Fees & Charges

Willow Tree Nursery offers government-funded early years entitlement hours in line with the Department for Education statutory guidance.

Funded early years entitlement hours

We offer funded early years entitlement sessions as follows:

• Morning session: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (15 hours per week, 5 days)

• Afternoon session: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (15 hours per week, 5 days)

• Full day session: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (30 hours per week, 5 days)

Funded places are subject to eligibility and availability.

​

Charges during funded entitlement hours

We do not charge any compulsory fees during funded early years entitlement hours.

We do not charge for:

• delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS),

• learning activities or educational programmes,

• toys, books, craft materials, or learning resources,

• observation or assessment systems,

• snacks and drinks,

• registration or administration,

• business running costs.

Optional chargeable extras (funded hours)

The following items may be offered only on an optional basis during funded entitlement hours.

Hot lunch

A freshly prepared hot lunch is available for children attending full-day sessions.

• Price: £4.50 per day

• Hot lunch is optional.

• Parents may provide a packed lunch as an alternative, in line with the nursery’s Nutrition Policy.

• No parent is required to purchase meals in order to access a funded entitlement place.

Children attending full-day sessions are expected to have adequate food during the day. This can be provided either by the nursery or by parents.

​

Breakfast Club (outside funded hours)

The Breakfast Club operates outside of funded entitlement hours.

• Time: 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM

• Price: £3.50 per session (30 minutes)

The Breakfast Club is optional and is offered to support families who require early drop-off.

​

Additional (non-funded) hours

Ad-hoc additional hours

Additional hours requested on the same day and subject to availability are charged at:

• £12.00 per hour

​

Regular additional hours

Where additional hours are requested on a regular, ongoing basis, fees are charged at a private hourly rate not lower than the applicable local authority funding rate in force at the relevant time (for the current funding year, term or session).

The private hourly rate may include an uplift of up to 5% above the applicable local authority funding rate. In certain circumstances, and at the discretion of the Nursery Manager, this rate may be reduced to align with the local authority funding rate, depending on individual family circumstances.

​

Late collection

A 10-minute grace period applies after the end of a booked session.

After this period, a late collection fee of £1 per minute will be charged.

​

Trips, celebrations and external services

Occasionally, optional trips, celebrations, photography services or sessions delivered by external specialists may be offered.

• These are not part of EYFS delivery.

• Participation is optional.

• Any associated costs will be communicated to parents in advance.

​

Deposits and place reservations

Optional holding deposit

Where a family wishes to reserve a place in advance (for example, for a future start date), an optional holding deposit of £20 may be requested.

• This deposit is not a condition of accessing funded entitlement hours.

• Funded places may be offered without a deposit, subject to availability at the time attendance begins.

• The holding deposit is fully refundable once the child starts attending the nursery.

The holding deposit supports forward planning and place allocation where a start date is agreed in advance.

​

Private places

For privately funded places:

• Refundable deposit: £160

• Non-refundable administrative fee: £50

For private full-day places, hot lunch is included in the fees.

This information is provided in accordance with the Department for Education statutory guidance on early education and childcare funding.