Entry to Nursery (Ducklings Class)
We are delighted that you are considering enrolling your child in our Nursery class at Kents Hill School!
Please click here for our Nursery Class booklet for 2023/24 – Welcome to Ducklings 2023/24
Currently all 3 and 4 year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, known as Universal Entitlement. In September 2017, the Government introduced an additional 15 hours childcare (Extended Entitlement) for those families that are eligible (please see criteria below). This is known as the 30 hours Childcare Scheme.
The 30 hour childcare scheme aims to help families with 3 and/or 4 year olds to start back into work or to extend their working pattern. These changes extend the current 15 hours to 30 hours per week in total for those eligible working families. These changes are being introduced as part of the Childcare Act 2016.
Parents need to check how many hours they are entitled to via an online Eligibility Checker at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. If eligible for 30 hours, an 11-digit code will be generated and should be given to the school, for confirmation with Milton Keynes Council. We cannot offer a place until we have received and checked this code. You do not need to apply for the 15 hours free childcare as this is a Universal Entitlement.
Our Nursery places are made up of children who are:
- 3 years old and joining us at the start of the term after their third birthday. Please see our Term Dates page to see when this will be for your child.
- entitled to the Universal Entitlement 15 hours of free childcare and therefore can attend from 8.50am-11.50am, Monday to Friday
- entitled to 30 hours of free childcare (Extended Entitlement) and therefore can attend from 8.50am-3pm, Monday to Friday
What is our Nursery offer?
All children joining our Nursery are entitled to the Universal Entitlement 15 hours of free childcare. For funding and staff ratio purposes, the 15 hours must fall into the pattern of attendance for your child from 8.50am-11.50am, Monday to Friday, term time only.
What if I need my child to stay all day but I am not entitled to the Extended Entitlement of 30 hours funding?
If you require more hours than those you are entitled to, you can purchase additional sessions of wraparound care. If you require care from 11.50 – 3pm, these sessions are £18 (£6 per hour) and are booked via School Gateway. The app is available to download on Play Store for Android devices or App Store for Apple devices. For any children staying with us all day, your child may bring a packed lunch or meals can be ordered via School Grid at a cost of £1.95 (this cost is subject to rises out of our control but will be communicated) or free if your child is eligible for Pupil Premium funding (PPFSM). Please check here to see if your child is eligible https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims
Please note: Extra sessions are offered on the basis that children will attend 5 days a week.
What about before and after-school care for children in Nursery?
As we are a school Nursery, we do not offer care 52 weeks per year, therefore you will need to make provision for your child with another provider during the school holidays/Public Holiday closures/INSET days.
If you need care before and after school on any day of school term, please see our Wraparound Care page under the ‘Parents’ drop-down menu above and by selecting ‘Wraparound Care’.
How do I apply for a place in Nursery for my child?
If you would like to apply for a Nursery place then a registration pack is available from the school office. Parents should complete all forms fully and return them along with your child’s birth certificate for us to have sight of and copy. We cannot offer a place without this as identity checks must be carried out. In your pack, you will also have handy information about the Nursery class, uniform, Cool Milk scheme, School Gateway and Wraparound Care.
When is the deadline for applications for September 2024 entry?
For admission to Nursery in September 2024, the following dates apply:
Friday 31st May 2024 Deadline for applications
By Friday 28th June 2024 Correspondence sent to parents/carers, advising if a place can be offered.
What if a place cannot be offered?
If a place cannot be offered, details will be kept on a waiting list. In the event of any spaces being available before the end of the Autumn and Spring terms, consideration will be given to the admission of children who have become 3 years of age prior to the beginning of their admission term. The criteria below will again apply, priority being given to the oldest children.
For funding reasons, places are offered on the basis that children will attend 5 days a week. We cannot offer places on any other basis.
What is the criteria for offering spaces?
Nursery places are allocated according to the following criteria: in the order of priority, for children being admitted for the first time or who request admission during the year.
- Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC)
- Looked after or previously looked after children. A ‘looked after child’ is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989) at the time of making an application to a school. Previously looked after children are children who were looked after, but ceased to be so because they were adopted (or became subject to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order).
- Children who live in the defined area served by the school and have a sibling attending a school within Milton Keynes Education Trust. Parents may be required to provide proof of permanent residence in the defined area.
Milton Keynes Education Trust schools are:
Kents Hill School,
Heronsgate School,
Walton High School,
New Chapter Primary School.
- Children of staff employed by Kents Hill School. Children of staff may only be given priority where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application to the school is made, and/or a member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
- Children who live in the defined area served by the school. Parents may be required to provide proof of permanent residence in the defined area.
- Children who live outside the defined area and have a sibling attending a school within Milton Keynes Education Trust (see criterion 3)
- Children who live outside the defined area.
What is the defined area?
Kents Hill School’s defined area for admissions is the area of Milton Keynes east of the Ouzel to Tongwell Street (V11) and between Standing Way (H8) and the north part of Walnut Tree. This area covers Kents Hill, Kents Hill Park, Walton, Walton Manor and part of Walnut Tree to the north of and including Walton Road, Hindhead Knoll and Fyfield Barrow.
