Admissions, Fees and Funding

To check eligibility for funded childcare, and to keep up to date with these changes, please visit www.beststartinlife.gov.uk.

Currently all 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare a week, from the term after the child’s third birthday. This is known as Universal Funding.

2-year-old Early Learning funding is 15 hours of funded childcare available to children whose parents receive some additional government support. Please visit the website above to find out if you are eligible. This funding is normally valid from the term after your child’s second birthday.

30 hours of funded childcare is available for eligible working families. Families where both parents or carers (or the sole parent/carer, if a one parent family), are working and earning the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the National Minimum Wage and no more than £100.000 per year will be eligible for the 30 Hours.

You will still be eligible if:

• One parent is working and the other has a disability or substantial caring responsibilities.
• A parent is away from work temporarily (sick or maternity)
• A grace period has been put in place by the government to assist parents whose employment circumstances change

Note: Please be aware that the entitlement to a free place does not offer a guarantee of a place at any one provider or a particular pattern of provision.

Chearsley CHUF can offer up to 27 of the 30 hours Extended Entitlement (9 sessions), for those Parents who are eligible.

Haddenham CHUF can offer the 30 hours Extended Entitlement (all 10 sessions) to those that are eligible, and space permitting. 

Both Settings are offering at least 15 hours to eligible 2-year-olds, these are available across the five morning sessions only, space permitting. Limited spaces in the afternoons are available for 2-year-olds who are ready for a full day of preschool – subject to staff ratios.

CHUF is unable to offer any sessions to children under the age of 2-years-old and therefore does not accept funding for children younger than 2.

It will also be possible for parents to access their eligible hours through a second provider (Such as Childminder, nursery or pre-school, or by splitting funding between our Chearsley & Haddenham settings (Again subject to availability). Currently many of our children already access more than one provider to fulfil their childcare needs. Should you wish to find out more information regarding the 30 Hours scheme please visit ‘The Buckinghamshire Family Information Service’ at: www.familyinfo.buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

To check eligibility for the Extended Entitlement and to keep up to date with these changes please visit www.beststartinlife.gov.uk.

CHUF Session Times

All of our sessions are three hours in length

Morning sessions run from 9.10am to 12.10pm (both settings are open every weekday morning)

Afternoon sessions run from 12.10pm to 3.10pm (Chearsley are not open on Fri afternoon)

Morning sessions are open to 2- 3- and 4-year-olds

Afternoon sessions are open to 3- and 4-year-olds, with limited spaces for 2-year-olds – Please speak to your child’s key carer who will discuss with you whether your child is ready for full day sessions.

Lunch is incorporated into the first half hour of each afternoon session.

Late drop offs and /or early pick-ups are possible if session times coincide with school drop off and pick up

CHUF Fees and Funding

For unfunded children and additional sessions:

The three hour session rate is £27.50 for 2-year-olds

The three hour session rate is £24 for 3- and 4- year olds
A full day will be made up of two, three hour sessions

We ask for a voluntary consumable fee of £2 per day for funded children. This fee would be added to invoice at the beginning of each half term. Where parents are unable or unwilling to contribute, the invoice would be reduced. This fee is not applicable to families with Early learning 2-year-old funding.

Wrap-around care

Where available and when we have demand we offer a breakfast club in both settings from 8:30 am. We offer the children breakfast and fun in our friendly nurturing CHUF environment before we start our normal day at 9:10am. Our Breakfast club fee is £6.50, which includes the choice of breakfast items. Please check with the setting which days the breakfast club is available, as it varies with demand.

Important Points for Universally Funded Children

• The funding starts from the term after the child’s third birthday

• Guidelines specify that the full 15 hours of funding can only be claimed over a minimum of 3 days
• The maximum claim over two days is 12.5 hours
• The minimum claim is 2.5 hours on any one day
• Once you have made your preference you will be committed to that choice for the whole term. Attendance for funded sessions is essential unless your child is ill or on holiday
• If your child attends a second provider, you are responsible for ensuring claims between both providers do not exceed 15 hours.

For Extended Entitlement criteria please see the section ’30 hours Free Childcare from September 2017’, which can be found at the top of this page.

Extended Entitlement 

• If your child attends a second provider, you are responsible for ensuring claims between both providers do not exceed 15 hours.
• If your other provider claims ‘Stretched’ funding over more than 38 weeks, you will only be able to split the 30 hours in half. Using 15 hours of ‘term-time’ funding at CHUF and the equivalent number of hours stretched over more weeks at the other provider.

HMRC Tax-Free Childcare Scheme

This scheme means you can save on the cost of your childcare. If you are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, the government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay your childcare provider. This is paid via an online childcare account that you will need to set up for your child. To find out if you are eligible and to register, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare.

Please note that we have been advised by HMRC that although we are a two setting provider that we are only required to be registered once under our original setting (Chearsley). Please therefore only use the details below and do not try to search for our Haddenham setting, as the Haddenham setting's details cannot be found on the list of Childcare Providers.

Once you have established that you are eligible and have set up an account, to make payment to CHUF you will need the following details:

Name: Chearsley & Haddenham Under Fives Pre-School
Address: Chearsley Village Hall, Winchendon Road, Chearsley, Aylesbury, Bucks
Postcode: HP18 0DP
Regulator Reference: 2782485 (Chearsley Ofsted Number)

Universal Credit Childcare Support

Help may be available with childcare costs if you are on Universal Credit. You may be able to claim back up to 85% of the childcare costs. Please visit: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/universal-credit