Woodlodge Montessori School is a private, family-run Montessori setting providing high-quality childcare and early education throughout the year.

We are open for 50 weeks of the year, closing for one week at Christmas and one week at Easter.

Our fee and session structure is designed to enable us to provide consistent, high-quality childcare, appropriate staffing levels and a well-resourced Montessori environment.

This policy explains how government-funded early education hours operate alongside our nursery sessions, fees, consumables, meals and additional activities.

Eligible children may be entitled to government-funded early education hours.

Woodlodge Montessori School offers eligible funded hours within our normal nursery provision and session structure.

The funded entitlement itself is provided without charge to eligible parents. The funding received by the nursery contributes towards the cost of providing the eligible early education.

Funded hours do not, however, cover every cost associated with operating a nursery, such as meals, consumable resources or additional activities.

Woodlodge Montessori School offers eligible early education entitlements on a stretched basis across 50 weeks of the year.

Depending on the child's age and eligibility, the annual entitlement may be:

• 570 hours per year, equivalent to 11.4 funded hours per week when spread evenly across 50 weeks; or
• 1,140 hours per year, equivalent to 22.8 funded hours per week when spread evenly across 50 weeks.

The entitlement available to each child will depend on their eligibility and the funding confirmed by the relevant local authority. The nursery will confirm the number of funded hours available to each child and explain how those hours are allocated across their agreed attendance pattern.

Funded hours are provided within the nursery's available session structure and in accordance with the applicable local authority funding arrangements.

Our standard session options currently include:

Morning: 8:00am – 1:00pm

Afternoon: 1:00pm – 6:00pm

School-day: 9:00am – 3:30pm

Full day: 8:00am – 6:00pm

Sessions are subject to availability.

Woodlodge Montessori School does not routinely combine different session types to create bespoke individual timetables. This enables us to maintain consistent staffing and operational arrangements.

Funded hours are allocated within the child’s agreed nursery booking and session pattern.

Parents are not required to purchase additional private hours, meals, consumables or optional activities as a condition of accessing their child’s funded entitlement.

Where parents choose additional private childcare hours outside their funded entitlement, these will be charged in accordance with the nursery’s published fees.

While your child's core funded hours are completely free, government funding does not cover the cost of personal care items, meals, or extra activities. To cover these, Woodlodge Montessori School offers optional, chargeable extras.

These voluntary charges may include:

• Personal Care Items: Nappies, baby wipes, nappy creams, and sun cream provided by the school.
• Meals and Snacks: Freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, tea, and daily snacks.
• Specialist Activities and Trips: External specialized coaches or tutors (e.g., languages, music, sports) and entry fees or transport for school trips.

Transparency and Parent Choice

• Strictly Voluntary: All charges for these items are completely optional.
• Right to Opt Out: Parents can freely choose to opt out without it affecting their child's funded place, their access to hours, or the quality of care they receive.
• Alternative Arrangements: If you choose to opt out, you are welcome to provide your own equivalent items (such as supplying your own nappies, wipes, or meals). Please see our Alternatives to Consumables, Meals, Snacks and Activities Policy for further details.
• Clear Invoicing: Any agreed extra charges will be clearly itemised and separated from your free funded hours on your invoice.

Certain consumables used personally by a child, such as nappies, wipes and sun cream, may be offered as optional chargeable extras where applicable.

Any charges for these items will be clearly identified and itemised. Parents will be able to opt out of purchasing these consumables without affecting their child's access to funded early education hours or the quality of provision received.

Where parents choose not to purchase optional consumables, Woodlodge Montessori School will offer reasonable alternatives, such as allowing parents to supply their own items.

Any charges for meals, snacks or genuinely optional additional activities will be identified separately and will remain voluntary.

No child will be refused a funded place, disadvantaged or provided with a lower standard of education and care because their parent chooses not to pay for optional extras.

Woodlodge Montessori School will ensure that any charges relating to funded early education are transparent, clearly itemised and consistent with the Department for Education's statutory guidance on early education and childcare entitlements.

