All Day Nursery Provision and Flexible Hours Offer

We admit children to our school from the age of three years. Most children start nursery the term after they turn three, but some families may be able to send their child to our nursery from their third birthday. Click here for more information on our Rising Three Offer.

Our school nursery is open from 8.30am to 3.00/3.15pm. We offer families the option of full-time nursery provision or flexible part-time hours (see below).

For families who also need childcare before and after school hours, our nursery provision can be combined with attendance at our breakfast and after-school club called ‘The Copse’, which operates from 7.15-8.30am in the morning, and 3.00-6:00pm in the evening.

By using these provisions in combination, your child will experience fewer transitions between providers throughout the day and offer them continuity and consistency in approach. There is an additional cost for The Copse service. Please click here for more information.

Flexible Nursery Hours

We are delighted to offer a more flexible way for families to access their child’s nursery entitlement. Subject to availability, families can choose how their child’s eligible hours are spread across the school week, but these must fit within our school hours of 8.30am - 3.00/3.15pm. For example:

Morning or afternoon only using your 15 hours of free universal entitlement (5 x 3 hour nursery sessions, Monday to Friday 8.30-11.30am or Monday to Friday 12.15-3.15pm).
A mixture of morning, afternoon and/or all-day sessions
1. Using your 15 hours of free universal entitlement (two full days or one full day and two half-day sessions).
2. Using your 15 hours of free universal entitlement and paying for any further hours, up to five full days of nursery provision.

Some families will be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free nursery provision through the government’s Best Start in Life Parent Hub. This means you can access up to 30 hours of funded provision per week in our nursery if you provide us with a valid eligibility code within the government's defined timescales – please see the government's Best Start in Life Parent Hub for more information and to apply for a code. Families are also able to pay the school directly for additional nursery hours/sessions. Please see the Nursery Offer & Charges below:

Nursery Offer & Charges
Funded Hours	Scheme/School	Eligibility		Charges
(Up to) 15	15 hours childcare (universal entitlement)	All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get up to 570 funded hours per year from the term after your child turns 3 years old through to starting school. This is usually taken as15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. You can choose to take fewer than 15. However, we recommend no less than 9 hours per week (3 sessions). The offer will start from 1 January, 1 April or 1 September following your child's 3rd birthday.		No Cost
(Up to) 30	30 Hours Childcare (Eligible working families)	Working parents in England can access 30 hours of free childcare a week for 3-year-olds (38 weeks per year) if they meet specific earnings criteria. This extends the universal 15-hour entitlement. It applies from the child's 3rd birthday, with eligibility requiring a check on Gov.uk every 3 months.		No cost
(Up to) 15	15 hours childcare (Early Learning for 2-year-olds for a Rising Three place)	Eligible families in England can access up to 15 hours a week of government-funded early education and childcare for 3-year-olds under a Rising 3 place. The offer applies from your child's 3rd birthday and is applicable for a school term.		No cost
Non-Funded Hours				Charges
Families using more hours than their 15 or 30 hour eligibility. Payment is made directly to the school for the additional hours.				£12 per hour
Other Charges
School Dinner			£3.12
Breakfast Club, After School, Holiday Club			Please refer to the school website for current charges.
Trips and Activities			Charges vary depending on the activity and are typically billed termly via My Child at School account.
Consumables			For children not yet toilet trained, parents/carers are responsible for supplying nappies, wipes, bags, and any necessary comfort items. These requirements, alongside an intimate care plan, should be discussed with the Nursery Team at least four weeks before your child starts in nursery to ensure consistent care.

The above options are subject to availability.

When your child's place in our nursery has been confirmed by the Local Authority, requests for flexible nursery places can be made to our school through the Hillcross Admission Form. This is our internal statutory document which is also used to register your child’s details, including emergency contacts, medical and any dietary requirements.

Parents will also be required to complete the Merton Parental Declaration Funding Form; this is a legal requirement for the Local Authority. It ensures that we are able to claim the government funding for your child’s hours (whether that is the universal 15 hours or the extended 30 hours). On the Merton Parental Declaration Form, you will need to clearly state how many hours you are claiming at our nursery versus any other providers (if you are splitting hours). Families will be required to complete this form a few months before their child/rens start date in our nursery. Any queries or requests that you may have can be emailed to admissions@hillcross.merton.sch.uk

Payment Terms

Payments to account for additional hours must be made in advance on a half-term or monthly basis and refunds are not available for any sessions missed. We do accept childcare vouchers.

Terms and Conditions

Once your child’s nursery session attendance has been agreed, this will remain in place for the duration of the child’s time in the nursery unless a change is requested by the family (and for families making use of their working family eligibility code).
Requests for changes for the following term must be made to the school no later than the end of the half-term prior to when the change is due to start, e.g. by the end of February half-term for a change in usage in the summer term. This will require a new Merton Parental Declaration Funding Form to be completed to reflect the session schedule request.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to agree to everyone’s requests straight away. If we are able to accommodate a family's preferred option, they will be notified in writing via email. We will liaise with any families whose first preference we cannot meet to see if we can find an alternative pattern that suits them.
If we are oversubscribed for all-day nursery places, they will be allocated using the below criteria:
- Existing nursery children with a 15-hour universal place
- Looked after children
- Children with a sibling in attendance at the main school
- Child of a staff member
- Distance to school from home address

These offers are available during term time. However, we do provide a holiday club for children who attend our school.

Unplanned sessions.

Any family whose child already attends our nursery may request their child to attend additional nursery sessions on a week-by-week basis via info@hillcross.merton.sch.uk and these will be agreed based upon spaces being available and after receipt of payment (which must be made at the time of booking). This will be charged at the current hourly rate.

If you have any questions with regard to a nursery place at Hillcross for your child, please call our school office (0208 542 6936) or email info@hillcross.merton.sch.uk.

For more information about the extended entitlement offer, please click on the link to the Merton website Early education for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.