Does Tern Valley offer totally free places?
Yes, although we prefer to call these ‘funded’ not ‘free’ our nursery offers funded places where parents can access their funded hours with no additional cost. Many families, however, still choose our all-inclusive ‘Little Ogres Bundle’ which offers excellent value and convenience. It includes freshly prepared nutritious meals, snacks and drinks, as well as essential items such as nappy sacks, sun cream and Calpol. To access places at no additional cost parents, need to discuss the alternatives available with the Nursery Management team and opt out of our Little Ogres Bundle.
If I pay for extra hours and don’t use them, can I be refunded?
Unfortunately, not. We must ensure we cover all our running and team costs to provide high quality care for every child at Tern Valley Day Nursery.
I’ve missed the deadline to apply for my Eligibility Code. Can my child still be funded?
Codes only provide funding in the term after you apply, so if you miss the deadline, we will not be able to access the funded hours until the next term. If your child is 3 or above then you’re still eligible for 15 hours, because its available to all children, regardless of whether parents are working. HMRC will prompt you to reconfirm your code when needed to stay eligible. Ultimately, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure they have a valid working families code in place before each term starts.
Can you claim funding at different settings?
Yes, you can split your funding across a maximum of two settings. However, it is imperative that you let each provider know that you are doing this so we can ensure that we are claiming the correct amount of funding.
Can I provide a packed lunch for my child?
If you opt out of our Little Ogres Bundle all meals including breakfast and snacks must be provided by the parents. Parents will be required to bring a packed lunch to the setting at the designated lunch time (11:30am) to ensure safe storage and handling of food. All packed lunches must comply with recognised healthy eating and nutrition guidelines. In order to promote children’s well-being and maintain a safe environment for all.
Sweets, chocolate, high sugar foods, nuts and nut-containing products are not permitted under any circumstances. This restriction supports our commitment to healthy eating practices and safeguards children with allergies.
Please follow the link below:
Early Years Foundation Stage nutrition – GOV.UK
Do you offer term time only spaces?
At our setting, we offer funded hours on a stretched basis only. This means that instead of receiving 15 or 30 hours per week for weeks of the year (term time), families have their funding spread evenly across the full 51 weeks we are open. We only close on weekends, bank holidays and for a week over Christmas.