Admissions

The Nestlings Kindergarten welcomes children aged 2 to 5 years. 

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As an independent kindergarten, we offer families the flexibility for children to complete their Reception year with us. Parents may choose for their child to remain at The Nestlings Kindergarten for Reception or transition to a mainstream school when they feel it is the right time.

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Following Reception, children may continue their educational journey at The Fledglings, our primary-aged outdoor provision for children aged 5 - 11 years, or move into mainstream education. We work closely with families to ensure every transition is carefully planned, well supported and centred around the individual needs of each child.

If you would like to learn more about our ethos, please visit the "How We Operate" section of our website.

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Registering Your Interest

Families wishing to join The Nestlings Kindergarten should complete an online register your interest form here.

Once registered, you will be added to our waiting list and invited to attend one of our Open Days, where you will have the opportunity to meet the team, explore the setting and learn more about our child-centred, nature-based curriculum. Although it is not compulsory to attend an open day to secure a space, as we are a very unique outdoor setting, we strongly advise that families come and see it for themselves.

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Registering Your Interest

When a place becomes available within your child's age group, we will contact families in waiting list order by email.

If we do not receive a response within the timeframe stated in the offer email, the place will be offered to the next family on our waiting list.

We strongly recommend adding our email address to your contacts and checking your junk or spam folders regularly to ensure you do not miss important communications.

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Accepting a Place

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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Occasionally, places become available during a term that was previously full. In these circumstances, we may contact families on our waiting list to offer an earlier start date. The standard Placement Fee and acceptance timescales will apply.

 

Before Your Child Starts

During the term before your child is due to join us, we will:

• contact you to confirm your preferred attendance pattern and session availability;

• email your child's confirmed start date;

• invite you to attend our complimentary Tuesday morning Stay & Play settling sessions, helping your child become familiar with the environment, staff and routines before starting.

Families are also warmly invited to attend our weekly Parent & Toddler Group, held every Friday from 9:30am until 11:30am. The group is open to children aged 0–4 years and costs £3 per child.

 

Deferment of a Place

A deferment is when parents request to delay their child's agreed start term after a Placement Fee has been paid.

Holding a place for a future term means The Nestlings Kindergarten is unable to offer that place to another family. For this reason, if a deferment is requested, the original place will be released and offered to the next child on the waiting list.

We will make every effort to offer your child a place as close as possible to your revised preferred start date. However, all future places remain subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.

A £50 administration fee is payable when requesting a deferment. This fee must be received before the request can be processed.

Payment should be made to:

Clophill Preschool Ltd

Sort Code: 20-05-74

Account Number: 83334716

Failure to pay the administration fee will result in the original place being forfeited and no revised start date being offered.

 

Delayed Starts

If parents are unable to start on the confirmed date, management may, where possible, offer an alternative start date within two weeks of the original start date.

Start dates cannot normally be postponed beyond two weeks unless agreed by management in exceptional circumstances.

Where a child starts more than two weeks after their agreed start date, fees will remain payable from the original agreed start date.

 

Important Information

Our emails occasionally arrive in junk or spam folders. Parents are responsible for ensuring they receive communications from us by checking these folders regularly and adding our email address to their safe sender list.

Failure to respond to emails within the timescales provided may result in your child's place being offered to another family.

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Updated July 2026