Fees, funding and charges policy

We are proud to offer the Funded Early Years Education Entitlement (FEEE) for eligible children. This government funding provides 15 to 30 hours of high quality, flexible childcare each week. These funded hours must always be accessible free of additional charges to parents and carers.

Please note: FEEE does not cover the cost of meals, snacks, consumables, extra-curricular activities or materials, learning journeys or non-funded hours. These are offered as an optional service and charged separately, but they will never be a condition of accessing your child’s funded hours.

We want childcare to be clear and stress-free for families. Here’s how funding and charges work at our nursery.
 

Funded Packages

Government funding supports the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), however it does not cover everything your child needs for a full nursery experience. At our nursery, we provide an all-inclusive service that takes care of meals, health and hygiene items and enriching activities so you don’t have to worry about the extras.

We also offer specialist extra-curricular experiences that enhance learning and wellbeing. These activities run throughout the week and complement the EYFS curriculum, giving your child even more opportunities to grow, explore and enjoy their time with us.

Package 1 – All-inclusive with funded and non-funded hours

• Meals and consumables, extra-curricular activities and digital learning journey will be included
• Priority for high demand days
• Not applicable to Funded hours only

Package 2 – Funded hours plus a consumable charge

• Meals and consumables, extra-curricular activities and digital learning journey will be included

Package 3 – Funded hours only

• You provide meals, essential hygiene items and activities
• An optional charge applies for events and celebrations
• Limited places available
• Additional information on package 3

Package 4 – Bursary place

• 15 funded hours only
• For a small additional charge, meals and consumables, extra-curricular activities and digital learning journey will be included
• Limited places available at the discretion of the Nursery. Priority given to students, University staff grade 1-4 and Imago employees

NB: Packages are complete units; individual elements cannot be removed or purchased separately. There is no refund for unused funding.

Full details are in our Funding Guide and Fee Sheet. We aim to be transparent and fair in all charges.

Extra Charges and Stretch Funding

Government funding does not cover the cost of meals, consumables, non-funded hours, or the educational enhancements that form part of our nursery provision. For this reason, we apply additional charges for food, health and hygiene supplies, and extracurricular activities. If you do not wish to pay these charges, you must notify the Nursery Manager in writing at least six weeks before the start of a term. Opting out applies for a full term, and additional charges will still apply during your notice period.

The Department for Education provides these funded hours during 38 weeks of term time. For children who attend year-round, we “stretch” the funding across the year so that parents receive a number of funded hours each month. If your child starts midterm, please speak to the Admin Support team to confirm the number of funded hours available and the date the funding can be claimed from.
 

How we allocate Funded places (FEEE)

Priority for funded places follows the same criteria as our general admissions policy. To ensure sustainability of our funded provision, we allocate funded hours in a way that supports efficient nursery operations while aiming to offer times which supports work and family life. High demand days are prioritised for children accessing our all-inclusive package, which includes meals, consumables, and enrichment activities.

Parents who choose not to take the all-inclusive package should speak directly to the Head of Nursery to agree on arrangements that suit both the family and the nursery. These places are offered on a termly basis and reviewed before each new term.
 

Extra information

We believe in being open and fair about costs. We will always explain any charges clearly before you sign up. Here’s our promise to you:

• Optional extras only – Activities and consumables are never a condition for accessing your funded hours.
• Clear invoices – Every bill shows exactly what’s covered by funding and what’s an additional charge.
• No surprises – We’ll always explain any optional charges before you agree.

Late collection fees apply as per nursery policy. Fees are reviewed annually, and we will give plenty of notice of changes.