Admissions

We care for children from their second birthday until statutory school age (the term after their fifth birthday). The number and age of children admitted to the Pre-school comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).  

When considering admissions, we take into account staff to child ratios, the facilities available at the Pre-school, and the needs of the children currently attending, particularly those who may require additional support or attention.

Offering places

Places are generally offered on a first come, first served basis, subject to availability. If there are no spaces at the time of application, your child’s name will be added to our waiting list.  The majority of our places are allocated for the Autumn term. 

Allocation of places

Order of Priority for Allocating Pre-school Places:

1. Children currently attending who are increasing their number of sessions.

2. Children with siblings currently attending the Pre-school..

3. All other children aged two and above, offered places in order of the application date (i.e. earlier applications are given higher priority).

Consideration for Specific Groups
We are committed to supporting families with additional needs and will give careful consideration to the following groups when offering places. However, please note that inclusion in this list does not grant automatic or priority admission. All placements are subject to availability, and if no places are available, the usual waiting list procedures will apply.

• Children with identified needs on medical, physical, social, emotional, or educational grounds, supported by appropriate professional evidence

• Two-year-old children whose families are receiving support and are eligible for targeted two-year-old funding

• Children aged 3 or over who receive Early Years Pupil Premium Funding

• Children aged 3 or over who have recently moved from an early years setting outside of Bracknell Forest. 

• Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) children who have recently moved into the area and require either temporary or permanent placement.

Session requests and business needs

At times, we may prioritise children whose requested sessions align with our staffing and operational needs. For example, if we have more availability in the afternoons, we may offer spaces to parents who have requested afternoon sessions before offering morning places.

We may also prioritise certain days that we are trying to fill. Before spaces are offered, we will ask parents to complete a session request form to indicate their preferences. If this form is not returned, even after a reminder - your child may not be offered a place.

Community access and inclusion

Our Pre-school is open to all members of the local community. To ensure our Pre-school is well known and accessible, we provide up to date information to the Family Information Service and other relevant bodies. When necessary, we will advertise in locations visible to all sectors of the community.

We do not discriminate against any child or family, nor will we prevent entry to our setting on the basis of background, need or circumstance.  We monitor the gender and ethnic background of children joining the group to ensure that our intake reflects the diversity of our community. Where our intake is not representative, we will take steps to improve outreach and accessibility.

Deferring primary school entry  

We recognise that some families may choose to defer their child's entry into primary school, in line with local authority guidance and national legislation.  If you are considering deferring your child’s school start date, we encourage you to discuss this with us as early as possible. We will do our best to accommodate continued preschool attendance, subject to available places and the child’s age eligibility within our setting. 

Deposit 

A £50 deposit is required for all children to secure a place. This deposit will be refunded within the first six weeks of their start date, either as a direct refund or used to offset payable fees, depending on the child's funding and attendance agreement. 

If a place is accepted but later declined, the deposit and any applicable fees are non-refundable.

Registration Fee 

A non -refundable £40 registration fee is applied to the first invoice for children accessing any hours in addition to the government funded 15 or 30 hours entitlement. This goes towards the cost of admissions, home visits and induction sessions.  

Families using only funded hours are not charged a registration fee, in line with Government guidance, however, they can choose to make a voluntary donation to support the arrangements listed above. 

Funding eligibility

We accept children from the age of three who are eligible for universal funding, as well as children from the age of two whose families qualify for working families funding or targeted two year old funding. 

Last reviewed: June 2025