Fees, Funding & Childcare Costs at Innsworth Preschool

Innsworth Preschool is, at its heart, a family. We are family-owned, family-run, and proudly independent. Every decision is guided by the same values we want for our own children: care, honesty, and stability.

For over 30 years, we’ve been part of the Innsworth and Gloucester community, offering a safe and nurturing place for children to grow. We are not run by financial investors or large chains. We are here for families, not profit margins.

We believe in being open about our fees and keeping our costs fair. That’s why we work hard to remain one of the most affordable childcare settings in Gloucestershire. Every child deserves the best start, without adding pressure to their family. At the same time, we continually invest in our team and resources to keep quality high and standards strong. We’re always improving, offering what we believe is the best value childcare in Gloucester.

Making High-Quality Childcare Affordable with Government Funding

We are a registered provider for government-funded childcare and welcome families who wish to use their entitlement with us. This funding can make our high-quality care even more accessible for your family.

Innsworth Preschool provides care for children from the age of two up to 4 years old. We do not offer places for children under the age of two but highly recomend parents apply to be added to our waiting list.

• Funding for 2-Year-Olds: Your two-year-old may be eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week.
• Funding for 3 and 4-Year-Olds: All 3 and 4-year-olds get 15 hours of funded childcare a week. If you are a working family, you may be able to get an extra 15 hours, making a total of 30 hours a week. From September 2025, some children will be able to combine different funding types to get up to 30 hours.

Your Responsibility Applying for and Renewing Codes:

• It is the parent’s sole responsibility to apply for their funding and renew their eligibility codes by the national deadlines.
• You must use the official Childcare Choices service to get your 11-digit code and provide it to us before the start of each term.
• You must also login to your account to reconfirm your eligibility every three months in order to retain your funded place.

Our Transparent Preschool Fees

We offer flexible fee-paying places for families who are not eligible for government funding or who wish to add extra sessions beyond their funded hours. This is a very common choice among working parents and carers who want to extend their child’s week, support their routines, or take advantage of everything our setting has to offer.

Fee-paying sessions can be used on their own or alongside funded hours, giving you the freedom to build a schedule that suits your family’s needs.

• Hourly Rate: £6.00
• Morning / Afternoon Session (5 hours): £30.00
• 9am to 3pm Session (Part Funded + Part Paid): £12.00
• Full Day (10 hours): £60.00
• Deposit (Yearly): £100.00 / £50 for returning families

What’s Always Included: Free Breakfast and Snacks

We provide a healthy breakfast and mid-morning snack to every single child, every day, completely free of charge. All our snacks meet the strict nutritional requirements of the EYFS, with a focus on fresh fruit and whole foods.

Service Options

Our policies and procedures are built on two foundations: the lessons learned from decades of hands-on experience in childcare, and the strict requirements set by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, Ofsted, the Department for Education (DfE), and UK law. This dual approach ensures that our standards for safety, hygiene, and allergy control are both practical and fully compliant.

We offer our optional Full-Service Add-Ons as the simplest, most reliable way for families to meet these detailed requirements. By choosing these services, you remove the daily pressure of ensuring full compliance yourself and gain peace of mind knowing that all EYFS, legal, and safety standards are met automatically.

The Meal Service (£4.00 per session)

Our Meal Service is the simplest way to take the daily stress out of packed lunches. It is a convenient and compliant solution that guarantees your child receives safe, nutritious food that meets all EYFS, health, and safety standards, without placing the daily planning and legal burden on you.

All our meals are exceptionally healthy and nutritious, freshly prepared on-site by trained staff. We fully comply with the strict nutritional standards of the EYFS, focusing on whole foods and meals free from added sugars. For your complete peace of mind, our kitchen is allergen-controlled, and we guarantee every meal is free from the 14 major UK allergens.

• Lunch (served around 11am): A balanced and freshly prepared hot meal
• Afternoon Tea (served around 4pm): A second hot meal to ensure children are well-fed for the rest of their day

The Care Consumables Service (£3.00 per day)

Our Care Consumables Service is the simplest way to remove the daily burden of packing personal care items. It is a convenient and compliant solution that guarantees your child has everything they need every single session. It works safely and reliably, removing the worry of last-minute packing or forgotten supplies.

The service is charged at £3.00 per day, regardless of whether your child attends for a half day or a full day. This flat rate reflects the fact that all essential care items are prepared and available throughout the day for every child.

Choosing this service ensures your child’s care consistently meets all EYFS, health, hygiene, and legal safety standards without placing that responsibility on you. It applies to all children in our care, not just those in nappies or toilet training, because these essential items are used throughout the day with every child.