Woodlodge Montessori School provides meals, snacks and drinks as an additional service.

This may include:

• Breakfast
• Morning snack
• Lunch
• Afternoon snack
• Tea
• Drinks

Where applicable, food charges will be clearly identified separately from the funded hours.

Charges for meals, snacks and drinks associated with funded hours are voluntary and are not a condition of accessing a child’s funded entitlement.

Parents who do not wish to purchase the nursery’s food provision will not have their child’s funded place affected. Alternative arrangements may be agreed with the nursery where appropriate.

Any food brought into the nursery must comply with the nursery’s food, allergy, health and safety requirements.

Woodlodge Montessori School may offer additional activities and experiences throughout the year, including special workshops, visitors, trips, entertainment, sports and other enrichment opportunities.

Where an activity carries an additional charge and is offered in connection with funded hours, participation is voluntary.

Children whose parents choose not to participate in a chargeable additional activity will continue to receive suitable early years provision.

Where meals, consumables or additional activities are offered in connection with funded hours, these are optional additional services and are not a condition of accessing a child’s funded entitlement.

Parents will be informed of any applicable charges and may choose whether to purchase these additional services.

Choosing not to purchase an optional service will not affect a child’s funded place or access to their funded hours.

Any additional services selected by parents will be charged separately and clearly identified on the nursery’s invoice.

Woodlodge Montessori School will not charge parents top-up fees, compulsory learning-resource charges, business running costs or general supplementary fees in connection with funded early education hours. Essential materials and resources required for the effective delivery of childcare are included within the nursery's provision. Any chargeable extras will be specifically identified, itemised and offered on a voluntary basis, with reasonable alternatives available to parents who choose not to pay.

Woodlodge Montessori School maintains a separate published Fees and Charges Schedule, which sets out the nursery's fees for private childcare sessions and any applicable charges for meals, food, non-food consumables and additional activities.

The Fees and Charges Schedule forms part of the information provided to parents before they accept a place. It is available separately from this policy and will be kept up to date and accessible to parents.

The cost of private childcare sessions and any applicable optional extras may vary according to the session or booking pattern selected. The schedule will clearly identify the relevant charges for each applicable session or booking arrangement so that parents can understand the costs before making a decision.

The nursery will explain which hours are provided as funded early education and which hours, services or items may incur a separate charge.

Charges for meals, snacks, personal consumables and genuinely optional additional activities associated with funded hours are voluntary. Parents may choose not to purchase these extras without losing access to funded hours or receiving a lower standard of early education and care. Reasonable alternatives will be offered, including allowing parents to provide their own items or waiving the relevant charge, as appropriate.

Charges for additional private childcare hours outside a child's funded entitlement will be shown separately and will apply only to the additional hours selected by the parent. Purchasing additional private hours or optional extras will not be a condition of accessing funded early education.

Invoices and receipts will clearly distinguish, where applicable, between:

• Government-funded early education hours.
• Additional private paid childcare hours.
• Food and meal charges.
• Non-food consumables charges.
• Additional activities and services.

Woodlodge Montessori School will not charge top-up fees for funded hours, compulsory fees for essential learning resources, business running costs or general supplementary charges in connection with funded early education.

Parents will be given the relevant Fees and Charges Schedule and an explanation of the funded-hour arrangements before their child begins accessing funded provision, enabling them to make an informed choice.

Woodlodge Montessori School is a private, all-year-round nursery operating within the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Hillingdon’s Early Years Entitlement guidance recognises that individual childcare settings have their own admission policies and that an entitlement to funded hours does not guarantee a place at a particular setting or a particular pattern of provision. (Hillingdon Council)

Woodlodge Montessori School has therefore established its own booking and session structure for funded places, which reflects the way in which the nursery operates throughout the year.

Our funded offer is provided within our 50-week-a-year provision, subject to our standard session availability and minimum three-day booking requirement.

