Purpose

This Fees Policy aims to give clarity to parents and carers to ensure they fully understand the agreement they enter into when joining The Nestlings Kindergarten.

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Before their child starts, parents will be asked how they intend to pay for their child's sessions and will be required to complete our online registration form. Families are encouraged to visit the Best start in life website to find out what financial support they may be entitled to with childcare costs. Please also refer to our Parent information page on our website for our current charges.

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Whilst fees (other than those relating to non-funded hours) are not mandatory, they have been introduced to enable us to remain financially sustainable. Like many early years providers, we have experienced over a decade of chronic underfunding by successive governments. Without the support of families contributing towards the true cost of education and care, settings such as ours would simply not be able to remain open. 

 

​We understand there can be confusion because the Government refers to funded hours as "free childcare". Unfortunately, they are not free for providers to deliver. The funding rate received from the Local Authority falls significantly below the actual cost of providing high-quality early education and care. Furthermore, the amount paid by the Local Authority is considerably lower than the rates published by the Department for Education.

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Government funding does not cover the enhanced experiences, specialist teaching, high staff-to-child ratios, nature-based curriculum, resources, or the exceptional levels of care and education that families choose The Nestlings Kindergarten for. These enhancements are delivered through our optional Education, Health and Wellbeing Package and Adventure Friday Package.

We sincerely thank families for their continued support.

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By accepting a place at The Nestlings Kindergarten, parents and carers agree to abide by the terms of this Fees Policy, including payment deadlines and late payment procedures.

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It remains the responsibility of parents/carers to:

• Apply for any government funding they are entitled to.

• Keep all funding eligibility codes valid and up to date.

• Reconfirm Working Parent Eligibility with HMRC every three months where required.

• Ensure invoices are paid by the stated due date.

Waiting list, registration, placement and enrolment charges contribute towards the administration and paperwork associated with securing your child's place.

Fees for non-funded hours are detailed on our Fees Page and are reviewed annually.

Where age-related fees apply, the change from the under-3 rate to the 3+ rate will take effect from the half term following your child's third birthday.

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Nursery Education Funding

We currently accept the following Government funding entitlements:

• 15 hours Working Parent Funding for eligible 2-year-olds.

• 15 hours Funding for eligible disadvantaged 2-year-olds receiving Government support.

• 15 hours Universal Funding for all 3 and 4-year-olds.

• Additional 15 hours Working Parent Funding for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds, giving a total entitlement of up to 30 funded hours per week during term time.

 

Children who remain at The Nestlings Kindergarten to complete their Reception year will continue to receive their funded entitlement until the end of the term following their fifth birthday, in accordance with current Government funding regulations.

Parents may split their funded hours between registered childcare providers; however, the total claimed hours must not exceed their funded entitlement.

All funded sessions are allocated subject to availability.

Working Parent Funding must be applied for directly through HMRC. Parents are solely responsible for ensuring their eligibility codes remain valid and are renewed before each funding period. Failure to provide a valid code may result in funded hours being unavailable and standard fees becoming payable.

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Education, Health and Wellbeing Package

The Education, Health and Wellbeing (E,H&W) Package is an optional package which enables us to provide the enhanced experiences, specialist teaching and additional resources that make The Nestlings Kindergarten unique.

Whilst Government funding contributes towards the statutory delivery of early education and care, it does not meet the true cost of providing the enriched curriculum, specialist staff, family support and high-quality resources that we believe every child deserves.

The E,H&W Package allows families to access these additional benefits.

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Our EH&W package includes

• Your child's keepsake Learning Journey

• Written termly summary of your child's progress and development

• Individual learning records and photographs

• Books and Story Sacks to borrow

• Specialist transition support to school

Health and wellbeing

• Nutritious breakfast

• Morning snack

• Afternoon snack

• Milk and fresh drinking water

• Wet bag

• Wet wipes

• Nappy sacks

• Sun cream

• Birthday celebrations

Specialist teaching

• Weekly Yoga with Rachel

• Weekly Dance with Katie

• Nature-based curriculum

• Cookery

• Gardening and allotment sessions

• Craft activities including sewing and flower arranging with the local flower club

• Sustainability education

• Mindfulness and self-regulation

• Community visits and projects

Specialist staff

• Qualified teacher-led provision

• Level 3 Forest School Leaders

• Highly experienced SEND practitioners

• Access to professional family support including counselling and psychology

• SEND paperwork guidance

• Potty training support

Community experiences

• Participation in our allotment shop

• Sports Day

• Graduation Picnic

• Coffee mornings

• Parent events

• Children's newsletters

• Parent newsletters

• Regular Facebook and Instagram updates

Awards and enrichment

• SongBird Survival Ruby Robin Award

• RSPB Wild Challenge

• Royal Forestry Society Green Tree Award

Cost

The Education, Health and Wellbeing Package costs £10 per three-hour session.

The package is invoiced each half term for funded sessions and is included automatically within all non-funded sessions.

