Nursery

All children aged 3-4 will be entitled to 15 free hours in school term time from the start of the school term that follows their 3^rd birthday. Some children will also be able to access an additional 15 free hours depending on the Government’s eligibility criteria being met by their parent(s):

On our application form we ask that parents indicate if they believe that their child will be eligible for 15 or 30 free hours based on the criteria. Any hours outside of the free entitlement will be chargeable.

You can check your child’s entitlement to 15/30 free hours via Childcare Choices at:
Childcare Choices or the Childcare Calculator

These websites also provide information about other forms of childcare support including childcare vouchers and the new tax-free scheme. Those who could be eligible for 30 hours and/or Tax-Free Childcare will be directed to the digital childcare service to apply. Both schemes work through the same checking system. Parents who don’t want to use Tax-Free Childcare should still apply via the digital childcare service (you can choose to apply for the extended 30 hours entitlement only). If they are receiving financial support through tax credits (or childcare vouchers through an employer) and only want to take up 30 hours, you can choose not to apply for Tax-Free Childcare (and keep your tax credits/childcare vouchers) as part of the application. Please note that you can check your eligibility for the 30 free hours prior to an offer being made – we advise parents to do this as soon as possible so that the free hours place can be confirmed as quickly as possible. Please see additional information about the checking service at the bottom of this webpage.

When does the free 15/30 hours entitlement begin?

Child born between 1 April – 31 August: September term intake
Child born between 1 September – 31 December: January term intake
Child born between 1 January – 31 March: April term intake

Children may be admitted to the Nursery from the date of their 3^rd birthday with all sessions being chargeable until the following term when the free entitlement begins. If you wish to apply for such a place, please indicate this on the application form under ‘additional information’.

How do I apply for a place?

You can apply for a place in the Nursery by completing the application form and returning it by email to bishopmiddleham@durhamlearning.net. You may also print and return the form the school office or by post (please see our ‘contact us’ page). You may also collect an application form from the school office. You will receive confirmation that your application has been received (please allow up to 14 days for this). The application form will be held on our waiting list and you will be informed when a place is available. A 15 hours place is offered subject to proof of your child’s age being provided to the school office prior to the start date. A 30 hours place is offered subject to proof of your child’s age AND proof of parental eligibility being provided to the school office through a fully completed eligibility checking form prior to the start of term. This form is provided to parents when an offer of a place is made. 30 hours places are also subject to eligibility criteria continuing to be met during your child’s time in our nursery setting.

Children requiring 15 free hours in school term times will normally be admitted to our nursery class for one of the following patterns of attendance: 5 mornings, 5 afternoons, 2.5 days (Mon-Wed OR Wed-Fri).

Children requiring (up to) 30 free hours in school term times will normally be admitted to our nursery class with a pattern of attendance covering morning and afternoon sessions Monday to Friday. Children requiring additional hours over and above their free hours entitlement will access these through our breakfast and afterschool clubs (dependent on spaces) and fees will be applied.

Places in the nursery class are allocated according to Admission Policy.

Government Information

How will parents apply for 30 hours?

As part of the application process, parents will be asked to enter personal details including their name, address and National Insurance number and the same details for their partner (if they have one). They will also be asked whether they expect to meet the income requirements over the coming three months and whether they are in receipt of any relevant benefits. This information will help HMRC decide whether the parent (and their child) are eligible for 30 hours. At the start of the application process, parents will create a Government Gateway account if they don’t already have one. If parents encounter any problems with the application process or accessing the childcare account, they should direct their queries to the childcare service Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097.

At the end of the application process, parents will have a childcare service account. In the “secure messages” section of their account, parents will receive messages regarding their eligibility. If parents are eligible for 30 hours, they will be given an 11 digit ‘eligibility code’ for their child. They will be asked to take this code (along with their National Insurance number and child’s date of birth) to their provider to claim their 30 hours place. These codes normally start with ‘5000’. However, there are a small number of cases where parents might have a temporary code starting with ‘11’.

Parents can find their eligibility code in the ’30 hours free childcare’ section of their childcare service account and in their secure messages.

Parents will be prompted every three months to reconfirm the details they entered on their application are still accurate. This is to check that they are still eligible. They will be prompted, via text message and/or email, four weeks before their reconfirmation deadline and again two weeks before the deadline if they still haven’t reconfirmed. If their circumstances have changed, they will log into their childcare service account, amend their details and then resubmit their details. If their circumstances have not changed, they only need to reconfirm their details.

If parents miss the reconfirmation deadline, they will receive a message telling them that their eligibility has lapsed. Although they are no longer eligible, they may be able to retain their childcare place for a short period; this is known as a grace period. Parents are directed to speak to their childcare provider about this.

You do not need to apply via the digital service if you only want the universal 15 hours entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds.

Contact Us

Please contact bishopmiddleham@durhamlearning.net if you have any questions about nursery places at St Michael’s C of E Primary School. You may also phone the school office on 01740 651482.

Completed application forms should be emailed to bishopmiddleham@durhamlearning.net or sent to the school office.

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