Admissions
All three year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery provision per week. Children can now join our three to five provision at the beginning of the term they turn three. Please collect an admission form from the school office.
From September 2017, the Government has introduced a new scheme which offers 30 hours free childcare for families who are eligible.
Who is it for?
To be eligible, you (and your partner if you have one), must either:
You, and any partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £142 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage).
If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible.
You can't get 30 hours free childcare if either you, or your partner, each individually expect to earn £100,000 or more.
How do I apply for the additional 15 hours?
To apply, please visit Gov.uk and complete the online form.
If you're eligible for 30 hours free childcare, you'll receive a 30 hours eligibility code, your unique 11-digit reference number. This code is important as you'll need it to claim your free childcare. You should take the code to your childcare provider or local authority along with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth to secure your free childcare place.
Your childcare provider will check the code with the local authority and confirm your eligibility. You and your childcare provider will then be able to discuss when provision can begin.
Reconfirming your eligibility
Every three months, you'll need to reconfirm that you're still eligible for 30 hours free childcare. You'll be reminded to reconfirm you're still eligible 4 weeks before the deadline. If you also receive Tax-Free Childcare, you'll be able to reconfirm your eligibility for both schemes at the same time. You don't need to take your code to your provider or local authority every time you reconfirm however, you should notify your provider if you fall out of eligibility. You can apply for 30 hours free childcare for another child at any time. The point at which you'll need to reconfirm will be aligned for all children. This means that you won't need to go online to reconfirm at different points in the month for each child. If you don't reconfirm, your childcare provider and local authority will be told that you no longer meet the requirements for a free childcare place.
How does it work at Breadsall Hill Top?
The Department for Education sets out two types of provider for the purposes of 30 hour entitlement: flexible providers such as private nurseries and sessional providers such as schools which operate fixed sessions.
As a sessional provider, our provision is based upon either the beginning or end of the week. These sessions are Monday and Tuesday 8.50am to 3pm and Wednesday 8:50am to 3.00pm or Wednesday 11:50am to 3pm and Thursday and Friday 8050am to 3pm. This amounts to 15 hours for two and a half days - or 30 hours across the week if full time.
Lunch is available on the full days at a cost of £2.00 which includes a hot meal, alternatively, children can bring a packed lunch if you prefer. Meals must be paid in advance.
During the term prior to your child beginning pre-school you and your child will be invited to attend an open session in school. This will give you the opportunity to meet staff, have a look around the school and gain insights into the curriculum that your child will receive here.
Children do not automatically enter reception from our nursery, you must apply to the Local Authority for a place. This must be done by January in the year that they are due to join reception and we can provide you with support in doing this.
Facilities
Our pre-school unit is all open plan and children are encouraged to free flow through all the activities and enjoy playing with and exploring all age appropriate resources and furniture.
We are a self-contained unit with our own toilet facilities which the children are free to access throughout their session.
There is also an extensive self contained outdoor area for children to explore. We spend alot of time outdoors and children are encouraged to bring clothing appropriate to being both inside and out. We will explain when we need wellington boots, particularly when children explore the forest school.
Uniform
We encourage our three to five year olds to wear school uniform, but also understand that children can get messy in school and we're also happy for children to wear more casual clothes during their time in school.
Due to the nature of the Early Years provision, we do ask that all children have a full change of clothes available to them during their session. This does not have to be a second uniform as it is only used in the event of your child becoming wet or dirty.
Settling In
Prior to your child starting, we will hold settling in sessions where you will attend nursery with your child. This enables a smooth transition in to the setting and allows both you and the nursery team to cover any questions that will help your child to adapt to the new environment. We will discuss this with you in more detail when your child visits the nursery and sessions are arranged.
Pre-School times:
Monday, Tuesday 8.50am to 3pm and Wednesday 8.50am to 11.50am.
Wednesday 11.50am to 3pm and Thursday and Friday 8.50am to 3pm
30 hour attendance will be Monday to Friday 8.50am to 3pm
Dropping Off and Collecting
Children come directly into our Pre-school unit into their cloakroom where they hang their coats and bags. This is where you will also collect your child from, if they are in the pre-school session.
You will be required to complete an authorisation form stating which people have permission to collect your child from school and they must be at least 16 years old. We will not release your child unless they are collected from the classroom by an adult named on the form. It is not appropriate to have your child collected by an older child in the school.
School Meals for Reception
Lunch is available on the full days at a cost of £2.00 which includes a hot meal, alternatively, children can bring a packed lunch if you prefer. Meals must be paid in advance.
All of our meals are cooked daily on the premises and meet the current guidelines for nutrition in schools.