Session times and fee's

FEES

We accept work place vouchers, A2Y0 (Achieving two year old) funding and funded hours for 3 and 4 years funding,  funded hours for 2 year old towards fee's.  (£6.80 per hour) fees with be increasing in line with minimum wage April 2025 (it will be between £7.20-£7.25 per hour)

We have an additional fee of £6 per week to cover the cost of Consumables (increased to £7 in April 2025) This will depend on the hours your child attends.(please ask Kelly for more information)

As a Nursey setting we dont get the free fruit and vegetables that schools have.  Early Years funding is very low and not intended to cover the costs of food, consumables or additional hours etc. The £6 per week will comprise of  a variety of fruit, vegetables, bread/bagels, cereals, crackers as well as milk and water for the children to drink, along with ingredients for cooking. We will use any left over money towards wet wipes and tissues as these are used daily by all children. This will be invoiced every 2 terms (Terms 2, 4 &6) stated clearly on your invoice.

You will also be billed a £10 Admin fee on your first bill after starting, this is non-refundable

As stated in our fees policy late payments will be charge @ £10 per week.

Help with the cost of childcare

Are you eligable for help toward the cost of childcare fees? The government is introducing new ways to help parents with childcare costs. Whether you have toddlers or teens, you could get support. Please click on the 'Childcare choices' link below find out more information:

Childcare choices

FUNDED FOR 3 AND 4 - FUNDED EARLY LEARNING FOR 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS (Universal Funding)

All 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to Funded Early Education and can use childminders, pre-school playgroups, nurseries or children's centres who are registered with Gloucestershire County Council to deliver nursery education. The entitlement is for 15 hours per week over a minimum of 38 weeks in the year. The maximum is 10 hours in any one day. Children must remain in the provision for a minimum of 2 weeks in order to be eligible for the funding. Please note that you if you remove your child before the qualifying period, you will be liable for all costs incurred. A member of staff will provide you with the relevant form for you to apply for the funding.

When is your child eligible?
You can start claiming free early education from the term following your child's 3rd birthday.

Can you use more than one childcare provider?
The funding entitlement can be taken with up to two providers, however the total funded hours cannot exceed 15. Most providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly to enable you to meet your needs.

Will there be any additional charges?
A parent cannot be charged for any part of the free entitlement however, a provider may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as they may not always be included within the funded entitlement. If you take more than 15 hours per week there will be a charge made by the provider for these additional hours. Please check with your provider for full details of any additional charges.

2 YEAR OLD FUNDING  - FUNDED EARLY LEARNING FOR SOME 2 YEAR OLDS

(A2YO Achieving 2 year Olds)

This funding is not open to every child and neither is it accepted at all early years settings. It is only available if the early years setting is registered with Gloucestershire County Council to take the 2 years old funding. Ruardean Acorns is registered with Gloucestershire County Council to take the 2 years old funding. If you meet the criteria and have been awarded the funding, you will receive a letter/email from Gloucestershire Family Information Service. Please ensure you bring this letter/email to Ruardean Acorns. You can enquire to see if your child is eligable by phoning 0800 5420202 or 01452 427362. Alternitively, you can register online and submit an enquiry via the Family Portal  Click here to access the online Family Portal.

Who is eligible?
To be eligible for this funding, the following criteria should be met by the parent: They meet the eligibility criteria also used for free school meals, the family receive working tax credits and have annual gross earnings of no more than £16,190, he child has an Education and Care Plan (EHCP) or a current statement of Special Educational Needs, the child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, the child is in the care of the Local Authority, have left care through special guardianship order, child arrangements order or an adoption order.  

When is your child eligible?
The letter will tell you when the funding starts, which is usually the term after your child’s second birthday. The funding will last until your child receives the three and four-year-old funding. If you wish to check if your child is eligible you can contact the Family Information Service on 01452 427362, they will need your national insurance number.

Can you use more than one childcare provider?
The free entitlement can be taken with up to two providers, however the total funded hours cannot exceed 15. Most providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly to enable you to meet your needs.

Will there be any additional charges?
A parent cannot be charged for any part of the free entitlement however, a provider may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as they may not always be included within the free entitlement. If you take more than 15 hours per week there will be a charge made by the provider for these additional hours. Please check with your provider for full details of any additional charges.

