Frequently Asked Questions
Opening Hours
What are your opening hours?
Our standard day in both our nurseries is from 8.30 am to 6 pm. We offer an 8 am start either as an extra, increasing your day by 30 minutes, or as a variation of the start times (8 am to 5.30 pm). Parents can also book the early 8 am start on an ad hoc basis, subject to availability (we ask that you please give us at least 24 hours to cover staffing), to provide our parents with increased flexibility. We also offer an additional 15 minutes at the end of the day, resulting in a 6.15 pm finish time. This can also be booked as an ‘ad-hoc’, a permanent extra, or as a variation of timings (8.45 am to 6.15 pm). Any extras are invoiced as a proportion of the hourly rate and added to the following month’s invoice.
Can I choose to bring my child in later, or pick-up earlier, than the standard nursery hours?
Your booked days are yours to use as you please. We know some mornings might need a slower start, and you might want to pick up early to go to the park or an appointment. We just ask that you let us know in the office so we can make sure to have breakfast available, for example, if your child is arriving later, or we can pack up some tea for you if you are leaving around tea time. If your child is off for the day or away on holiday, do let us know; if you are absent and we have no knowledge of why, we will always call to check that everything is okay.
Do you offer part time places?
We no longer offer half days but we do offer part time places, and have a minimum of 2 days per week, subject to availability. We also offer ‘school days’ for children over three years old.
Once my days at nursery are confirmed, am I able to change my days?
Subject to availability, you can change the day on a permanent basis with two months’ notice. We ask that you put your request in an email so we can add it to our waiting list. As soon as the alternative days become available, we will let you know. You can add ad hoc days, subject to availability, with 24 hours’ notice, but please give us as much notice as you can to ensure we have the correct staff in place.
Admissions & Registration
How do I enquire about a place at Little Angles and place my child on the waiting list?
We only place children on our waiting list once they have viewed Little Angels. This is because we feel it’s very important to look around and decide if you believe our nursery is the best fit for you and your child. You can arrange a private tour of the nursery by emailing or calling our office team, who will book you in with our founding Director, Caroline Thompson, and answer any initial questions you may have. Your tour is an individual one, and we recommend you bring your child with you so they can see the nursery. You are also welcome to bring family members, but we do ask that you don’t bring friends who are also looking, as they may want to ask their own questions; we are happy to book them in for a tour of their own!
On your tour, Caroline will give you a prospectus and a registration form to complete. Once your place has been secured, we will need to see an original copy of your child’s birth certificate.
At what age can my child join Little Angels?
Babies can join from when they turn 5 months old up until they’re ready to start primary school, the September prior to their fifth birthday.
Fees, Payments & Funding
What do my nursery fees cover?
Fees include all meals, snacks, formula for infants, nappies, wipes, cotton wool, peripatetic teachers and trips. Fees are due in advance, and we issue invoices on the 1st of the month, for the following month. Unfortunately, there can be no refunds for sickness or holidays. Fees are calculated based on the 49 weeks of the year that the nursery is open, averaged into 12 monthly payments. We close for two weeks at Christmas and one week at Easter – please note you will not be charged for this period. Any fee increases are based on the nursery’s running costs. We always aim to give 2 months’ notice of any changes to our terms and conditions, including any fee increases.
Please see our fee information on our Fees page for further details.
Are there any registration fees?
You are not required to pay a waiting list registration fee but once you have accepted a place, we ask for a non-refundable administration fee of £100. You will also be asked to pay a deposit which will be deducted from the final invoice that you receive from us, or refunded. Your deposit is fully refundable as long as we receive the correct notice; three months in advance of starting with us, and two months once you have joined Little Angels.
When can my child start claiming funding?
The Government has introduced new funding for eligible 2 year olds and 9-23 month olds and children become eligible for age-specific funding in the term following their relevant birthday (or month, in the case of 9 month olds). Their birthday must be before 31st March for funding from Summer Term (April), 31st August for Autumn Term (September) & 31st December for Spring Term (January). For more information about funding please speak to our Accounts Director, Cal Meyrick.