Parents may choose not to purchase the package.

Where parents choose to opt out, they agree to provide all consumables required for their child, including (but not limited to):

• breakfast

• snacks

• milk

• drinking water

• nappies

• wipes

• nappy sacks

• sun cream

• wet bag

Parents who opt out also understand that a Keepsake Learning Journey will not be produced for their child.

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Invoicing

Session fees are invoiced at the start of each half term and payment is due within 7 days of the invoice date.

Invoices remaining unpaid after this period will incur a £50 late payment charge, where no agreed payment plan is in place.

Payment reminders may be sent during the 7-day payment period.

Fees remain payable if a child is absent. In cases of prolonged absence, parents should discuss the circumstances with the management team.

Where children are settling into the setting and attending reduced sessions, the full booked fee and/or funding allocation remains payable, as staffing has already been arranged.

We aim to invoice new starters after their first two weeks within the current half term. If a child starts within the final three weeks of a half term, those charges will normally be added to the following half term's invoice.

Prompt payment enables us to continue providing high-quality education and care. 

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We understand that some families may experience genuine financial hardship. If you are concerned about paying your invoice, please speak confidentially with one of the admin team as early as possible so that we can discuss your circumstances.

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Notice Period

If you wish to withdraw your child from The Nestlings Kindergarten, we require four weeks' written notice.

Fees already paid are non-refundable.

We reserve the right to review our fees annually.

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Additional Costs

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Placement fee

To accept an offered place, parents must pay a one-off Placement Fee of £150 within three working days of receiving the offer.

Payment should be made by BACS using the bank details provided within the offer email.

Once the Placement Fee has been received:

• your child's place will be secured;

• the minimum number of requested sessions will be guaranteed from the agreed start term onwards (subject to our Terms and Conditions);

• you will be added to our parent newsletter mailing list.

If you decide not to accept the place offered, please let us know as soon as possible. Your child can remain on the waiting list, although we cannot guarantee that another place will become available at your preferred start date.

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Enrolment fee

On your child's first day, you will be asked to pay an enrolment fee of £50, this covers the administration costs in order for your child to start with us as well as: 

• a wet bag for your child

• a book bag for your child

• a sunhat for your child  

• your child's belonging box and name card

• your parent settling in goody bag

• time with your child's key worker to fill out registration paperwork 

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Lunch Club

Lunch Club runs from 12:00pm–1:00pm and costs £10 per session.

This session cannot be claimed using funded hours as a standalone booking, although it is included within our full-day 9:00am–3:00pm sessions.

Please refer to our Fees Page for further information.

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Uniform

Branded uniform items, including polo shirts, sweatshirts and hats, are available to purchase.

Payments may be made by cash, card or BACS. Please reference online payments using your child's initials and the item purchased (for example: IG Uniform).

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Late Collection

Children collected 15 minutes or more after their booked collection time will incur a charge of £20 for every 15-minute period, or part thereof, to cover additional staffing costs.

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Ways to Pay

We accept payment by:

• BACS

• Debit/Credit Card

• Cash

• Childcare Voucher Schemes

• Tax-Free Childcare

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BACS

Our bank details are included on each invoice. Please use your child's name as the payment reference.

Receipts are issued manually by email and therefore may not be sent immediately. Occasionally payment reminders may cross with payments already received. Please disregard any reminder if payment has already been made.

Cash

If paying by cash, please provide the correct amount wherever possible as change cannot always be provided immediately. A written receipt will be issued.

Card

Card payments can be made at The Nestlings. Please ask a member of staff at the gate. During busy periods this may need to be completed at the end of the session. A receipt will be provided.

Childcare Voucher Schemes

We are registered with a number of childcare voucher providers. Reference numbers are shown on the bottom of each invoice.

If your provider is not already registered with us, please contact the admin team, who will register with the scheme wherever possible. We ask that your child's name is used as the payment reference.

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Other Financial Support

Many families may also be eligible for:

• Tax-Free Childcare

• Universal Credit Childcare Support

• Tax Credits (where applicable)

Tax-Free Childcare can contribute up to 20% of eligible childcare costs.

Parents are welcome to combine multiple payment methods to settle their invoice.

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Late or Non-Payment

Parents will receive regular invoice reminders.

If an invoice remains unpaid 7 days after the invoice date, and no agreed payment plan is in place:

• A £50 late payment charge will be added to the invoice.

• Parents will then have a further 2 working days to clear the outstanding balance.

If payment is still not received, your child's place at The Nestlings Kindergarten will be suspended from the next working day until the outstanding balance has been paid in full.

Should payment continue to remain outstanding, The Nestlings Kindergarten reserves the right to pursue recovery of the debt through legal proceedings. Any associated recovery costs may also become payable by the parent or carer.

We aim to ensure that all charges are communicated clearly and invoiced efficiently. Whilst we will always seek to support families experiencing genuine financial hardship wherever possible, parents remain responsible for managing their own finances to ensure their child's place can continue.

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Updated July 2026