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.

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 base the majority 2 year olds at our cottage site, that provides a calm, peaceful place where our youngest children can retreat to if they are feeling overwhelmed by the busyness of nursery.

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.

A contribution towards snack costs is always appreciated, so we ask parents if they are able to pay £2.00 per week.

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 9:00 – 3:00, 5 days a week.

We offer a 2 course home cooked meal everyday to our children at a cost of £3.00 per day.

If you require an earlier start, we have a breakfast club available daily from 8am at a cost of £1.00 per day.

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 make contact with all families on our waiting list to formally offer a place for their child to start in nursery. Once parents have accepted the place, we arrange a home visit and then invite them to come into nursery, with their child for a couple of visits before they start. A pack, with a detailed Parent's Guide to our Nursery School is given to every family at the beginning of their journey with us.

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 2 or 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.