Reducing the Cost of Childcare

Fees and Funding

Basic nursery fees are shown on the individual nursery pages. However, there are many ways to reduce the cost of childcare such as Tax-free Childcare, Universal Credit and Nursery Education Funding. We urge you to visit www.beststartinlife.gov.uk to see what you are entitled to.

We accept all voucher and funding schemes. All children aged 3 & 4 and most over 9 months old are entitled to free Government Funding, allowing you to receive up to 30 hours of Free Childcare for 38 weeks of the year. Broadly speaking, this can be used in two ways:

1. Funded Only

You can use your funding during term-time only for up to six 5-hour sessions per week. These sessions are free although meals are charged at £2.50 per session (£15/week) which also includes a mid-session snack.

2. “Stretched” Offer

Most families use the nursery all year round, attending for 51 weeks of the year. In this case, we can stretch the funding across the year, smoothing out your payments to help with budgeting. For example, a child attending for a whole academic year on the 30 hour offer is entitled to a total of 1,140 hours which we would spread over 12 months to give 95 free hours per month. The ‘value’ of these hours is calculated pro-rata depending on what sessions you attend or how much of an academic year is remaining, and you will receive them at no cost. Meals that fall within funded hours are charged at £2.50 like the Funded Only option.

Your invoice will show the number of funded hours you receive each month, how much this has saved and the nett fee payable (which you can reduce further using other methods such as Tax-Free Childcare). Please contact us if you require further clarification or information.

Opting Out

In either of the above cases you have the option to send a packed lunch into nursery if you do not wish to pay for the meals. Unlike most nurseries, we do NOT charge for any other consumables or activities or for Bank Holidays. We believe in keeping things as simple and as fair as possible.

A young child crouches outdoors on a grassy area, touching three large orange pumpkins, with a pile of hay and a green wheelbarrow in the background.
Adults and children gathered around a table engaged in a group activity, with colorful toys and artwork on display, in a cozy room with patterned curtains and children's pictures on the wall.
A small wooden table with a mirror, a potted plant, a bottle of sunscreen, a box of vinyl gloves, and a printed sign with a sunflower theme. The background includes decorative string lights and a stone wall.