Sparkling Minds > Sessions, Fees & Funding

Sessions, Fees & Funding

A flexible, straight forward and family friendly charging structure.

Sessions

Opening hours: 8am – 6pm            

We are an ‘all-year’ round provision – open for 51 weeks of the year.

A full day of ‘Non-Funded’ childcare is £91.00 and includes three nutritious meals, drinks & healthy snacks.

The actual cost to you may be significantly lower due to the available government schemes for many of our families. These currently include ‘Working Family Entitlement’ for 2 year olds and ”Universal & Extended Funding’ for 3 & 4 year olds. Tax free childcare is available to all age groups (those families that are eligible) and Government Funding has now been rolled out for eligible working families of babies from 9 months to 2 years old. See funding information below.

A minimum booking of 2 sessions are required for all children. This expectation supports the wellbeing needs of the child for building relationships with their key person and familiarity with the full day routines; this in turn develops resilience, confidence and independence.

Early Education Funding

Although the Government or the media often refer to ‘FREE Childcare Entitlement’ or ‘Funded Childcare’, it is better described as Early Education Funding (EEF). Families who choose for their children to attend Sparkling Minds Pre-School & Day Nursery are able to claim Early Education Funding to help with the cost of their childcare, subject to their eligibility. Eligible families can claim funding from the term after their child turns 9 months old. This is the same for the 3-year-old universal funding. EEF is subject to eligibility. For more information about funding follow this link ‘Best Start In Life’

We offer 2 options for working families:

Option A = ‘Funded Only’ places

Option B = ‘Blended Choice’ places

For our ‘Blended Choice’ The funded hours are delivered entirely free of charge during our core hours. Therefore, a possible entitlement of 1140 hours per year (30hrs x 38 weeks) delivered (stretched) across 12 months averages out at approximately 95 hrs per month due to our provision of service over the 51 weeks.

Please note that due to entitlement hours being stretched over more than 38 weeks of the year, this will result in fewer entitlement hours per week.

‘Blended Choice’ – Early Education Funding blended with Private Fees

The government helps provide childcare to families through its EEF scheme but unfortunately the funding they offer to Private settings does not cover the true costs of providing the ‘Free Childcare’ promised to families. To ensure all small businesses can continue to survive, all settings have adapted their business plans which result in differing fee structures and this must be considered before you choose to accept any offer of a space at our setting.

  • Children attending 2 days per week are able to claim 2 thirds of their Funded Childcare Entitlement (Stretched funding model used)
  • Children attending 3 or more days per week are able to claim their full Funded Childcare Entitlement (Stretched funding model used)

Our all-year provision stretches the 38 week funding across the whole year (51 weeks).

‘Funded-Only’ (entirely FREE childcare places)

Sparkling Minds Pre-School & Day Nursery offer ‘funded-only’ places under the Early Education Funding Scheme. Please refer to our hyperlink below which contains our ‘funded only Info’ for details of how the ‘Funded Only’ sessions are offered should you choose our setting as your preferred childcare provider.

As there is a myriad of expectations from OCC with varied interpretation of DfE statutory guidance relating to the delivery of ‘funded sessions’, we have carefully considered how to best enable the use of your statutory free entitlement at our individual setting. While the guidance is complicated we have tried to devise a simple and fair structure that meets the expectations and requirements of all of our stakeholders.  Children with a ‘funded-only’ place receive the same quality of care and provision as all other children.

Under the specific terms of the Local Authority OCC ‘Early Education and Childcare Funding T&C’s’, families must apply or renew their eligibility code before the termly deadline dates (Please see the information grid shared below).

We abide by OCC specific expectations with regards to their funding claim process. To match the DfE and OCC timing schedule, our Funded-only places need to be applied for on a term-by-term basis. This supports our business sustainability with the need to predict availability of spaces, allowing us to plan ahead and offer any available sessions to those families who enquire regarding funded places. This process supports us in our ongoing duty to validate eligibility codes by OCC termly deadlines.

Booking patterns for 15 hour entitlement include 3 afternoon sessions (and must include a Friday afternoon) and from September 2025 those using 30hr entitlement will be 5 afternoon sessions. *If you would like to split funding across 2 settings, your booking pattern of afternoons must include a Friday. This is to ensure that we can offer funding to as many families as possible, and balance our available spaces accordingly to ensure the maximum number of families can access a place for their child.

Each Early Years provision will structure their ‘Funded only’ availability in a different format. We always recommend families research a variety of local settings to ensure working hours can be supported by the childcare provider of choice.

