Booking a place
Please telephone 01793 784109 or email admin@thecottagenursery.co.uk to check availability of places. To secure a booking we require a non-refundable booking fee of £100.00 for each child (£75 for siblings). Please note that once booked if you decide not to take up your place we require a minimum of 6 weeks written notice or we will charge one calendar month’s full fees. If you decide to defer your start date you will be required to pay a retainer to hold your place, this will be equal to 50% of your bill.
(For children in receipt of the Nursery Education Funding grant as soon as they start with us, the booking fee is refunded if you are only taking advantage of the funded 15 hours. However, if your booking is for longer hours the booking fee becomes non-refundable.)
Settling In
We aim to make your child’s experience at The Cottage nursery as enjoyable as possible as quickly as possible; in order to do this we do have a settling procedure which is usually spread over 3 or 4 sessions depending on your child, the first session is a maximum of one hour depending on age. Children in the Lions Room are usually settled a little quicker but will still need to build up to full days. If you are booking a full time place then please do allow up to 2 weeks for your child to settle.
Please always collect your child in good time. He/she may become anxious if friends have gone home. Be prepared for your child to be tired after a session at the nursery, he/she will have been busy with different activities.
Fees (with effect from April 2024)
- Under 3’s – £7.74 per hour
- Over 3’s – £7.30 per hour (Please note for billing purposes the rate changes the month after your child’s 3rd birthday.)
Our fees include all snacks during the morning and afternoon sessions and a healthy ‘home-cooked’ tea if your child is with us after 4.30pm.
Invoices are issued at the beginning of each month for that month and are due for payment by the 20th of the month, Payments received after this date will incur a £25.00 administration fee, we reserve the right to suspend a child’s place if the account is not settled by the last day of the month.
Full fees are still payable for any periods of absence due to illness and holidays which are taken during term time.
Late pick-ups. If you are late to collect your child/ren you will be charged a flat rate of £15.00. If you are late to collect for a 6.00pm pick up then the flat rate charge is £25.00.
Our preferred payment method is by childcare voucher or bank transfer, please speak to us for account details. We will also accept payment by cash or cheque however we charge a transaction fee of 1% for each cash or cheque transaction. If paying by childcare voucher please allow a minimum of 4 working days for your payment to clear.
We are now registered to receive payment through the new Government online Tax-Free Childcare service. To find out more about this go to childcarechoices.gov.uk
Nursery Education Funding
Funding for 3 & 4 yr olds
Children become eligible for 15 hours per week of funding the term after their 3rd birthday. The cut off dates for eligibility are 31st March, 31st August and 31st December. The Cottage Nursery will provide you with the relevant paperwork to complete at the appropriate time and will then claim this grant on your behalf.
Our funded sessions are 9.00am to 12.00pm or if you would prefer to take your funding over a longer day then we can offer you a funded place between 12.30pm and 3.30pm in addition to the morning session. If you have chosen to do a ‘full day’ then you will be billed for the half an hour between these two sessions unless you opt to take your child home for lunch.
Pupil Premium is available for families who receive benefits including:
*Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
*Income-related Employment and Support allowance
*Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
*The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
*Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
*Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
*Universal Credit
or if your child:
*Has been in local-authority care for 1 day or more in England or Wales
*Has been adopted from care in England or Wales
*Has left care under a special guardianship order or residence order in England or Wales.
If you think you qualify and would like to know more then please ask us.
Funding for 9 months plus and 2 year olds
From the 1st April 2024 we will be offering the free 15 funded hours for 2 year olds for qualifying families.
From the 1st September 2024 we will be offering the free 15 funded hours for 9 months plus.
30 Hours Funding for 3 & 4 year olds
The Cottage Nursery will offer the 30 hours funding to eligible children between the hours of 9.00am and 12.00pm and 12.30pm and 3.30pm. We will provide childcare during the lunchtime period for our usual rate, however if you wish to take advantage of just the funded hours you are welcome to collect your child at 12.00pm and bring them back in at 12.30pm. These spaces are limited.
It is the parents responsibility to check to see if your child is eligible for the funding, if they are then please let the nursery know as soon as possible before you are due to start in order that the nursery can validate your claim, you will need to give us your code and your National Insurance number. Please note that there are cut off dates each term (31st August, 31 December and 31st March) and that if the nursery has not been able to validate your claim before the start of the term your additional funding is not guaranteed. Thank you.
Tax Free Childcare
We have registered for the Government Tax Free childcare scheme, this will replace childcare vouchers. If you would like to know more please look at the childcare choices website https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
update 22/02/24