Our Fees

Age Range: Children are eligible to start the term following their 3rd birthday.

Hours of operation: We operate for 38 weeks per year, closing on bank holidays and for school inset days.  These days are not charged. We are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7.45am to 3.15pm.

Termly fees: Fees are charged termly in advance on Schoolcomms. We reserve the right to increase our fees at any time giving one terms’ notice. Fees are based on booked days not attendance and will include all sick days and holidays taken as these are paid days. Any statutory holidays will not be charged for. Fees do not include any outings, celebrations or entertainment that is in addition to our usual session activities. The current fees are available on our website.

Illness/Absence: No refund will be given in the event of a child’s absence due to illness, holiday or any other reason. Please advise the school prior to 8.30am if a child will not be attending due to illness. Parents agree that a child who is ill (e.g. fever, infection, diarrhoea, communicable disease or any other type of illness that may be passed onto others) will be kept at home to protect the well-being of the staff and other children in our care. The parents further agree should a child become ill while in our care that immediate arrangement will be made to remove the child from the preschool. Children will not be allowed to return to nursery until they have been symptom free for at least 24 hours for a fever and 48 hours for a sickness or diarrhoea. In some cases, a note from a doctor may be necessary.

Closures: Should the preschool be unable to open due to bad weather or any other unforeseen circumstances, parents will be refunded for a chargeable session or have it discounted from their next invoice. Should closure need to take place part way through a session, a refund will not be given in this instance. We will try to offer replacement funded sessions where possible, but this will be subject to availability.

Government Funding: Parents who qualify for funding will be eligible for free places. Any additional sessions must be booked and paid for in advance. We offer Universal entitlement for 3 & 4 year olds (15 hours a week) and Working Parent Entitlement for 3 & 4 year olds (15 hours a week).

Payment Policy: Parents/Carers agree that fees will be paid in advance. Our payment system has the option for instalments to be paid but sessions must be paid in full in advance. Fees are to be paid within 14 days of the invoice date. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please speak, in confidence, to the office manager or finance officer so that alternative payment arrangements can be made. If fees are not settled without negotiation, we are left with no alternative but to withdraw your child's fee paying place in line with our Bad Debt Procedure. Children in receipt of Free Early Education will be able to access their funded hours only. 

Payment Methods: Fees will normally be raised on Schoolcomms, our online payment system. However, they can also be settled by BACS payment or cheque. We are unable to accept cash. We are also registered for the online Government Tax-Free Childcare Scheme. Please speak to the office manager or finance officer for our bank details if you wish to pay by BACS.

Collection Policy: Please advise the preschool immediately if you will be arriving later than the pre-arranged time to collect your child. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that children are picked up no later than 11.45am (morning session); 2.45pm (afternoon session/full day) or 3.15 (extended afternoon session). Please notify the preschool if an unauthorised person will be picking up your child. Verbal or written permission must be received before we will release a child to anyone who is not authorised on the registration form. They must bring photographic ID plus a photograph to be kept on file and a password will be used.

Health & Safety: For any Health and Safety queries please arrange to meet with the Reception Class Teacher. If the preschool has to close due to any Health and Safety reasons including bad weather or illness, fees will not be due to be paid during the period closed.

Behaviour Management: We follow a behaviour management policy which can be found on the school website. If a child’s behaviour is seen to endanger others and all routes according to our Behaviour Policy have been adhered to, Pluckley Church of England Primary School & Preschool will take advice from the local authority and arrange a meeting with the parents to discuss the options available. If a parent does not support the nursery in gaining help and advice from outside agencies, then Pluckley Church of England Primary School & Preschool reserves the right to suspend or terminate care of the child. Pluckley Church of England Primary School & Preschool also reserves the right to suspend or terminate care of any child without notice, should it be deemed necessary for the overall safety and well-being of staff and/or other children in our care.

