Our fees
| Hourly care rate | £6.90 |
| Half hourly care rate | £3.45 |
| 8am–6pm | £77.40 |
| 8am–5pm / 9am–6pm | £70.50 |
| 8am–1pm / 1pm–6pm | £38.70 |
| Food (including a snack and drink) | £4.20 per meal |
| Breakfast (served 8.00am-8.45am) | Free |
About our fees
Attendance can be on a Term-time (38 weeks of the year) or Full-time basis (50 weeks of the year) and funded hours can be stretched.
Fees are charged at an hourly rate for care for any hours over and above the funded hours and for the meals we provide, which are part of our service. Please contact us for further details and to discuss your requirements.
Late payment fee applicable if fees are not received by the end of the month.
Fees are payable if you choose to take a holiday or if your child is absent for any reason.
Permanent changes to sessions can only be made from the beginning of a term (September, January, April) if you receive funding.
Additional costs may be payable for any trips or visitors etc. where necessary.
Late pick-up
| Late pick up fee after 6pm | £10.00 |
We ask that you ensure your child is picked up by 6pm. Please telephone to update us if you know you are going to be late or if another person is going to pick up your child.
To maintain our safeguarding regulations, it is necessary for 2 members of staff to stay and work. This is classed as over-time, therefore there will be a charge of £10.00 per half hour after 6pm.
If you arrive late after your regular pick-up time, eg after 1pm or 5pm; an extra half hour will be charged.
Nursery Holidays
Nursery is closed at the following times:
| All Bank Holidays |
| The week before the August Bank Holiday |
| 24th December – New Year’s Day inclusive. |
We do not charge for the weeks we choose to close or for Bank Holidays.
Funding
Funding is available for working families and disadvantaged families for children age 9 months, 2, 3 and 4 year old (subject to criteria) for 38 weeks of the year. At Skylark it is possible to attend for 50 weeks of the year and stretch funded hours. Please discuss this with the management team.
Early Years Funding:
All children are eligible for 15 hours funding from the term after their 3rd Birthday until they go to school:
| Birthday 1st January – 31st March | Funding from Summer Term (April) |
| Birthday 1st April – 31st August | Funding from Autumn Term (September) |
| Birthday 1st September – 31st December | Funding from Spring Term (January) |
Funding covers hours attending but it cannot be used for food costs or for trips, nappies etc. There will be a charge made for meals. Hours attended beyond the funded hours will also be charged for based on our hourly rate plus meals.
Extended funding – 30 hours
Your child may be entitled to 30 hours of funding. For further information on eligibility and to apply search www.childcarechoices.go.uk .
If you are successful, you will be given a code to pass on to nursery.
Common questions asked
Q: What do I need to do to apply for funding for my child?
A: All children are automatically eligible for 15 hours of funding per week from the term after their third birthday. However, ensure you have applied for 30 hours or 2-year-old funding (15 hours) if applicable in the term before your child is entitled to receive it if you think you may be eligible.
Nursery will give you a ‘funding form’ if you are claiming 15 hours, 30 hours or 2-year-old funding. The form is very straightforward. It does require your National Insurance number or NASS Number if you are entitled to benefits. You will also need to show nursery either your child’s passport or birth certificate. When you have completed it return it to nursery and we will make the application on your behalf.
Q: Is funding available for 50 weeks per year?
A: No. Funding is available for 38 weeks. It is only available during term-time. Each term varies in number of weeks. It is based on school term dates. Our fee statements will be calculated per term and are generally averaged out, so you pay the same amount each week across the term because we have found parents prefer this.
Q: Can my child just attend during term-time and not the holidays?
A: Yes. Please write this on your admission form. If applicable write this on the funding form too.
Q: Can my child claim some funded hours at Skylark and some at another setting or a child-minder?
A: Yes, you can, if you do not claim for hours exceeding your child’s total entitlement. There is room for this information on the funding form. We will happily liaise with another setting to ensure consistency for your child if you want us to send them information too.
Q: If my child attends for less than 30 hours per week can the remaining hours be used in the holidays?
A: Yes, we will ‘stretch’ the full 30 hours to cover as much time as possible for you if your child is attending on a ‘full-time’ basis. Please be aware that there can be up to 7 weeks of holiday in the Summer Term and sometimes there are not enough spare hours to cover all these weeks, therefore full fees are payable or your child must take a break from attending until the term begins again.
Q: Can the nursery sessions I book fit in with my other children who attend school?
A: Yes, subject to availability we will try our best to meet your requirements if your child is receiving funding.
Q: What if I need to change the sessions my child is attending?
A: If your child is receiving funding, you can alter the number of hours or sessions you want to claim on a termly basis only. We cannot alter the funding we claim for after the beginning of the term. It may be possible to alter the days your child attends, please ask /email a member of the management team and please give a minimum of 3 weeks’ notice.
Q: If I notice on the termly fee statement that my child hasn’t used up all of the funding hours they are entitled to, can I book some days in the holidays at a later date?
A: This is only possible if done at the beginning of the term, before the ‘headcount day’; this is the date County sets for funding applications. After this we cannot claim any extra hours of funding for that term, and we can only claim for the hours you put on your funding form. Please talk to us when you return your form as we like to help. However, any dates booked later in the term may be charged at full fee rates.
General Questions
Q: How can I pay fees?
A: When you receive your fee statement you will receive our bank details to set up a standing order. You may also pay in cash either weekly or monthly. We do accept vouchers or tax credit schemes.
If required, we will provide a receipt to support Universal credit claims. Please ask.
Q: When are fees payable?
Fees are payable on or before the 15th of the month. Late fees after the end of the month will incur a late fee of £5.00 per week.
Q: How much deposit do I need to pay to reserve a place at Skylark?
A: Please pay a £10.00 deposit to secure a place at Skylark. Your deposit will be deducted from the fees payable in the first month.
Deposits are not returnable if you change your mind once we have confirmed the nursery place. Usually confirmation is by email.
If we receive an admission form without a deposit, there is no guarantee you will have secured the place. Other children may be given priority.
The nursery reserves the right to suspend or withdraw a nursery place at any time if the terms and conditions are not adhered to or fees are not paid.
If your child leaves owing fees all debts will be passed to our solicitor to recoup. This may incur further legal fees.
In signing the admission form for a place at Skylark Day Nursery and by taking up a place with us you are agreeing to the terms and conditions in this policy.
