<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">

  <!-- ═════ TIER 1 — homepage and top-of-funnel conversion pages ═════ -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/earl-shilton/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/corby/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/book-a-tour/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/fees-and-funding/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/contact/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/gallery/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.9</priority>
  </url>

  <!-- ═════ TIER 2 — trust and authority pages ═════ -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/choosing-a-nursery-earl-shilton/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/choosing-a-nursery-corby/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/about/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/our-approach/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.7</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/safeguarding/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.7</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/faqs/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.7</priority>
  </url>

  <!-- ═════ TIER 3 — supporting content pages ═════ -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/a-typical-day/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.6</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/food-and-meals/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.6</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/key-person/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.6</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/settling-in/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.6</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/curriculum-planning/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.6</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/famly-app/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.5</priority>
  </url>

  <!-- ═════ NEW PARENT GUIDE ═════ -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/when-to-book-nursery/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-09-18</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>

  <!-- ═════ CAREERS ═════ -->
  <!-- /join-us/ is discoverable but deliberately deprioritised so it
       doesn't compete with parent-facing pages for brand-search sitelinks. -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/join-us/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-10-14</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.3</priority>
  </url>
  <!-- Role subpages ARE listed: each carries JobPosting structured data and
       must be crawlable for Google for Jobs to pick it up. Weekly changefreq
       because vacancies open and close. IMPORTANT: when a role is filled,
       remove the page (or its JobPosting block) and drop it from here;
       Google issues manual actions for job postings left up after expiry. -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://handprintsnurseries.com/join-us/eyp/</loc>
    <lastmod>2026-10-14</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.4</priority>
  </url>

  <!-- Not indexed (and therefore not listed here): /privacy/, /cookies/,
       /terms/ all carry meta robots="noindex, follow"; Google shouldn't
       be asked to index them via sitemap and told not to via meta. Also
       excluded: /404.html (error page), /tourbooked.html (post-conversion).
       Role subpages under /join-us/ are listed above so Google for Jobs
       can index their JobPosting markup. Two are archived: /join-us/eya/
       (not currently recruiting) and /join-us/deputy-manager/ (filled in
       October 2026). Both are noindex, carry no JobPosting markup and are
       absent here, but the pages are kept live for when they reopen. -->

</urlset>
