Funding
A maximum of 10 hours funding can be claimed in one day.
There are 3 streams of FEEE Funding which can be accessed:-
The 3 and 4 Year Old Universal Offer:
This offers all children up to a maximum of 570 hours (per annum which is equivalent of 15 hours per week for 38 weeks per year). There is no eligibility criteria for this offer as it is universal and all 3 and 4 year olds can access this funding the period following a child’s 3rd birthday.
The Working Parent Entitlement:
This offer is from the period after a child turns 9 months old. Eligible working parents will be able to receive a maximum of 1,140 hours, per annum (which is the equivalent of 30 hours per week for 38 weeks per year). Eligibility for this funding has to be reconfirmed by parents/carers via Best Start in Life and then validated by providers every 3 months (by the validity end date of the eligibility code as sometimes it can be required more often). Please visit the Working Parent Entitlement web page to see the eligibility criteria that parents/carers must meet to receive this funding.
The 2 Year Old Funding Offer:
This offer is for families who are receiving additional forms of support. This offers eligible children the chance to take up to a maximum of 570 hours per annum (which is the equivalent of 15 hours per week for 38 weeks per year). Once a parent/carer is eligible for this funding, they will remain eligible even if their circumstances change. Parents/carers are not expected to re-check their eligibility. Please visit the funding for 9 month to 2 year old children web page to see the eligibility criteria that parents/carers must meet to receive this funding. Where a child accesses a provision part way through a period, funding is calculated pro-rata.
The following eligibility table shows when a child is eligible to receive funding from. This is applicable to all aspects of the 9 month and upwards, 2, 3 and 4 year old funding. Children can access this funding the term AFTER their birthday:-
Childs Birthday
1 January to 31 March
1 April to 31 August
1 September to 31 December
When you can claim
The beginning of term on or after 1 April
The beginning of term on or after 1 September
The beginning of term on or after 1 January
For example, if your child’s birthday is 15th June 2021, they can access their funding from September 2021.
If you are eligible for Working Parent Entitlement or 2 Year Old Funding Offer, then you will receive an 11-digit eligibility code. Please share your code on the PSOU Application form for verification. Once this code has been verified, your 30-hour place will be secured from the term after you receive your code e.g. a code obtained between Sep-Dec can be used from January.
You will need to reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months, on the Gov portal. Failure to do so can result in loss of funding. If your code expires, you will still be responsible to pay the full fees for the sessions taken. This is in line with our parent contract.
Places do fill up quickly therefore we advise you to register your child for Pre-School from an early age!
We offer 15 hours of free funding (Universal Entitlement) for ALL children the term after their third birthday. These hours can be used flexibly to support your own personal circumstances, including the use of Wrap Around Care.
We also offer the 30-hour extended entitlement; children can access all their 30-hour funding with us over five full days. This can be used flexibly in the same way as the 15 hours entitlement.
We also accept Tax Free childcare vouchers. Please talk to a member of staff if you wish to use this to pay your fees.
Our pre-school offers hours as:
Session | Time | Length of session | Cost |
Early Morning Session | 07:30 – 08:40 | 1 hour 10 mins | £6.65 |
Morning Session | 08:40 – 11:40 | 3 hours | £17.10 |
Lunch | 11:40 – 12:10 | 30 mins | £2.85 |
Afternoon Session | 12:10 – 15:10 | 3 hours | £17.10 |
Evening Session | 15:10 – 17:30 16:30 – 17:30 | 1 hour 20 mins 1 hour | £7.60 £5.70 |
FULL DAY | 07.30 – 17:30 | 10 hours | £57 |
All Pre-School fees are reviewed and updated annually.
We calculate your weekly costs based on the amount of funding you are entitled to. You will be charged for the sessions that you choose based on the pricing structure above. We will then deduct the number of funded hours you choose to use from the costs above, to calculate your weekly charge.
School lunches are booked and paid for separately on School Grid. The cost of a school lunch is currently £3.02 per day (subject to an inflationary increase).
Some examples:
Child A is entitled to 15 hours of funding per week. They come to pre-school for the morning sessions (08:40am – 11:40am) Monday to Friday. Parents use their 15 hours of funding to pay for the morning sessions and therefore there would be no additional costs.
Child B is entitled to 15 hours of funding. They come to Pre-School on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for full days from 08:40am– 3:10pm and stay for a school dinner. This is a total of 19.5 hours. Using the Universal 15 hour funding, an additional payment for 4.5 hours would cost £25.65 per week, which would be paid via ParentPay. A payment for 3 school dinners would be £8.58 a week, which could be booked and paid for on School Grid.
Child C is entitled to 30 hours of funding. They come to Pre-School from 7:30am – 5:30pm for Monday and Wednesday and bring a packed lunch. The sessions would total 20 hours; this is within their funded hours and there would be no additional costs.
Child D is entitled to 30 hours of funding. They will come to Pre-School Monday to Friday 8:40am – 3:10pm. The child has a school dinner each day. The sessions would total 32.5 hours a week. Using their 30 hour funding, an additional payment of 2.5 hours would cost £14.25 per week, which could be paid via ParentPay. A payment for school dinners would be £14.30 per week, which could be booked and paid for on School Grid.
Tax-Free Vouchers
Parents who qualify may also use the tax-free voucher scheme to pay for their child’s Pre-School sessions. If you would like to use your vouchers, please email ddark@dsatwooldenhill.org providing details of your scheme.
Please give the school office a call if you wish to discuss more information about your childcare needs or personal circumstances further with us.
Payment
Payment of sessions is half termly. This equals six payment periods in a year. The payment of outstanding fees is to be paid prior to the start of the following half term. Each half term, parents are asked to complete a change of hours form, if necessary. An invoice is generated and shared one month before the payment date.
Please be aware that term lengths vary, affecting the cost. Normally the terms are longer between August and December.
Please click here to see our term-dates.
Non-Payment of Pre-School Fees
Invoices will be raised on ParentPay on the first day your child starts in Pre-School and will be payable by the due date given on the invoice. Future invoices will be processed and payable on ParentPay half termly, in advance. Invoices are typically issued one month before the payment due date. Payment received later than the given due date stated on the invoice may incur a late payment fee of £20. Failure to pay outstanding fees may lead to the withdrawal of your child’s Pre-School place. Withdrawal of a place is entirely at the school’s discretion. It would be unusual for a child to still attend the Pre-School at a point where solicitors have been instructed to recover a debt.