nursery admissions

Arrange a visit

If you're not familiar with our school already and would like to come and have a look around, please contact the school to arrange a visit. We would be delighted to ‘give you the grand tour’, so that you can meet us and see for yourself if we are the right school for you and your child. If you like what you see, hear and feel on your visit, we will give you an application form to complete, so that your child is placed on our waiting list.

2 year olds

We offer sessions to 2 year olds based on the current government funding schemes. You can check your eligibility for a free 2 year old place by accessing the government childcare choices website. If, after checking your eligibility, you are entitled to a funded place for your 2 year old, please contact us to enquire about a place.

Currently, 15hr funded places are available through either 5 mornings or 5 afternoons.

All our children play together and access the same provision, indoors and outdoors, regardless of their age. The 2's, 3's and 4's all play and learn alongside and from each other - just like in a family. However, we have a small room that we call the TeePee, that provides a calm, peaceful place where our youngest children can retreat to if they are feeling overwhelmed by the busyness of nursery. Adele and Eve are the key people for the 2 year olds and will love and take care of them, as if they were their own.

3 and 4 year olds

All children are eligible for their free nursery entitlement (15 hours) the term after their third birthday. Parents can put their children’s name on the waiting list the term after their second birthday. Children will be offered a place in nursery during the school year in which they turn 4 years old. Places are allocated dependent on the age of the child and are available as 5 morning places, or 5 afternoon places. Our Durham County Council Admission Policy is available upon request.

30 hour places

Children whose parents meet the 30hours eligibility criteria are welcome to apply for a place at our school. The school day for these children is 8.30 – 3.30, 5 days a week, including an extra hour during the day for lunch club.

If you require any further information around 30 hours free childcare or you think you may be entitled to a free place, please visit the following link or speak to Natalie, our school office manager https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

What to expect, when

We will be in contact with all families on our waiting list to formally offer a place for their child to start in nursery. This usually takes place in May for those starting in September, October for the ones starting in January and February for those starting after Easter. Once parents have accepted the place, we invite them to come to a welcome meeting to find out more about life at nursery.

What is the welcome meeting about?

At the welcome evening, parents and carers will also find out which family group their child is going to be in, who their key person is, which sessions they have been allocated and when their starting dates are. We ask that all parents/

carers make every effort to attend this very important meeting. It usually lasts about an hour and a half and gives us chance to share our our ethos and philosophy on how children learn best through the hundreds of opportunities to play in thoughtfully planned environments. It also gives us chance to talk to parents and carers about our outdoor sites and the impact of nature pedagogy on children's behaviour. It also enables us to get most of the paperwork out of the way.

If anyone misses this very important meeting, we ask that they make arrangements with the school to complete their admissions pack and read the information booklet. This will usually take about an hour and confirms everything about the nursery place ahead of the start date.

When do the children start?

All children will have two short visits with a parent or familiar family member, over two consecutive days, usually lasting an hour and a half. These visits are really important and give us all chance to get to know each other. Then, all being well, children will be ready to start nursery independently, on the third day - hopefully accessing their full hours. Obviously, each child is different and some may need a slightly longer settling in period than others, so we'll 'play this by ear' at the time.

A few words of advice

Our advice to parents and carers is to try and make arrangements with work in advance, to be flexible during their child's early days in school. Leaving home and starting nursery, with lots of new faces and a bunch of other 3 year olds in the same position, is a huge step that nobody should underestimate. Some children may take to it 'like a duck to water', but others may need more time, more reassurance and a little more patience. We will take this day by day and support the whole family through this process of transition.

Applying for a place

Anyone wishing to apply for a place at our school can do so, regardless of where they live. Below is an application form that can be downloaded, completed and returned to us, either by email, post or dropping it into reception.

Please feel free to ring the school office for more help or advice - contact details below.