What to Wear: As Pluckley Pre-School is part of the school - and to foster a sense of belonging - the children are encouraged to wear a relaxed uniform in line with our main Pluckley Church of England Primary School uniform. Therefore, our optional pre-school uniform (which is in line with the uniform of the main Pluckley Church of England Primary School) is as follows:  

• Navy blue embroidered round neck jumper (Available at Pages Schoolwear - Unit 13 Ashford Market, Orbital Park Monument Way, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0HB) or Navy blue round neck jumper

• Navy blue or white polo shirt

• Navy blue jogging bottoms or leggings

• Navy blue shorts

• Black velcro trainers (no laces)

Children will also need to bring an appropriate coat to school every day, along with a hat and gloves for the colder weather and a sun hat when it is warmer.

Change of clothes: We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities. However we do ask parents to provide a change of clothes every day as we like to play outside no matter what the weather and sometimes indoor activities can get a little messy! You can choose to leave a spare set in your child’s bag or keep them in the classroom. In all cases we ask that all items of clothing are clearly named.

Safeguarding: Pluckley Church of England Primary School & Preschool is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our safeguarding policy is on our website www.pluckley-tkat.org or a copy can be requested from the school office.

Data Protection:  Pluckley Church of England Primary School & Preschool and TKAT are fully committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. We have implemented an Information Governance Framework to ensure we have the correct policies, procedures, publications and tools to be compliant. Additionally, all of our staff have access to data protection and cyber security training. TKAT has helpful information on their website www.tkat.org/about-us/gdpr including each of our main privacy notices. 

Funded Entitlements and Non-Funded Charges

Please go to the following link for more information on childcare entitlements, including 15 & 30 hours childcare support, Universal Credit Childcare and Tax-Free Childcare Best Start in Life (Formally Childcare Choices)

3- and 4-year-olds – Universal Entitlement (UE)
All children become eligible for up to 570 hours of funded childcare per year.

3- and 4-year-olds – Working Parent Entitlement (WPE)
Children of working parents may be eligible for an additional 570 hours of funding per year, bringing the total to 1,140 hours, subject to eligibility.

Eligibility Start Dates
Children are entitled to Free Early Education from the start of the term following:

• the child’s 3rd birthday (Universal Entitlement)

This aligns with the Department for Education’s eligibility tables shown below.

3-4 years

Free Early Education Delivery Patterns 

3–4-year-olds (Universal Entitlement)

Up to 570 funded hours per year (15 hours funding per week over 38 weeks)

For this option parents can choose any of the sessions outlined in the available sessions table below, up to a maximum of 15 hours. Any additional sessions required would be charged at the fees shown in the table below

3–4-year-olds (Universal + Working Parent Entitlement)

Up to 1,140 funded hours per year (30 hours funding per week over 38 weeks)

For this option parents can choose to access any of the sessions outlined in the available sessions table below. The full 30 hours can be accessed 7.5 hours a day x 4 days a week

Universal Entitlement and Working Parent Entitlement hours for 3 & 4 year olds cannot be increased after the Designated Census Week until the start of the following term (Spring/Summer/Autumn terms).

Non-Funded Places (Paid Sessions Only)

Any of the sessions shown in the table below can be booked at the rate shown. 

Available Sessions:

We offer the following sessions. All of these can be included as funded sessions or paid for as additional sessions or a mix of the two depending on what funded hours you are entitled to

Optional Extras:

Meals:  For children joining us for the afternoon or all day sessions, we ask that you provide a packed lunch. Alternatively, a hot meal option is available at the cost of £3.10 per day. This needs to be booked and paid in advance through Schoolcomms, our online payment system. Bookings can be made as required up to 5pm the day before.

For those parents in receipt of specified benefits whose children attend both the am and pm funded sessions within one day, may be eligible for a free school meal (FSM). Eligibility to FSM can be checked using this link https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals/apply-for-free-school-meals

Should you have any questions relating to this fee structure please do not hesitate to speak to the office manager (Fiona Mobbs - office@pluckley-tkat.org or 01233 840422.