2 YEAR OLD FUNDING  - FUNDED EARLY LEARNING FOR SOME 2 YEAR OLDS

If you’re in work you might be able to get 15 hours of funded childcare a week from 1 April 2024 - this is often called ‘free hours’. If you’re in a couple you both need to be working.

You can usually get 15 hours of funded childcare if both the following apply:

• your child is 2 years old or will turn 2 years old before 1 April 2024

• you earn at least £8,670 a year and less than £100,000 a year adjusted net income, which is your income after some tax reliefs and deductions

If you’re a couple, you'll both need to earn between these amounts.

If you already get 15 funded hours of childcare from the government you can’t get these hours as well. 

You can get the 15 hours of funded childcare at the same time as using Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit for childcare.

Please go to  https://www.gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account to sign up.

When is your child eligible?
The letter will tell you when the funding starts, which is usually the term after your child’s second birthday. The funding will last until your child receives the three and four-year-old funding. If you wish to check if your child is eligible you can contact the Family Information Service on 01452 427362, they will need your national insurance number.

Can you use more than one childcare provider?
The funded entitlement can be taken with up to two providers, however the total funded hours cannot exceed 15. Most providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly to enable you to meet your needs.

Will there be any additional charges?
A parent cannot be charged for any part of the funded entitlement however, a provider may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as they may not always be included within the funded entitlement. If you take more than 15 hours per week there will be a charge made by the provider for these additional hours. Please check with your provider for full details of any additional charges.

30 hours funded (Extended Funding)

If your child is eligable for the additional 15 hours funding (totalling 30 hours a week), you MUST get a code and bring it to us. See the bottom of this page for the Childcare Choices website and the Childcare Calculator website.

 
Please note:
You will need a government gateway to log in, if you do not have one you will need to register first.

From September 2017, the Government will be funding an additional 15 hours a week  childcare to some children aged three and four, this will be a total of 30 funded hours a week. This will commence the term after their third birthday. However, not all 3 and 4 years olds will be eligible for the additional 15 hours funding, please see the criteria below:

To be eligible for the additional 15 hours:
•    Two parent families: both parents in the household must be working the equivalent of 16 hours a week either at or above the national living wage or the national minimum wage, up to a maximum of £100k a year per parent. 

OR

•    Single parent families: one parent in the household must be working the equivalent of 16 hours a week either at or above the national living wage or the national minimum wage, up to a maximum of £100k a year per parent. 

•    Parents will be required to make an application directly to HMRC for the additional 15 hours, a code will be provided which is valid for 3 months - more details to follow as soon as we receive them.

•    There will be a ‘grace’ period which allows the funding to be paid if a parent is temporarily out of work - more details to follow as soon as we receive them.

•    Parents will be required check regularly to ensure their child is still eligible to receive the additional 15 hours funding - more details to follow as soon as we receive them.

Some Early Years settings will not be offering the additional 15 hours, Ruardean Acorns will be offering the additional 15 funded hours from September 2017. We are forward planning to gauge how many children would be eligible and what the uptake might be. This will enable us to ensure correct staff:child ratios are in place ready for September 2017. If your child is eligible to take up the full 30 hours a week and you would like them to attend all week during term time, there would be a payment for the extra 1¼ hrs a week as we are open 31¼ hours a week. At our current hourly rate, it would be £5.50 a week. Please click below to find out if your child is eligible for the additional funding.

Childcare Choices

Childcare Calculator

Tax Free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare is a new government scheme to help working parents with the cost of childcare. Parents will be able to open an online account, which they can use to pay for childcare from a registered provider. For every £8 a parent pays in, the government will pay in an extra £2. Parents can receive up to £2,000 per child, per year, towards their childcare costs, or £4,000 for disabled children. 

To qualify, parents will have to be in work, and each expecting to earn at least £115 a week and each parent must not have income over £100,000 per year. Tax-Free Childcare will be launched from early 2017. The scheme will be rolled out gradually to families, with parents of the youngest children able to apply first. Parents will be able to apply for all their children at the same time, when their youngest child becomes eligible. All eligible parents will be able to join the scheme by the end of 2017.