Some settings provide opportunities to utilise ‘Funded only’ between the hours of 9-3pm and allow families to provide packed lunches. We believe that one of the reasons our families have historically preferred our setting is due to the provision of healthy meals and snacks which are prepared by our cook each day on site. For this reason, all children at Sparkling Minds receive the same prepared meals and snacks (provided the ‘free’ funded only sessions include our set snack or mealtimes). No extra charges are made for consumables or additional services (unless you are invoiced for late collections – See T&C’s). We recommend you carefully consider all options available across a variety of local settings before committing to one provider. It is important that you make an informed choice before signing any provider agreement.

Existing families paying for our ‘Blended Choice’ with sessions made up of ‘funded’ and ‘Private Fees’ for their current sessions, may wish to reduce their child’s agreed booking pattern to access a ‘Funded-only’ place. If this is a viable choice/change, families will need to ensure there is a ‘Funded-only’ place available as well as agree their new hours of attendance with the manager. This will be subject to availability and may change from term to term as stated above (linked to Oxfordshire County Council funding term dates). *It is important to note that ‘Funded-only’ places are subject to your ongoing applications to the County Council for eligibility and you may therefore find yourself without funding. In this situation, a ‘funded-only’ place could be lost and offered to other waiting families. Funded Only Info

Registering for Early Education Funding

Families need to obtain an Eligibility Code in order to receive any additional funding, over and above the 15 hours universal funding available from 3 years.

The code can be obtained from the Department of Education (DofE), by registering at the following site: https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/

You will be contacted by the nursery with more information about funding as part of the registration process.

When to apply for free entitlement

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. When you can get your hours from will depend on the date your child turns 9 months old.

When your child turns 9 months old  When you can get your hours from Deadline for applying
Between 1 September and 31 December 1 January 31 December
Between 1 January and 31 March 1 April 31 March
Between 1 April and 31 August 1 September 31 August

If you do not apply for the code by the deadline, you will not be able to take up your entitlements during that term. This may result in your sessions being offered to waiting families.

Fee Payments should be paid by 3rd of each month for the month ahead by BACS Payment (Tax Free childcare payments)

Please contact us via office@sparklingminds.co.uk  should you have any queries.

Funding

Help to pay for your childcare:

There are a variety of Government schemes available to support working families with the cost of providing full time, high quality education for their children. 

Tax-Free Childcare  – For working families earning under £100k and at least £131 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each who aren’t receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare voucher.

Starlight Room age group:

15/30 hours of Universal Funded Childcare is available for all families of 3 – 4 year olds.

Rainbow Room age group:

30 hours of Funded Childcare is available for eligible working families of 2 year olds.

Sunbeam Room age group:

30 hours of Funded Childcare is available for eligible working families of babies aged 9 months to 2 years.

*All government funding is for 38 weeks each year and will be stretched over our 51 weeks for clarity on individualised invoices. Government funding does not cover the costs for private childcare offered here at Sparkling Minds.

The private costs within the ‘Blended Choice’ covers  elements such as daily healthy breakfasts, snacks of fresh fruit, hot cooked meals, drinks, online learning journals, access to a secure Parent App, Forest School, sun-cream, free settling in session(s) and parent’s evenings provided by a twice award winning ‘Top 20’ nursery (daynurseries.co.uk 2022 & 2024). It also contributes to both statutory training and ongoing training to support the continued professional development of the highly skilled and passionate team. All of the resources that fill the three rooms, the maintenance and updating of the large outdoor environments, the love, care, expertise, and professionalism you see on your booked tour does not come without real cost. We can only continue to offer this as part of our fee paying provision. We believe our nurturing environment is above and beyond the basic EYFS expectations. You have the choice to choose ‘Better than Basic’ for you and your child. 

We will do everything we can to help you understand and access the funding that may be available depending on your individual circumstances and eligibility. We understand the financial impact that childcare costs have on families. For this reason we have  included hyperlinks to direct you to the most up to date information. Click here to be directed to ‘Best Start In Life’. We are of course available to discuss any questions you may have and will support you in any way we can.

Early years pupil premium

You may be able to get up to £837.90 per year (including Deprivation Supplement) to help with your child’s education. This will be paid directly to your provider.

Who can apply?

You can apply for early years pupil premium if your child is aged 3 or 4 and you get 15 hours free childcare.

You must also get at least one of the following:

You may also get early years pupil premium if your child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales or if your child has left care in England or Wales through:

  • adoption
  • special guardianship order
  • a child arrangements order

How to apply

To find out how to apply for ‘Early Years Pupil Premium’ speak to our Manager or contact the local council.

Have a question? Get in touch