Do you accept tax-free childcare?
Yes, we accept tax-free childcare as a payment method and is available for all nursery aged children; it can be used alongside both 15 and 30 hours of funding. You will first need to apply for tax-free childcare; you can find Little Angels by searching for the postcode or the Ofsted registration number.
Do you accept childcare vouchers?
For those still receiving childcare vouchers, we still accept all major providers.
Notice Periods & Leaving
What notice do I need to give to leave my place at the nursery?
Your one month’s deposit is returned upon leaving provided the correct notice has been given and no outstanding monies are owed. We require three calendar months written notice not take up an agreed place, and two months written notice once a child has started.
My child is leaving for school, do I need to give any notice?
For children in their final year with us before leaving for a reception class, we assume that your child will be leaving in September to attend school but do still require you to give notice so we can plan for our younger children to transition up. We remind all Pre-school parents to give notice, and you are welcome to leave at any time assuming the correct notice has been given (two months notice). If you would like to leave earlier in the summer please follow the usual notice procedure.
Daily Life & Curriculum
What does a typical day look like?
A typical day is 8.30 am to 6pm, though this can be extended by 30 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes at the end of the day. Breakfast is from 8-9am but we are always happy to make breakfast especially on arrival if your child is hungry, lunch is at midday and tea is at 4pm, and children are offered healthy morning and afternoon snacks.
Babies sleep in our dedicated cot room and we follow your routines during settling in. This is reviewed whenever parents wish to revisit sleep, bottle feeds and meal times. Older children usually nap after lunch and we work with family to support them to drop their nap prior to going off to school. The children have lots of opportunities to play and learn throughout the day, including through structured activities, singing and dancing, continuous provision, and child-led play, both indoors and outdoors. We also have peripatetic teachers, usually on Fridays, such as drama, music, sports and French and have a supernumerary qualified teacher on hand with the pre-school group to support with phonics and project based work, gently building the skills children need to develop to help them become confident learners and settle into ‘big’ school.
How much time will my child spend outside?
We are very fortunate to have lots of outdoor space and children spend time outdoors every day. It will depend on the weather; extreme heat and cold may mean we do more frequent but shorter sessions, ensuring children are dressed appropriately. We will remind you to bring in suncream in warmer weather and hats and gloves in the colder moths.
What is your Curriculum?
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), statutory guidance, to inform our practice at Little Angels but our curriculum, what we want our children to learn and experience whilst with us, is constantly changing to incorporate each child’s needs and interests, abilities and background. Our skilful team decide how best to include the ‘7 areas of learning’ by creating a unique curriculum to each room. This is done by setting up the room with resources available for children at all times (which is called ‘continuous provision’), and planning activities and experiences that cover those 7 areas of learning, using the ‘Birth to 5 Matters’ as guidance. Each room has a curriculum folder which you are welcome to look through at any time. In this folder, you will see sections for each of the 7 areas, along with the corresponding section of the Birth to 5 Matters guidance. This also includes the activities we create for the children in each room, pictures of the environment, comments from the children, feedback from parents and reflections from the staff. This helps to develop our approach in response to each group – it is a living document illustrating what children are learning and how they are learning it and helps us to develop a reflective and responsive pedagogical approach.
How will I know what my child is doing and learning each day?
We use the secure and established online platform, ‘Famly’, which maps a child’s progress, and gives daily updates about routines, naps, nappy changes/toilet use and activities in the room, allowing parents and practitioners to collaborate in children’s’ development. We use this platform to communicate a daily diary, as well as posts about activities that day, and observations which give insight into your child’s learning and development.
We also carry out a baseline assessment when your child joins us, to get an understanding of their development, as well as a ‘2 Year Check’ between 24 and 30 months, six monthly ‘All About Me’ forms and a ‘Transfer Record’ produced by our Teacher prior to your child leaving us for Reception.
How often are your parents evenings?
They are held twice a year, once in May and again in October. They are an opportunity for parents to talk with their key people about their child’s progress at nursery, and a great opportunity for parents to meet each other! These evenings are for parent’s only, with the exception of babes in arms.