Pre-School Fees

Each three hour session (9:00am until 12 noon, or 12 noon until 3:00pm) is priced individually. A morning and afternoon session can be booked together to create a whole-day session.

For children aged 2 to 3 years, each three hour session is priced at £19.20. Therefore, a full day would total £38.40.

For children aged 3 years and above, each three hour session is priced at £17.40. Therefore, a full day would total £34.80.

Please see our Charging and Fees Policy for payment expectations.

15 Hours Funding for 2-year-olds

Some two-year-old children are entitled to 15 hours of funded Early Years Education per week.

To be eligible for this, you should receive one of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act
  • Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit with an annual gross household income of no more than £16,190
  • Working Tax Credits and earn no more than £16,190
  • Working Tax Credit 4 week run-on
  • Universal Credit

Or if your child:

  • is looked after by the local authority
  • has been adopted from care
  • has left care through adoption, residence order or special guardianship
  • has a current statement of special educational needs on an Education Health and Care Plan
  • is in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance

If you believe your child would qualify, you can apply online at: eastsussex.gov.uk/earlyyears/apply

15 Hours Funding for 3-year olds

All children receive 15 hours of funded Early Years Education the term after their third birthday. You do not have to apply for this, it is automatic. All you need to do is provide us with identification for your child (a birth certificate or passport), and fill in a parental agreement form – which is required by East Sussex County Council.

You can choose any five three-hour sessions (as explained in the Our Sessions section of this website) to total your 15 free hours.

30 Hours Funding for 3-year-olds

This funding scheme is to help support working parents with child care costs. You must apply for this via the HMRC website.

Parents of three and four year olds will need to meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare:

• They earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months. This equates to £120 a week (or c.£6,000 a year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 a week (or c.£5,800 a year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old and £56 a week for apprentices in their first year.

• This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on zero hours contract.

• The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work.

• Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave.

• Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work.

• Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.

• If one or both parents is a non-EEA national, the parent applying must have recourse to public funds

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

Either parent has an income of more than £100,000

• If one or both parents is a non-EEA national and the parent applying does not have recourse to public funds

What happens if a parent loses eligibility?

They will receive a ‘grace period’ – this means they will be able to keep their childcare for a short period.

• Once the ‘grace period’ has lapsed, the parent should be entitled to the universal 15-hour entitlement.