Available Sessions:	Under 3	3-5 years
Core hours 9-3	£51.00	£49.20
Hourly extensions to sessions	£8.50	£8.20
Full day with 5% discount	£80.75	£77.90
Hourly rate for additional hours	£8.50	£8.20

 

Fees effective from 1 April 2026

 

The nursery is closed on all bank holidays and for one week during the Christmas period.

 

Fees include healthy snacks provided in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Snacks typically include fruit, vegetables, yoghurt and rice cakes and are provided during both the morning and afternoon sessions.

 

Fees are payable for every booked session, including periods of sickness and holidays, regardless of whether your child attends.

 

Billing of Fees

Invoices are issued on or around the 25th of each month for the following month’s fees. Fees are payable in advance and may be paid monthly or weekly. Each invoice provides a breakdown of the fees due and the date by which payment must be received.

 

Payments can be be made by bank transfer, Tax-Free Childcare, childcare vouchers (where applicable) or government funding.

 

If required, an alternative payment schedule, such as weekly or fortnightly payments, may be arranged. Parents/carers wishing to discuss an alternative payment plan should contact the nursery administrator.

 

All payments must be made in advance by bank transfer using the bank details provided on your invoice.

 

The nursery reserves the right to suspend or withdraw any unfunded sessions where fees remain outstanding for more than four weeks. Where this occurs, appropriate action will be taken to recover any outstanding fees.

 

Late Payment of Fees

 Parents/carers may request an extension to their payment deadline by submitting a written request to the Chard NNI Committee. Any request must include a proposed payment plan and will be considered at the Committee’s discretion.

 

If fees are not received by the payment date shown on the invoice (or by the date agreed under an alternative payment plan), a payment reminder will be issued by the nursery administrator. Payment must be received within four working days of the reminder. If payment is made within this timeframe, no further action or charges will apply.

 

Failure to make payment within this timeframe will incur a £10 administration charge. A formal letter will then be issued requiring all outstanding fees to be paid within seven working days of the date of the letter.

 

If payment is still not received by the deadline stated in the letter, any unfunded hours attended by the child will be withdrawn with immediate effect. The nursery reserves the right to recover any outstanding fees, together with any associated recovery costs, through its appointed debt collection agency.

 

Late Collection of Children

 Children must be collected promptly at the end of their allocated session, or by 5.30 pm, where applicable.

If a child is collected after their agreed collection time, a late collection charge will apply. A five-minute grace period will be allowed, after which a minimum charge of £20.00 will be applied. An additional £20.00 will be charged for every subsequent 15-minute period, or part thereof, until the child is collected.

 

Where parents/carers contact the nursery in advance to advise that they will be unavoidably delayed, a one-off 15-minute extension may be granted before late collection charges are applied. This concession is intended for exceptional circumstances only. Regular or repeated requests for additional time may result in the concession being withdrawn, and late collection charges being applied from the end of the child’s allocated session.

 

Late collection charges will be calculated using the nursery’s attendance records and sign-in/sign-out procedures. An invoice will be issued for any charges incurred, and payment is due upon receipt.

Government Funding

 The nursery offers all government-funded early education entitlements available in England.

 

Eligible children may receive up to 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year. Funding can also be stretched across the year, providing up to 47.5 or 95 funded hours per month, subject to eligibility.

 

Any hours attended in excess of a child’s funded entitlement will be charged at the nursery’s current hourly rate.

 

This equates to a total of 570 or 1,140 funded hours per year. These hours are free at the point of delivery.

 

To claim government funding on your behalf, we require a copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport. Without this documentation, we cannot claim funding on your behalf, and you will be charged for all hours attended until the required documentation has been received and a funding claim can be submitted.

• 30 funded hours per week for eligible working families with children aged from 9 months until they start school.
• 15 funded hours per week for all three- and four-year-olds.

 

Please visit the Government’s Best Start in Life website at https://beststartinlife.gov.uk to see what your family may be entitled to and to help fund your childcare costs.

 

You can apply for your code up to 16 weeks before your baby turns 9 months old.   You must apply online before the relevant deadline to receive your eligibility code, which you will need to provide to us so that we can verify your entitlement. The deadline is the day before the new term begins; however, we ask that you apply as early as possible so that we can confirm your eligibility before the start of term.

If my child turns 9 months old between	I can access 30 funded hours from	And I need to apply by
1 January to 31 March	Term starting on or after 1 April	31 March
1 April to 31 August	Term starting on or after 1 September	31 August
1 September to 31 December	Term starting on or after 1 January	31 December

 

Funding can be claimed for a minimum of three hours and a maximum of ten hours per day, up to a maximum of 15 or 30 funded hours per week, depending on eligibility.

 

Tax-Free Childcare

Eligible working parents can receive a government contribution of £2 for every £8 paid into their Tax-Free Childcare account.  Please visit https://beststartinlife.gov.uk for further information.

 

Early Learning for Two-Year-Olds

 Some two-year-olds are eligible for 15 funded hours depending on family circumstances.

Please visit the Government’s Best Start in Life website to check your eligibility:

https://beststartinlife.gov.uk

 

Children Attending More Than One Setting

 If your child attends another early years setting and receives government funding, you must inform us so that the funding can be shared appropriately between providers. Failure to do so may result in the nursery charging for any funding lost as a result of incorrect information.

 

Changes to Booking Patterns

 Due to the limited number of places available, attendance patterns should be booked on a long-term basis and remain consistent each week.

 

A minimum of four weeks’ written notice is required for any request to change booked days or times, or to cancel your child’s place. Changes must be agreed in consultation with the Nursery Manager and are subject to availability.

 

We do not offer refunds or fee reductions for absences due to sickness or holidays.

 

Leaving the Nursery

 If you wish to end your child’s place at the nursery, a minimum of four calendar weeks’ written notice must be provided. This notice period enables us to offer the place to another family.

 

If the required notice is not given, fees will remain payable, or government funding will continue to be claimed, for all booked sessions during the notice period.

 

The required notice period will be waived only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Chard NNI Committee.