funding and fees

Early Years Funding Explained

Children become eligible for funded hours the term after their third birthday. Eligibility depends on the date of birth: to qualify for funding from the following term, a child’s birthday must fall before 31 December, 31 March, or 31 August. For example, if a child turns three in April, their 3–4 year old funding will start on 1 September.

If a child’s birthday falls during a term, they will remain on their current funding arrangement until the end of that term. The new entitlement will then apply from the beginning of the following term.

The universal entitlement for 3 year olds is 15 funded hours per week (570 hours across 38 weeks of an academic year). Some eligible families may qualify for 30 funded hours when a child turns 9 months (1,140 hours across 38 weeks). As a daycare provider we stretch this entitlement across 52 weeks of the year. This means that 15 hours of funding equates to 11 hours per week, and 30 hours of funding equates to 22 hours per week.

The funding provided by the local authority does not cover the full cost of a nursery place. It is only intended to cover the core funded hours and additional consumables can be purchased separately. From January 2026, families will be able to add or remove consumables packages on a termly basis. These packages are as follows:

• Meals Package: freshly prepared nutritious meals, desserts, snacks, milk and alternatives, formula.
• Care Package: nappies, wipes, gloves, aprons, Calpol, Piriton, nappy cream, sun cream.
• Enrichment Activities & Resources: sports days, celebrations (e.g. Christmas, Easter, Mother’s/Father’s Day), Forest School, cooking, baby sensory, yoga, soft play, outings, Little Rackets, dance and music.
• Additional Hours: core funded hours are 8:30am–2:00pm. For families accessing 22 funded ours over 3 days, these hours are extended to 8:00am–3:15pm, with an extra charge of £5 per day to cover resources, snacks, and staffing.

Parents will be asked to opt in or out of packages before the start of each term. No changes can be made mid-term. Families who opt out of certain packages must provide everything their child requires, clearly labelled and in line with nursery policies. If any necessary items are missing, the nursery will provide them and the cost will be charged to parents. Please ensure you have read and understood our policies before choosing to opt out.

Our funded hours are available from 8:30am to 2:00pm over four days, or as an alternative, 22 funded hours can be delivered over three days from 8:00am to 3:15pm (for those eligible for 30 hours funding). Additional sessions may be booked and will be charged at the standard nursery rate (see fees appendix).

Entitlement Summary