Fees & Funding
30 Hours Free Childcare
15 hours early education per week, term time, for all 3 and 4 year olds. This is a universal entitlement which seeks to support school readiness and child development.
15 hours early education per week, term time for eligible 2 year olds. This is for families that meet the eligibility criteria and aims to give a 2 year old the chance to play, learn and have fun, make friends, experience different activities and build their confidence in preparation for school.
Extended entitlement to 30 hours per week. This is an additional 15 hours of early education per week, term time for 3 & 4 year olds with working parents, which extends the 15 hours entitlement for all 3 & 4 year olds. This aims to support working parents and parents wishing to take up work or increase their working hours and will create a saving for eligible working families of up to £5,000 a year.
Criteria for Receiving 30 Hours Free Childcare:
- Your child is either 3 or 4-years old.
- Both parents or carers in the household are working or a sole parent or carer works.
- Each parent/carer earns at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
- Each parent/carer have an annual income of less than £100,000.
How Do I Apply for the 30 Hours Free Childcare Place?
The easiest way to check if you're eligible for 30 hours free childcare is to use the Government's Online Childcare Calculator.
Visit: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
- Successful applicants will be given an 11 digit eligibility code which will be per parent and child combination, therefore multiple birth siblings will each have their own code
- The nursery will ask you to provide: the eligibility code, the child's date of birth and the parents national insurance number.
- The nursery will then carry out a check to validate the code.
- Eligibility codes will be valid for a 3 month period and parents will be asked to reconfirm their eligibility every 3 months and declare any changes to their circumstances.
- Once you've successfully applied for 30 hours free childcare, you'll be given your own online Childcare Services Account, which you can use to manage your 30 Free Hours.
- You can start using your 30 hours from the beginning of the term after your child turns 3, or the beginning of the term
- after you receive your eligibility code.
Spring Term - 1st January- 31st March
Summer Term - 1st April - 31st August
Autumn Term - 1st September - 31st December
- You can apply for 30 Hours Free Childcare up to 16 weeks before your child turns 3, but you won't be able to start using it until your child is 3-years-old.
- The nursery can stretch the 30 hours over 52 weeks. Please see a member of staff for more details.
Help Paying for Your Childcare
There are lots of different ways to get help with the costs of childcare. The Childcare Choices website includes a Childcare Calculator which will help you to compare all the governments childcare offers and check what works best for your family.
Please visit: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Some of the options available are as follows:
Tax-Free Childcare
- GETUP TO £2000 PER CHILD.
- For working families, including the self-employed, in the UK.
- Earning under £100k and at least £139 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each.
- Who aren't receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.
- With children aged 0-11 (or 0-16 if disabled).
- For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.
Tax Credits for Childcare
- For working families, in the UK.
- With children under 16 (or under 17 if disabled).
- Covers upto 70% of childcare costs, up to a cap.
- If you cannot make a new claim for Tax Credits, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit instead.
Universal Credit for Childcare
- For working families claiming Universal Credit.
- With children under 17.
- Covers up to 85% of eligible childcare costs.
- Who aren't receiving Tax-Free Childcare.
Support While You Study
- Weekly payments from Care to Learn if you're at school or sixth-form college.
- Help through your college if you're in further education.
- A weekly grant if you're in full-time higher education.
