Nursery Admissions

Queenborough School and Nursery serves the Queenborough and Rushenden areas of the Isle of Sheppey, but, space permitting, we are very happy to admit children from further afield. Those parents wishing to apply for a place at our Nursery must complete an application form and submit it directly to the school office along with a copy of their child’s birth certificate or passport.

Admissions Criteria for 2, 3 and 4-year olds

From September 2023, our Nursery is able to offer spaces for 2-3 year olds. Our 2-3-year-old room is open from 8.00am until 5.00pm daily, term time only. We typically offer up to 10 spaces per session. Parents/ carers who wish to apply for a place in this provision, should complete a 2-3-year old provision application form.

The main Nursery for 3-4 year olds is open from 8.30am until 3.30pm, offering children 15 hours per week -  either 5 morning or 5 afternoon sessions - or full-time (30 hours). Morning sessions run from 8.30am – 11.30am and afternoon sessions run from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. There is capacity for up to 45 children in our main Nursery at any time. While we will attempt to allocate parental preferences where possible, we cannot guarantee that parents/ carers will always be offered their preferred session. Children will be eligible for admission to the main Nursery the term after their third birthday. Admission is subject to an application being made and places being available. Parents/ carers seeking a place in this provision, should complete a main Nursery application form.

Our Offer

Queenborough Nursery currently offers the following provisions for 38 weeks of the year (term time only):

Working Parent Entitlement for 2 year olds (up to 15 hours) – Starting April 2024

To qualify for a childcare code you must meet the following criteria. Each parent must:

• earn at least £8,600 a year
• earn under £100,000 adjusted net income a year
• work the equivalent of 16 hours a week national minimum/living wage.

Free for Two Funding – 2 year olds (up to 15 hours per week)

Children that are eligible for FF2 funding will be entitled to 15 hours of Nursery education and will be admitted on/after their second birthday. Parents must apply for this funding via www.kent.gov.uk/freefor2 Children will not be able to join the Nursery until this funding has been secured. Once FF2 children are placed on roll in the Nursery, they will be automatically entitled to take up a three year old place, which begins the term after their third birthday.

Universal Entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds (up to 15 hours per week)

All three and four-year-old children are entitled to 15 hours of funded Nursery education each week, from the term following their third birthday. Parents do not need to apply for funding, the Nursery will do this on their behalf.

Working Parent Entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds for extended hours (up to 30 hours per week)

Eligible parents are entitled to 30 hours of free childcare per week. To meet the requirements for this funding:

• - Both parents must be working (or the sole parent in a lone parent family is working)
• - Each parent must earn, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours (National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage) and less than £100k a year.

Children will not be able to access the extended 15 hours of childcare on top of the universal 15 hours of Nursery funding, until parents receive an 11 digit code confirming they are entitled to the ’30 hour’ provision.

Queenborough Nursery has a limited number of ‘30 hour’ spaces available. They run from 8.30am to 2.30pm and are allocated using the Nursery’s admissions criteria. Queenborough Nursery also has a limited number of ‘35 hour’ spaces available, where parents can opt to pay for the 2.30pm to 3.30pm session at £6.00 per day.

If you believe you are eligible for support with childcare costs then parents must apply for this funding via kent.gov.uk/freechildcare.

Procedure for Admission

Queenborough Nursery will endeavor to inform applicants of the outcome of their application by letter, at least a term before admission. We will only allocate Nursery sessions once it has been determined that a place can be offered in accordance with the admission criteria. If an applicant is offered a place they must confirm acceptance directly with the school by the date stipulated in their offer letter.

The final decision with regard to admission and the allocation of sessions rests with the Governing Body of Queenborough School and Nursery.

If Queenborough School and Nursery is over-subscribed, applications for entry will be ranked according to the following criteria:

1. a) Looked after and previously looked after children
2. b) A child with an Educational Health Care Plan
3. c) Child of staff employed at the Queenborough School and Nursery where
4. a) the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or
5. b) the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage
6. d) Children currently in another Early Years provision within Queenborough – Queenborough Babies and Toddlers or 2-3-year olds provision.
7. e) Children who have siblings attending the main School/Nursery when they join
8. f) Nearness of children’s homes/ease of access to the School (‘as the crow flies’)

Please note, admission to Queenborough Nursery does not guarantee admission to the Reception class. Applications for Reception must be made on a separate application and submitted to Kent County Council by the statutory deadline in order to be considered.

Right to Withdraw a Place

After a place has been offered the Nursery reserves the right to withdraw the place in the following circumstances:

• - When a parent has failed to respond to an offer within a reasonable time
• - When a parent has failed to notify the school of important changes to the application information
• - The admission authority offered the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent
• - When a parent fails to provide a copy of their child’s birth certificate/passport
• - If a child does not attend their allocated Nursery session for 2 consecutive weeks (10 school days), unless previously agreed with the Nursery.
• - If an invoice for additional hours of paid childcare has not been paid for by the set deadlines

Waiting Lists

Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the Nursery may ask for their child’s name to be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list will be operated using the same admissions criteria listed above. Placing a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a place will become available. The list will be ranked in line with the published oversubscription criteria each time a child is added.

Please click HERE for a copy of the nursery application form.