion removes the entry plus related notes and email logs.
Yes. Nursery360 is multi-tenant: each nursery has its own applications, email templates, occupancy, settings and booking configuration, and staff can be scoped to specific nurseries.
Yes. An integrated booking engine offers a native visit-booking form with per-nursery working hours, breaks, time off and per-slot capacity.
We can configure the form mapping, parent lookup page, email templates, capacity groups, reports and staff permissions around the way your nursery already works.
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