This reflects Woodlodge Montessori School’s operating model as an all-year-round nursery and enables us to maintain consistent staffing, appropriate ratios and continuity of care throughout the year.

Parents will be provided with details of our funded offer, session options, admission arrangements and applicable charges before their child begins accessing funded hours, allowing parents to make an informed decision about whether the provision meets their requirements.

The availability of funded hours remains subject to the nursery’s capacity and the child’s eligibility for the relevant funding entitlement.

The above arrangements do not affect a parent’s right to decline optional meals, consumables or additional activities associated with their child’s funded hours.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that any required funding codes or eligibility confirmations are renewed within the relevant deadlines.

If funding is not confirmed, has expired or a child is no longer eligible, the normal nursery fees may become payable in accordance with the nursery’s terms and conditions.

Woodlodge Montessori School cannot guarantee funding where the relevant eligibility requirements have not been met or the necessary confirmation has not been received.

Before a child begins accessing funded early education, Woodlodge Montessori School will complete a parental declaration with the child's parent or carer.

The declaration will confirm the child's funded entitlement, the agreed pattern of funded hours, the number of funded hours taken per day and week, and any optional chargeable extras that the parent has chosen to purchase.

The nursery will ensure that declarations are reviewed and updated when necessary, in accordance with the relevant local authority's requirements.

Parents will be provided with clear information about the funded hours available and any optional charges before agreeing to the arrangements.

Government funding rates, eligibility criteria and administrative requirements are determined by the government and relevant local authority.

Woodlodge Montessori School reserves the right to review its fees, session structure and additional charges where funding arrangements or the costs of operating the nursery change.

Parents will receive reasonable notice of any changes.

Funded hours are allocated within the child’s agreed booking pattern.

The nursery’s normal absence, sickness and holiday arrangements continue to apply.

Parents should refer to the nursery’s Terms and Conditions for full details of the nursery’s arrangements for holidays and absences.

By accepting a funded place at Woodlodge Montessori School, parents acknowledge that:

• Funded hours are provided within the nursery’s normal session structure.
• The nursery operates a minimum three-day booking requirement.
• Funded hours are stretched across 50 weeks of the year.
• Meals, consumables and additional activities associated with funded hours are optional.
• Optional additional charges are not a condition of accessing funded hours.
• Choosing not to purchase an optional additional service will not affect a child’s funded place.
• Additional private childcare hours outside the funded entitlement are charged separately.
• Charges will be clearly identified on invoices.

Woodlodge Montessori School is committed to ensuring that all children are able to access their funded early education and childcare entitlement without being required to pay for additional items or services.

In line with the Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance, charges for consumables, meals, snacks and additional activities are optional. Families who choose not to pay for these items must be offered reasonable alternatives that enable their child to access their funded entitlement free of charge.

This policy explains the alternatives available to families who choose to opt out of these charges.

Woodlodge Montessori School will ensure that:

• families are clearly informed about any charges before their child starts their funded place;
• payment for consumables, meals, snacks or additional activities is voluntary;
• opting out of a charge will not affect a child's access to their funded hours;
• no child will be disadvantaged, treated differently or excluded from their funded provision because their family has chosen not to pay;
• reasonable alternatives will be available to families who opt out;
• charges will be clearly identified and separated from the funded entitlement; and
• families will be able to change their decision and opt in or out of chargeable items as appropriate.

Consumables are items that are used up, worn out or require replenishment as part of the nursery's day-to-day provision.

Where families choose not to pay the nursery's consumables charge, they may provide appropriate alternatives for their child, where applicable.

Consumables may include, but are not limited to:

• Arts and craft materials
• Paper, card, paint and glue
• Playdough and sensory materials
• Cooking and baking ingredients
• Stationery and mark-making resources
• Tissues and hygiene products
• Nappies and wipes, where provided
• Sun cream, where provided
• Protective clothing and aprons
• Gardening materials
• Special activity resources
• Other resources used as part of the nursery's provision

The above list is not exhaustive.

