Fees and Funding
To secure your place, please call 01793 784109 or email admin@thecottagenursery.co.uk to find out about current available places. One of our team will talk you through the process of booking a place.
To secure a booking we require a non-refundable booking fee of £100.00 for each child (£75 for siblings). Please note that once booked if you decide not to take up your place, we require a minimum of 3 calendar months written notice or we will charge one calendar month’s full fees. If you decide to defer your start date you will be required to pay a retainer to hold your place, this will be equal to 50% of your bill. (If you have only booked fully funded hours the above charges are not applicable).
For children in receipt of the Nursery Education Funding grant as soon as they start with us, the booking fee is refunded if you are only taking advantage of fully funded hours. However, if your booking is for longer hours the booking fee becomes non-refundable.
Fees (with effect from April 2026):
All ages – £8.70 per hour
Our fees include all snacks during the morning and afternoon sessions and a healthy ‘home-cooked’ tea if your child is with us after 4.30pm. Lunches are charged at £3.75 per day.
Invoices are issued at the beginning of each month for that month and are due for payment by the 20th of the month. Payments received after this date will incur a £25.00 administration fee. We reserve the right to suspend a child’s place if the account is not settled by the last day of the month. Full fees are still payable for any periods of absence due to illness and holidays which are taken during term time.
If you are late to collect your child, you will be charged a flat rate of £15.00. If you are late to collect for a 6.00pm pick up, then the flat rate charge is £25.00.
Our preferred payment method is by childcare voucher or bank transfer, please speak to our management team for account details. If paying by childcare voucher, please allow a minimum of 4 working days for your payment to clear.
We are registered to receive payment through the new Government online Tax-Free Childcare service. If you would like to know more, please look at the childcare choices website https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
Funding:
Funding:
30 hour working parent funding from 9 months
Children become eligible for 30 hours per week of funding the term after they turn 9 months old. The cut off dates for eligibility are 31st March, 31st August and 31st December. The Cottage Nursery will provide you with the relevant paperwork to complete at the appropriate time and will then claim this grant on your behalf.
Our funding is offered between 9.00am to 3.00pm term time only. If you attend beyond any of these hours you will be billed at our hourly rate. If you are taking a fully funded place with no additional hours lunch is a voluntary charge of £3.75 per day. If you choose not to pay this, please speak to a member of management team.
It is the parents’ responsibility to check to see if their child is eligible for the funding. Parents then must let the nursery know as soon as possible, before their child is due to start so that the nursery can validate your claim. Parents will need to provide us when their funding code and National Insurance number. Please note that there are cut off dates each term (31st August, 31 December and 31st March) and that if the nursery has not been able to validate your claim before the start of the term, your additional funding will not be guaranteed.
3-4 years universal funding (15 hours)
If you would like a fully funded place using universal funding, this is offered Monday to Friday 9am and 12pm. Any hours attended beyond this is charged at our hourly rate.
We also offer 2-year funding for families receiving additional support (15 hours).
Pupil Premium is available for families who receive benefits including:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
Or if your child:
- Has been in local-authority care for 1 day or more in England or Wales
- Has been adopted from care in England or Wales
- Has left care under a special guardianship order or residence order in England or Wales.
If you think you qualify for funding and would like to know more, then please don’t hesitate to ask our team.
“We feel so lucky to have a place at the Cottage Nursery and never want to leave. The staff are so friendly and welcoming and do everything they can to help with our child’s learning and development. Nothing is ever too much trouble. The excitement and happiness our child has entering nursery every morning and being handed to the staff speaks for itself!”
Get in touch
The Cottage Nursery, Alexander Hall, Faringdon Road, Watchfield, SN6 8TS