Fees & Funding for Pre-School
Eligibility for Westover Pre-School
Your child will become eligible for a funded place at our Pre-School from the term after their 3rd birthday.
| Child’s 3rd Birthday | When the funding can start |
| 1st January – 31st March | 1st April (Summer Term) |
| 1st April – 31st August | 1st September (Autumn Term) |
| 1st September – 31st December | 1st January (Spring Term) |
15 hours free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
All 3-4 year olds in England can get 570 free hours per year. This is taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year.
Check if you’re eligible for free childcare if you’re working
Working parents or carers of children aged three to four in England are currently entitled to 30 hours government funded childcare a week. Eligibility depends on whether you’re working, your income, your child’s age and circumstances, and your immigration status. Full details about eligibility requirements can be found here – Who can get 30 hours of free childcare?
If your child is three or four years old and you’re eligible for 30 hours of government funded childcare, you’ll need to fill out an application form online to obtain your 30 hour eligibility code. If you’re eligible, you’ll get a childcare account and a code, which you’ll need to show your childcare provider, along with your child’s date of birth and your National Insurance number.
You’ll need to reconfirm your details every three months, or your code will expire.
When should I apply for free childcare?
You can make an application at any point in the year. However, to make sure you receive your code, leave plenty of time to apply and ensure you apply the term before your child turns three.
Important Changes to Funded Places in the Nursery
We offer all children a place in our Pre-School, starting from the term after their third birthday when the 15 hour and 30 hour funding begins.
We offer 15 hours free funding for all children and 30 hours free funding for those families that are eligible.
Following recently updated guidance from the Department of Education, in relation to Early Years Education and Childcare Entitlements, we will be altering our session times slightly. This action is required in order to ensure that free, unbroken access is available to government funded hours for children in pre-school education settings, where they are accessing 6 hours a day (30 hours a week)
Therefore, our bookable hours will now be as follows:
| A | 30 Hours | 8.30am – 2.30pm | 30 hour week, fully funded |
| Additional Hours | In line with our existing charges and remissions policy – the half an hour from 2.30pm – 3.00pm will cost £2.50 | ||
| B | 15 Hours | 8.30am – 11.30am | 15 hour week, funded place |
| C | 15 Hours | 12.00pm – 3.00pm | 15 hour week, funded place |
| D | Additional hours for Lunch (for 15 hour funded children) | If your child is eligible for 15 hours and would like to stay for lunch following the morning session, or arrive for lunch before the afternoon session, then this is charged at £2.50. | |
| E | Regular additional hours (for 15 hour funded sessions) | If your child is eligible for 15 hours, and you would like to purchase additional morning or afternoon sessions (3 hours) – this will be charged at £18 on top of the lunch. Due to the demand in places, this will be subject to availability – please contact the School Office to discuss. | |
These new changes are aligned with the new guidance and have been approved by our Trust. If you have any questions, do contact the School Office in the first instance.
Tax Free Childcare
We are registered as Tax-Free Childcare providers. Subject to eligibility, this means that for every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.
Universal Credit for Childcare
For working families claiming Universal Credit: Up to 85% of eligible childcare costs are paid by Universal Credit, providing you aren’t receiving Tax-Free Childcare.
Parents can use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit for Childcare AND claim their 15 or 30 hours of Government funded childcare.
