From September 2025 our fees for unfunded hours are £9.50 per hour.
Sessions can be either paid for at the hourly rate or are available as funded (for eligible families). When sessions are funded, we ask families to sign a declaration to confirm their eligibility and the number of funded hours they wish to use – this allows us to claim funds from the Government via Essex County Council. The funding we receive is intended to cover just a basic Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision with the minimum legal staff ratio to children. But, we provide so much more than this: extra staff and fantastic resources above and beyond those required as part of a basic EYFS provision, so we ask for a small voluntary contribution from families of funded children (£3 for a half day and £6 for a full day).
As a non-profit body we are not set up to make money – our accounts are in the public domain. Profits are reinvested into the setting, ensuring we can continue to offer the enhanced provision we are so proud of – rated Outstanding by Ofsted – you can read their reports here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/EY395027
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Eligibility for funding can be checked here:
https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/
Effective 1 April 2025
Our full-day sessions run from 8.45am to 3.15pm, of which 6 hours are available as funded (8.45am—2.45pm). This allows families wishing to access just funded hours to collect their children at 2.45pm. Morning (8.45-11.45am) and afternoon (12.15-3.15pm) sessions are 3 hours and are available as funded.
As such, families entitled to funding can use 3 hours funding for morning and afternoon sessions and 6 hours for our full-day sessions – enabling a fully funded place of either 15 or 30 hours to be accessed (subject to availability). Additional hours are chargeable at our hourly rate.
From April 2025 we changed the way we allocate funding so that we adhere to revised Department for Education guidance which is available to view here:
The funding rules can be complex, if you have any questions please get in touch.