Applying for a place at Pre-School
As soon as your child becomes 3, if we have a space, your child can begin in our pre-school.
As long as places are available, children may start at any point of the year but it is more likely a place will be secured by getting on the waiting list as early as possible.
A £50 deposit will secure your child's place but will be returned if a place cannot be offered. The £50 will be returned at the end of your child's time in the pre-school. A receipt will be issued for the deposit.
Three and four year olds are entitled to up to 30 hours of free early learning and childcare per week but Woodland Grange, to maximise the number of places it can offer, provides up to 15 hours– for 38 weeks (term-time) of the year (15 hours x 38 weeks of term-time = 570 hours). This entitlement begins the term after your child’s third birthday. Please note, if your child's 3rd birthday is in September, October, November or December, the FREE entitlement does not begin until January. Similarly, if your child's 3rd birthday is between January and Easter, the free entitlement does not begin until the start of the new term after Easter. If your child's 3rd brithday is between Easter and August, the free entitlement does not begin until the new school year in September. This does not stop you taking up a place for your child as soon as he/she turns 3 but it must be fully funded by you until your child is entitled to the FEEE funding in the following term.
The free entitlement is term time only (38 weeks) but we can, in accordance with Government guidelines, for parents who require all-year care, spread the entitlement over 50 weeks.
The early learning entitlement is often referred to as Nursery Education Funding (NEF) or Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE). When you claim FEEE in your first term, please complete the Parent Declaration Form and return it to the main school office or a pre-school staff member.
Also, you can use childcare vouchers to pay towards your fees. We accept childcare vouchers from all recognised voucher providers if paid electronically. Please ask your employer about which childcare voucher scheme they use.
Before a place is confirmed we will need to see your child's birth certificate and proof of address (Council Tax statement).
To apply for a place, the 'Place Application Form', together with a cheque for £50, must be returned to the school office.
Once you have submitted your 'Place Application Form' and 'Session Request Form' and a place has been confirmed, you will be asked to complete our more detailed 'Admission Data Collection Form' and complete a declaration as to the free (FEEE) childcare sessions you intend to use each term.
Please note the conditions of our Admissions and Charging Policy, as below.
Opening Hours and Sessions
Open circa 50 weeks a year (closed for Bank Holidays and Christmas Eve through to the start of January, opening again on 2nd January 2019 for all year round pupils and 7th January 2019 for term time only pupils).
Options exist for term-time only or all-year-round care.
Use the 'Joining Pre-School' link to find out more about sessions and fees.
Closure dates for all year round pupils are as follows:
ACADEMIC YEAR 2018/19
Christmas 2018
Monday 24th December – Tuesday 1st January 2019
Easter 2019
Good Friday 19th April 2019 & Easter Monday 27th April 2019
May 2019
Monday 6th May 2019
Monday 27th May 2019
Summer 2019
The last day for year round attendance will be Friday 23rd August 2019.
Term dates for term-time only pupils are as per the main school.
The document, 'Session Request Form and Fees' details the session and fee structure. Don't worry if you are struggling to estimate your total fees when completing the 'Session Request Form' as the School Office will do this for you when you return the form, if you request it.
If you opt for term-time only but spaces are available, you may be able to book your pre-School (or Foundation Stage) child into the pre-school during traditional school holiday periods. For those who have opted for term-time only, places for holiday care can be confirmed no more than 4 weeks in advance of school holiday periods but a waiting list will be kept for such places at all times. In this instance, priority for places will always go to those who have booked for all-year-round care.
Parents may alter their child’s sessions twice per year (dependent on sessions being available) at no charge but due to the administration costs of recalculating invoices, an administration fee of £15 is charged for each subsequent change.
Please note - non-payment of due fees will lead to withdrawal of the place(s) offered (see Admissions and Charging Policy).
Sessional fees include food but link to the 'Nutrition' section for more details.
Arrival time before 08.30 includes breakfast.
All morning sessions and full day sessions include a morning snack and hot lunch (unless stated otherwise).
All afternoon or full day sessions beyond 3.15pm include an evening snack.
Breakfast - choice of 3 healthy cereals, toast (wholemeal or high grain white) with different spreads, fruit & yoghurt (served between 8.00 and 8.30am).
Mid-morning snack - fruit and milk.
Lunch - hot vegetarian or meat dinner choice with choice of dessert (served between midday and 12.30pm).
Afternoon snack - fruit, juice and snack items (served between 3.30 and 4pm).
Water is available throughout the day.
There will be no further fees for resources used by pupils and we will only ask for additional money to support trips or outings.