Government Funding

Eligibility for 2-year-olds

Your 2-year-old can get free early education and childcare if you receive one of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Universal Credit
  • Tax Credits and you have an annual income of under £16,190 before tax
  • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Support through Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
  • The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

A child can also get free early education and childcare if any of the following apply:

  • They’re looked after by a local council
  • They have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  • They get Disability Living Allowance
  • They’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order
  • https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds

ALL children receive government funding a term after their third birthday

Funding - 570 hours per year:

This is how funding hours can be used at Tiddlywinks Nursery School:

  • Three government terms per year, every child receiving max of 6 terms.
  • 570 hours per year/52 weeks that we are open = 11 hours per week. Tiddlywinks Nursery school is open all year round.
  • Please ask at nursery for the different sessions available.

Terms and Conditions of Tiddlywinks Government Funded Hours Offer for 3&4 year olds

30 hours childcare criteria.

Tiddlywinks offer  up to 1140 hours government funded childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.

Following a child's third birthday they will be entitled to 570 government hours P.A. and may be entitled to up to 1140 government hours. This will be available the educational term following their third birthday.  The additional 570 hours are subject to certain eligibility conditions, predominantly for working parents who meet the government criteria.

Criteria:

  • Both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) or national living wage (NLW), and less than £100,000 per year.

At present for example, based on March 2017, the living wage is £7.20 an hour. Therefore the minimum income requirement for a parent (over the age of 25) is £115.20 a week. The minimum wage for 21 to 24 year olds is £6.70 an hour, therefore, the minimum income requirement for this group is £107.20 a week.

  • A parent expects (on average) to earn this amount over the coming three months. The eligibility criteria have been designed to accommodate parents with fluctuating incomes and those who are about to start working or increase their hours.
  • For example, a parent who is on a zero-hours contract will get work some weeks, but not others, and may not know in advance if they are working in any given week. If, on average, they work two weeks out of every three weeks, and when they are working they get 25 hours at the minimum wage, their child will qualify for 30 hours free of childcare.
  • Families where one parent does not work (or neither parent works) will not usually be eligible for extended entitlement EXCEPT where;

Both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity or paternity, adoption leave, or statutory sick pay.

One parent is employed and one parent either has substantial caring responsibilities based on specific benefits received for caring, or is disabled or incapacitated based on receipt of specific benefits.

  • A child and parent must be resident (living) in the Local Authority, as evidenced by the parent's proof of residency.
  • The person applying the for the childcare (usually the parent but could be their partner) is 'resident in the UK'
  • Parent means a person who has parental responsibility for the child or care of the child. In cases where a parent has remarried or is living with a partner, the step-parent or partner must also meet the earnings threshold.
  • Foster carers are eligible for the extended entitlement for their own child if they meet the criteria, however they are not eligible for the extended entitlement for the children that they foster.

Parents will need to provide Tiddlywinks with their unique code from the local authority as proof that they are entitled to the additional 570 government funded hours. Tiddlywinks will then need to validate this code before any additional offers will be offered. 

Funding 1140 hours funding per year:

This is how funding hours can be used at Tiddlywinks Nursery School:

  • Three government terms per year.
  • 1140 hours per year/ 52 weeks that we are open = 22 hours per week. Tiddlywinks Nursery school is open all year round.
  • Please ask at nursery for the different sessions available.

At Tiddlywinks Nursery School we will provide Education for your child in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage  Statutory Framework September 2014 and Early Years Outcomes for Children September 2013, working towards the Early Years Goals..

Displayed in our reception area, you will find a copy of all legislative documentation that we adhere to including health & safety, Ofsted and DfE. Tiddlywinks will also provide a variety of extra-curricular activities such as Baby Moves (sensory and yoga), Kids Rock (musical and dance) and Shooting Stars (football), as part of the government's drive for children to be healthy and participate in additional physical movements. These activities are also in line with our healthy eating 'Golden Apple' awards (Ramsbottom Tiddlywinks – Gold Award) and Change4Life.

For children accessing 30 hours government funding, we cannot always guarantee extra curriculum activities will fall on your children's set funded sessions/days. We cannot guarantee the same government sessions/days will be available for each term, however we will endeavour to secure your places that your child already attends.