Where a consumable is not included within the family's agreed arrangements, the nursery will discuss the available options with the parent/carer.

Additional consumables

There may be occasions where the nursery requires or provides additional consumables because of a child's individual needs, a particular activity, an unexpected circumstance or a requirement that falls outside the usual consumables provision.

Where the nursery intends to charge a parent/carer for an additional consumable, this will always be discussed with the parent/carer before the charge is incurred.

The nursery will explain:

• what the additional consumable is;
• why it is required;
• the cost, where applicable;
• whether the parent/carer can provide the item themselves; and
• any reasonable alternative available.

The nursery will not introduce an unexpected charge without first discussing it with the parent/carer.

Nappies

For children who require nappies, parents/carers must ensure that an adequate supply of nappies is available at the nursery for each session their child attends.

As a minimum:

• At least seven nappies per day must be accessible for the child.
• Nappies must be provided in a clearly labelled bag with the child's name.
• Parents/carers may provide nappies daily or weekly, depending on their preference and the arrangements agreed with the nursery.
• The nursery will monitor the supply and inform parents/carers when additional nappies are required.
• Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that an adequate supply of appropriately sized nappies is available at all times.
• Nappies should be suitable for the child's age and individual needs.
• Where a child attends more than one session in a day, parents/carers should ensure that there are sufficient nappies available to meet the child's needs throughout their time at the nursery.

Wipes

Parents/carers who choose to opt out of the consumables charge must provide sufficient wipes for their child's sessions.

A full pack of suitable wipes must be available for each session the child attends, unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed with the nursery.

Wipes must be clearly labelled with the child's name.

Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that the supply of wipes is replenished when required.

Where a child has sensitive skin or requires a particular type of wipe, parents/carers should provide the appropriate product and inform the nursery.

Nappy cream

Where a child requires nappy cream:

• Parents/carers must provide the nappy cream required for their child.
• The cream must be clearly labelled with the child's name.
• Parents/carers should provide sufficient cream for the child's sessions.
• The nursery must be informed of any specific instructions relating to the application of the cream.
• Any required permissions or consent for the application of nappy cream must be completed in accordance with the nursery's procedures.
• All creams and personal care products supplied from home must be suitable for use on the child and comply with the nursery's health and safety requirements.

Sun cream

Where parents/carers choose to opt out of the nursery's consumables charge, they must provide sun cream for their child.

Sun cream must be provided by the parent/carer and left at the nursery for the duration of the summer period.

Sun cream must be provided for the period May to September, when required.

The bottle must be clearly labelled with the child's full name.

Parents/carers are responsible for ensuring that an adequate supply is available and that the sun cream is within its expiry date.

Parents/carers should replace the sun cream when the supply is running low or the product has expired.

The sun cream provided must be suitable for the child's age and individual needs.

Parents/carers must inform the nursery of any known allergies, sensitivities or specific requirements relating to sun cream.

The nursery will apply sun cream in accordance with its sun protection procedures and any required parental consent.

Children will not be disadvantaged or excluded from outdoor provision because their family has chosen not to purchase the nursery's sun cream.

Other consumables

Where parents/carers choose not to pay for other consumables, the nursery will discuss with the family what reasonable alternative arrangement will apply.

Depending on the item, this may include:

• parents/carers providing their own item;
• the nursery providing the item without charge; or
• an alternative resource or arrangement being provided.

Parents/carers will be informed in advance of any specific requirements for items they choose to provide.

The nursery will not refuse or reduce a child's funded hours because their family has chosen not to purchase consumables.

Where the nursery offers meals as a chargeable service, families who choose not to pay for the meal may provide a suitable packed meal for their child.

