Admissions

At Kidspace we care for children between the ages of 6 weeks to 5years old. 

The numbers and ages of children admitted to the setting comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). When considering admissions we are mindful of staff: child ratios and the facilities available at the setting.

The setting uses the following admission criteria, which is applied in the following order of priority:

• Looked after children

• A child known by the local authority to have special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND) and whose needs can be best met at the preferred setting

• A vulnerable child with either a Child Protection or a Child in Need Plan, or in receipt of other local authority support 

• Children who have siblings who are already with us

• Children whose parents live within the area.

 

A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over one requiring a part-time place. This is dependent upon work commitments, occupancy and room availability. We operate a waiting list, and places are offered on an availability basis.

We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of parents.

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Prior to a child attending the setting, parents must complete and sign a contract and registration form. These forms provide the setting with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, collection arrangements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctor’s contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.

 

Example of a day at Nursery

Children begin to come in

 

Breakfast

Handwashing

Free play

Indoor & Outdoors

Nappy changes/ Toileting

 

Snack/Break time

Handwashing

Physical time – outdoors/walks/park

 

Activities – Key worker: Key child time

Observations & Next steps

Circle time

Stories, flashcards, singing, developing understanding of feelings & emotions

Nappy changes/ Toileting

 

Lunch time

Handwashing

Quiet time/sleep time

Half day Children go home

 

Half day Children come in

 

Activities / Physical time  / Free Play / Forest School

Indoor & Outdoor

Nappy changes/ Toileting

 

Tea

Handwashing

Free play / Forest School

Indoor & Outdoor

Home time

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Parent App & Communication Tool

As a nursery we use the Famly app to communicate with parents & carers. This is used to send a daily diary to the parents noting food, drink, nappies/toileting and photos of activities they have enjoyed doing during the day. This is an easy way for the parents to communicate with the nursery and for the nursery to send out newsletters and important dates etc. The app has been very well received by our parents/carers.

We have learning journals which will follow the child on their journey through nursery which will include observations, assessments, pictures and craft from the children’s time at nursery carried out by the child’s key worker, shown during progress days and given to the parents when the child leaves the nursery.

 

Food & Mealtimes

At Kidspace Nursery, we believe that every child deserves the very best start in life. This begins with the food they eat. All meals at Kidspace are lovingly prepared from scratch, using fresh ingredients and following the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) nutritional guidance. We are passionate about helping children understand where their food comes from and encouraging healthy choices from an early age. Our team is fully trained in managing allergies and intolerances, and we follow strict protocols to ensure every child’s dietary needs are safely met. At Kidspace, nutrition is not just about meals—it’s part of our commitment to nurturing happy, healthy, and curious little learners.

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Breakfast 08:00am – 08:30am

Snack 10am

Lunch 12pm

Tea 3pm​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Fee, Sessions & Funding

At Kidspace, we believe that every child and family should have access to quality childcare that truly works for them. We understand that traditional session structures—morning, afternoon, or full-day—often don’t align with the realities of modern working life. That’s why we’ve designed our childcare options to be as flexible and family-friendly as possible. Our goal is to support working parents by offering tailored solutions that fit around busy schedules, making childcare simpler, more accessible, and stress-free​​​

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Government Funded Childcare

Am I eligible to claim funding?  

 

Working parents  

Working parents are usually entitled to the funded hours detailed above if both of the following apply:  

•       You work at least 16 hours per week.  

•       Your adjusted net income is under £100,000  

  

If you are a couple, this criteria will apply to both parents.   

  

Parents who are receiving some additional forms of government support  

  

You are entitled to claim 15 hours funded childcare for your 2-year-old if you live in England and receive one of the following benefits:  

  

-       Income Support  

-       Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)  

-       Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)  

-       Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments.  

-       Tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax.  

-       The guaranteed element of Pension Credit  

-       The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax 

Credit)  

  

If you are not receiving a qualifying benefit, 2-year-olds can also get funded childcare if they:  

  

-       are looked after by a local authority.  

-       have an education, health and care (EHCP) plan. 

-       get Disability Living Allowance  

-       have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order.  

  

Kidspace Nursery cannot confirm your eligibility. The above is intended as a guide only. Eligibility must be confirmed by HM Government via the following link: Eligibility checker | Best Start in Life or by contacting HMRC directly on 0330 123 4097  

   

Once your application is completed, it usually takes up to 14 days for you to be notified of their decision. If you successfully qualify for funding an Eligibility code will be supplied by them. Your eligibility code needs to be issued to either Amelia or Amy, via the Famly App.    

  

You MUST reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months. If you apply more than 3 months before the term starts, you will need to reconfirm your eligibility using your government childcare account (This is given once you have applied for the first time) in order to keep your code valid.  

 

Failure to re-confirm your eligibility will mean that your code is no longer valid, and will mean that funding is removed from future invoices. 

 

How we allocate Funding  

 

Government funded childcare is payable for 38 weeks of the year, in line with school term dates. As a full year nursery, we are able to ‘stretch’ the funding to cover the school holiday periods. The amount of funding that you will receive will vary depending  on when your child becomes eligible.  

How we calculate your stretched hours allocation. 

  

The number of days attended at Nursery will determine the amount of funded hours that can be claimed, this is up to a maximum 1140 hours per year.  

15 hours x 38 academic weeks = 570 hours per year 

30 hours x 38 academic weeks = 1140 hours per year  

Your Annual allowance is divided into terms, the number of hours Kidspace Nursery can claim per term is capped to allow the parent to spread this fairly over 12 months. This is detailed within the diagram on the following pages.  

  

Kidspace Nursery is open for 51 weeks of the year, so we divide your annual hours by 51 to give us your new stretched allowance.  

If a child starts part way through the year, or term, this will make a difference to your overall annual allowance. A personalised breakdown of the hours your child is entitled to, will be provided by Management as this must be calculated on an individual basis.  

 

Please note attendance MUST be regular. Consistent poor attendance may result in funding being withdrawn and any shortfall in nursery fees will be payable by yourself in full.   

Term Time allocation  

Children who attend on a ‘Term Time’ contract, will be able to claim the maximum number of hours (15 or 30) per week within the 38 academic weeks, and will not attend Nursery during the school holidays.  

  

 Fully Funded Places   

We are able to offer some stand-alone, Term Time only, funded places on a limited basis. The number of places available will change from time to time and is dependent on occupancy and staffing levels. We would encourage anyone interested in such sessions to enquire with Management

 

Consumable Charges  

Government funding is intended to cover the cost of delivering 15 or 30 hours a week (term time) of childcare. It is not intended to cover the cost of meals, snacks, consumables, trips enhancements or additional hours.   

  

The funding rates currently paid to us by the Local Authority are not sufficient for us to provide the level of quality care that we pride ourselves on.  

At Kidspace Limited, we apply a £1 consumables charge for every funded hour claimed.
This contribution helps cover the cost of your child’s meals, milk, and drinks throughout the day, ensuring they receive nutritious and balanced refreshments. It also supports the wide range of enriching extracurricular activities we offer throughout the year, such as sessions with Story Imagin-ory, PE classes, and water safety workshops. These experiences are designed to enhance your child’s learning and development beyond the standard curriculum, while keeping our provision high-quality and engaging.

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Help with childcare costs.  

In addition to funded childcare support, there are other ways that you may be able to get help with childcare costs, for children under the age of 18 years. You might be able to apply for:  

-       Tax-Free Childcare (the vast majority of our parents are eligible for tax free childcare and this provides up to £2,000 per year for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare) https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare  

-       Tax credits 

-       Universal Credit 

-       Help while you study