ADMISSIONS
Harestock Nursery caters for children from 6 months to 5 years old and is fully inclusive, where all children are welcome.
Parents and carers who want their child to attend the Nursery should make an appointment with the Nursery Manager to have a guided tour of the premises where you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s individual needs and the days/hours you will require. Guided tours can be performed in person, or virtually (via Zoom) if this is more convenient.
We do not charge a Registration fee to register a child but in order to reserve a place for a specific future date at the Nursery we require a non-refundable Guarantee Placement fee with every application. Before full admission to the Nursery we will arrange dates for settling in sessions where your child will be introduced to the team who will be caring for them.
Please see our full admission policy for full details.
Early Years Funding
As part of the Government’s commitment to improve early years education, the Local Education Authority (LEA) provides funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds if they attend an Ofsted registered setting which is eligible to claim the Early Years Funding/Educational Entitlement (EYFE) on behalf of the parent.
The EYFE covers the LEA school year of 38 weeks x 15/30 hrs (570/1140 hours), Harestock Nursery facilitates such funding whether it be 15 hours or 30 hours per week; the first 15 hours funding is a universal entitlement whereas the second 15 hours is subject to eligibility (NB a code is required for these extended hours which must be applied for termly in advance prior to the start of term). Harestock Nursery also offers the hours as a ‘stretched’ offer which enables the funding to be spread over 50 weeks.
Admissions Policy
At Harestock Nursery we cater for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.
The numbers and ages of children admitted to the nursery comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
We take the following matters into account when prioritising and deciding on admissions:
Availability of places, taking into account the staff: child ratios, the age of the child and any registration requirements
Children who have siblings who are already with us
When the application is received (extra weight is given to those who have been on the waiting list the longest)
The nursery’s ability to provide the facilities necessary for the welfare of the child, including appropriate staffing arrangements
A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over one requiring a part-time place. This is dependent upon work commitments, occupancy and room availability
Any extenuating circumstances affecting the child's welfare or the welfare of his/her family.
We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to nursery places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of parents. Prior to a child attending nursery, parents must complete and sign a contract and registration form.
These forms provide the nursery with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, collection arrangements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctor’s contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.
FAQS
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What are contracted (versus non-contracted) hours?Contracted hours are the number of hours we contract with parents to accept their child into the Nursery per week. Contracted hours can be booked in terms of a full day (10 hours) or half-day (5 hours) with the minimum being 10 hours per week. If your circumstances warrant it may also be possible to book an additional hour or two to supplement a half-day. There are occasions when parents may wish to put their child into the nursery for additional days/half-days on a more ad hoc basis. Whilst we always do our best to assist, these non-contracted hours cannot be guaranteed as we need to ensure compliance with regulatory staff:child ratios. The more advance notice that can be provided for any request the better the possibility we can organise cover etc.
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How will my bill be calculated?In our experience parents like to budget on a monthly basis. Therefore, whether your child attends the Nursery during term time only (ie 38 weeks) or over the full 50 weeks of the year, you will receive the same invoice every month in respect of your contracted hours. Any additional hours (non-contracted hours) will be billed when incurred. For example, if your weekly charge for contracted hours (net of any funding) is £150 and your child attends for term time only then your monthly invoice will be £475 (£150 * 38 weeks / 12 months). If your child attends for the full year, then your monthly invoice will be £625 (£150 * 50 weeks / 12 months).
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When is my child entitled to Early Years Funding Entitlement (EYFE)?All 3-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours ‘free’ funding from the term following their 3rd birthday. For example, if a child becomes 3 years old in February, EYFS starts in the summer term commencing in April. Eligible working parents may also be entitled to an additional 15-hour funding. From April 2024, the eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will also be able to claim 15 hours EYFS funding, and from September 2024 this will be extended to eligible working parents for all children over 9 months. From September 2025 eligible parents of all children over the age of 9 months will be entitled to 30 hours ‘free’ funding.
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Is EYFE totally ‘free’?The term ‘free entitlement’ relates to EYFE funding which is administered by the Local Educational Authority (LEA) who determine the hourly funding rate to pay for a maximum of 15/30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year (570/1140 hours). All LEA are provided Statutory Guidance on administration of EYFE via the Government paper ‘Early education and childcare’. Within such guidance is stated (Providers) “can charge for meals and snacks as part of a free entitlement place and that they can also charge for consumables” As EYFE funding falls far short of the total costs of education provision we (along with many other nurseries) raise a service charge to cover meal/snack provision and some consumables to recoup some, but not all, of the additional cost. A full link to the Statutory Guidance is included in our Resources page and an explanation of our policy in relation to that is provided during show arounds etc.
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If my child attends another setting, can I still claim EYFE through Harestock Nursery?"If your child attends another early years provider you can claim EYFE but you need to confirm this on your Parent Declaration Form by telling us the number of sessions you wish to claim from Harestock and from the other setting.