For a small daily charge, we provide all essential care items. Every product is preschool-approved, non-allergenic, and compliant with UK law:

• High-quality, durable nappies (if applicable) to ensure consistent hygiene and comfort
• Non-allergenic wipes and barrier creams that meet our safety and skin sensitivity standards
• Safe, in-date sun protection, specifically formulated for young children and approved for group use
• Preschool-approved, non-allergenic antibacterial handwash
• Tissues/facial wipes (non-allergenic)
• A sterilised, durable 500 ml stainless steel water bottle (provided empty each morning; staff fill with plain water only — pre-filled bottles from home cannot be accepted for safety reasons)
• Emergency spare underwear/socks, laundered only in non-allergenic products

All items are carefully selected and managed to meet our legal duties under the EYFS, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and safeguarding regulations. This ensures your child’s daily needs are met safely, consistently, and in full compliance with UK law.

This service ensures that every child has access to reliable, safe, and suitable items at every session. It also removes the significant health and hygiene risks that can arise when families provide unsuitable products, such as wipes that disintegrate, creams that trigger skin reactions, or bottles that may carry contamination. In line with the EYFS, we are required to uphold strict health and safety standards at all times, and this service helps ensure those standards are consistently met.

Funding-Only (Complete Opt-Out)

While you have the right to use your funded hours completely free of charge, it is crucially important to understand that this pathway transfers a significant and legally binding responsibility from the preschool directly to you.

By choosing to opt out, you formally agree to:

• Guarantee a complete allergen ban, meaning no food containing any of the 14 major UK allergens, including items labelled “may contain”
• Ensure all food is safely prepared, age-appropriate, and free from choking hazards (e.g. grapes and sausages must be chopped before arrival)
• Provide a compliant, insulated cool bag containing a solid-frozen ice pack every single day, without exception, to keep food at a safe temperature during outdoor storage
• Supply all required care items for every session, including appropriately sized nappies, non-allergenic wipes and creams, and safe, in-date sun protection
• Provide a pre-filled, sterilised 500ml stainless steel water bottle containing plain water only, meeting our safety, hygiene, and safeguarding standards

If you fail in any of these responsibilities, we are legally obliged under our safeguarding duty to call you for immediate correction or collection. Please understand this is a required response to any welfare risk. Full details are set out in our Optional Services and Opt-Out Policy.

Optional Enrichment Activities (Paid Add-Ons)

To make your child’s time at preschool even more enjoyable, we offer a growing range of optional enrichment activities. These sessions are led by qualified instructors and are designed to support your child’s development in fun, creative ways. They can be booked for an additional fee, and prices will be confirmed shortly.

Our current planned activities include:

• Dance and Performing Arts
  These lively sessions use music, movement, and drama to help children build confidence, coordination, rhythm, and teamwork skills in a fun and expressive setting.
• Enhanced Arts and Crafts
  Children use a wide range of premium materials to create imaginative, high-quality artwork. These sessions help develop fine motor skills, concentration, and creativity.
• Farming and Gardening
  In our purpose-built farm area, children learn how to grow fruits and vegetables from around the world. These sessions support science learning, responsibility, and a love of nature.
• Accelerated English Language Support (EAL)
  These group sessions support children who are learning English as an additional language. We focus on building practical vocabulary and confidence through play, stories, and conversation.

These activities are optional and can be added to your child’s sessions for an extra fee.

Other Contractual Fees and Charges

• Late Invoice Payment: A £30.00 late fee applies if payment is not received within 7 days
• Late Collection: A £10.00 charge applies for every 10-minute interval you are late
• Changing Sessions: An administrative fee of £10.00 applies to each approved permanent change to your child’s booked sessions

Deposit to Secure Your Child’s Place

From September 2025, we will require a yearly £100 deposit per family to secure places. This applies even if your child has attended in previous years. The deposit is charged once per family, not per child, and is non-refundable and not deducted from future fees.

If your child attended with us in the previous year, the deposit will be reduced to £50. This reduced amount also applies if a sibling is joining and the family already attended with us the previous year. For example: if your child attended last year and is returning in September, your family’s deposit will be £50, not £100.

The deposit is payable either on application or in August before the start of the new school year, whichever comes first. For children starting mid-year, the deposit is due immediately on acceptance of a place.

If a parent withdraws their child and later wishes to reapply, the deposit must be paid again to secure a new place.

We have introduced this because too many places were being reserved and then cancelled at the last minute, leaving other families unable to take up sessions. The deposit confirms your commitment and helps us plan staffing and resources with certainty.

We have kept our deposit lower than most other local nurseries and preschools to remain fair and affordable for families.

In exceptional circumstances (for example, financial hardship, safeguarding concerns, or military relocation), the management may agree alternative arrangements. This ensures the deposit policy is applied fairly to all families while keeping access to funded places fully compliant with statutory guidance.