For the health, safety and wellbeing of all children, any meal provided from home must meet the following requirements:

• The meal must be clearly labelled with the child's full name and the date.
• The meal must be provided in a suitable, secure and food-safe container.
• The container must be suitable for keeping the food appropriately chilled until the child's meal time.
• The nursery will not heat or reheat food brought from home.
• Food must be ready to eat and suitable for consumption without heating.
• Parents/carers must provide a full list of ingredients for the food provided.
• Meals must be vegetarian.
• Meals should be healthy, balanced and nutritious and in line with the nursery's Food and Nutrition Policy and relevant DfE guidance on healthy eating.
• Nuts and products containing nuts are strictly prohibited.
• Parents/carers must inform the nursery of any known allergies, intolerances or specific dietary requirements.
• The nursery will not require a family to pay for a meal as a condition of accessing their funded hours.

Where snacks are offered as a chargeable item, families who choose not to pay may provide their own snack for their child.

To ensure consistency, healthy eating and appropriate food safety arrangements:

• Snacks must consist of fruit.
• Fruit should be prepared appropriately for the child's age and developmental stage.
• The snack must be provided in a separate, suitable snack box, clearly labelled with the child's name.
• Nuts and products containing nuts are strictly prohibited.
• Parents/carers must inform the nursery of any allergies or dietary requirements.
• The nursery's Food and Nutrition Policy must be followed at all times.

The safety of children is our priority.

All food brought into the nursery must comply with the nursery's Food and Nutrition Policy, food safety procedures and allergy management arrangements.

Parents/carers must provide accurate information about ingredients and any known allergies or dietary requirements.

The nursery operates a strict no-nut policy. Parents/carers must not provide meals, snacks or other food containing nuts or nut products.

Where the nursery has concerns that food supplied from home is unsafe, unsuitable, does not meet the requirements of this policy or presents an allergy risk, the nursery may not be able to provide it to the child. The nursery will discuss an appropriate alternative with the family.

The nursery may offer additional activities that involve a charge for consumables, resources, specialist provision or other associated costs.

Where an activity is not included within the funded entitlement and involves an optional charge, families who choose not to pay will be offered a reasonable alternative.

This may include:

• an equivalent activity provided within the nursery at no additional cost;
• an alternative learning or play experience;
• access to the nursery's usual resources and provision; or
• another suitable activity that supports the child's learning and development.

Children will not be excluded from their funded hours because their family has chosen not to participate in or pay for an additional chargeable activity.

Where an activity forms part of the normal funded provision rather than being an optional additional activity, the nursery will not make participation conditional on payment.

Where a visit, event or special activity involves a charge, families will be informed clearly that participation is optional where the activity is additional to the funded entitlement.

Where a child does not take part because their family has chosen not to pay, the nursery will provide suitable alternative provision for the child during their funded hours.

No child will be required to stay at home or lose funded hours solely because their family has declined an optional charge.

Families wishing to opt out of consumables, meals, snacks or activities should contact the Nursery Manager.

The nursery will:

• explain the available alternatives;
• agree the most appropriate arrangement with the family;
• ensure staff are aware of the arrangement where necessary; and
• make sure the child continues to receive their full funded entitlement.

Families will not be required to provide a reason for choosing to opt out.

The nursery recognises that families have different circumstances and that additional charges may place a financial burden on some families.

Our arrangements will therefore ensure that children whose families opt out of charges have access to provision that is inclusive, appropriate and of the same expected quality as the provision available to other children.

No child will be identified, singled out or treated differently because their family has chosen not to pay an optional charge.

The nursery will provide families with clear information about:

• what is included within the funded entitlement;
• which items or services are chargeable;
• the cost of each charge;
• which charges are optional;
• the alternatives available if a family chooses not to pay; and
• how families can opt out.

All charges will be clearly itemised so that families can distinguish between their funded entitlement and optional additional charges.

Any additional consumable charge will be discussed with the parent/carer before the charge is applied.

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if there are changes to DfE statutory guidance, legislation or local authority requirements.

The nursery will regularly review its charging arrangements to ensure that families who choose not to pay for consumables, meals, snacks or activities continue to have a genuine and reasonable alternative that enables them to access their funded entitlement free of charge.