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Fees and Funding

How much is the registration fee/deposit for Buttsbury Pre-school in Billericay?

  • Registration Fee for Unfunded 2-Year-Olds (and those exceeding their Funded Early Education Entitlement (FEEE)/Working Families Entitlement hours): One-time charge of £50.00, non-refundable if the place is not taken.

This registration fee includes the cost of an art bag and a Buttsbury Pre-school t-shirt for your child.

  • Deposit for FEEE/Working Families Entitlement 2-year-old child: One-off deposit of £50.00. Refunded to your Autumn term invoice when your child starts attending with us. You will NOT receive a t-shirt and art bag when your child starts with us and, therefore, you can purchase uniform and an art bag, should you wish.

PLEASE NOTE: Should your child not take up their place with us, this deposit is non-refundable.

How much is a session at Buttsbury Pre-school in Billericay?

As of September 2025,

  • A single session:
    • Un-funded children: £27.00 per 3-hour session.
    • FEEE/Working Families Entitlement children: £0.00 for funded entitlement hours, but we request a contribution towards consumables. Please refer to the question below.
  • Additional sessions requested after the term has started will be charged at a private rate per session, whether funded or not, currently £9.00 per hour/£27.00 per session.
     
  • All-day session (from 8:30am to 2:30/3:00pm depending on your 15 or 30-hour entitlement) fees:
    • Un-funded children: £27.00 for the morning, £6.00 for lunch club (family to provide a healthy, nut-free lunch) and £27.00 for afternoon.
    • FEEE/Working Families Entitlement children: £3.75 consumable contribution for morning, no charge for lunch club, £3.75 consumable contribution for afternoon.
    • For FEEE/Working Families Entitlement children outside of their entitlement but wishing for their child to attend until 3.00 pm, private additional hours are chargeable at £4.50 for half an hour (these aren't a condition of accessing your FEEE/Working Families Entitlement). Should you not wish to pay for these 30 minutes, you can collect your child at 2.30pm on the full days.

For more detailed information on how you can utilise your funding hours, please contact us.

How much does the pre-school uniform cost?

We have a:

  • Buttsbury Pre-school Polo Shirt (Available in sizes: 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years. Made from 35% cotton/65% polyester. Machine washable at 40 degrees.) for £12.00
  • Buttsbury Pre-school Jumper (Available in sizes: 1-2 years, 3-4 years, 5-6 years. Made from 35% cotton/65% polyester. Machine washable at 40 degrees.) for £13.50
  • Buttsbury Pre-school Art Bag (Clear plastic school bag available for your child's artwork and any pre-school communications) for £2.50

We are also pleased to offer a small selection of pre-loved uniforms at reduced prices: £3 for polo shirts and £4 for jumpers, subject to availability.

Please order your child's uniform via a member of our office staff (or contact us). We will make a note of your order, and then once payment is made to our bank account with your child's name as a reference, your item/s will be available for collection via our office.

What is the consumables contribution for FEEE/Working Families Entitlement children?

To enable us to sustain ourselves and provide an enriching environment for the children in our care, for our FEEE/Working Families Entitlement children, we request a voluntary consumables contribution of £3.75 per session. However, where parents are unable or unwilling to pay for these extras, you have the option to supply your snacks, consumables and resources per session instead.

FEEE funding is given to providers to support children’s learning and development while accessing standard pre-school provision only.

As a pre-school, we use it to deliver the EYFS curriculum. Funding is spent on staff costs, rent, utility costs, cleaning and other resources such as books, puppets, story sacks, craft resources – paper, card, paint, glue, wool, pipe cleaners, stickers, scissors, pencils, pens, crayons, aprons, cars, trucks, trains and wooden track, Happyland buildings, track and characters, dolls, clothing and buggies, puzzles, construction bricks – wooden, Lego (big and small), role play clothing, balls, bean bags, hoops, balance boards, stepping stones, slide, wooden tunnel, sand, water and appropriate toys, staffing to meet playroom ratios.

Without your support with the consumables contribution, we would be unable to go above and beyond the curriculum to provide these additional activities, resources and an enriching environment.

This contribution is broken down into a cost per session but is used to cover all resources used by your child throughout the year. (Note: Committee fundraising activities generate the funds needed to enable us to purchase larger resources, e.g. garden toys, tables, chairs etc.)

For a full breakdown of what is covered in our consumables contribution, please have a look at our Fees policy.

Why do I have to pay a Risers' fee?

  • Risers Fee: £45.00 for additional activities in the year before starting Primary School (for 38 weeks).

During Risers sessions, your child will participate in activities designed to help them transition to school. These activities include inviting outside professionals for music sessions, sports coaching, and dance lessons. We also organise Christmas and ‘End of Year’ parties, featuring traditional party games and gifts for the children. The children in Risers will have the opportunity to create gifts for special occasions, including Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and festivals such as Diwali and Christmas.

If you are unable to pay the additional charge for Riser’s activities, please contact our Finance Officer.

When will I receive an invoice?

Invoices are sent electronically at the end of each term for the next term's fees and are due by the last working day of the term. For example, they are sent in November (Autumn term) for the Spring term attendance.

Can I use my childcare voucher?

Our fees can also be paid using childcare vouchers/tax-free childcare (TFC). If this is your preferred option, please speak to our Finance Officer for further details.

Do I get a refund if my child is off sick or is on holiday?

Fees must still be paid when your child is sick or on holiday, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the trustees.

How much notice must I give if my child isn’t settling into pre-school?

If you wish to withdraw your child from the pre-school, please provide a written notice to admin@buttsburypreschool.org.uk. You are required to give at least four weeks' term-time notice. If no notice is given, you will be required to pay fees equivalent to four weeks of term time, as outlined in our Fees policy.

Funding Available to Parents

Funded Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) and 2-Year-Old Working Families Entitlement

From September 2025, eligible parents of children under 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of funded childcare per week.

As a pre-school, we offer funded places in all our sessions, 38 weeks per year, Monday to Friday between:

Morning - 8.30am – 11.30am

Afternoon - 12.00pm – 3.00pm

All day – 8.30am – 2.30pm/3.00pm (depending on your 15 or 30 hour entitlement)

NOTE: Bank Holiday Monday – you will not receive your funded entitlement on these days as the pre-school is closed.

A child is entitled to funded early years provision if they are of the relevant age, under compulsory school age, and their parents meet specific criteria listed on the given website: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Parents can apply for this funding using the link https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-childcare-if-youre-working

The application takes about 20 minutes, and you may find out if you qualify immediately, but it can take up to 7 days for a full response. Once approved, you'll receive a code that you must give to your childcare provider.

Remember to reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months. If you applied more than 3 months before the term starts, you'll need to reconfirm in your account to keep your code valid.

If you have a tax-free funding account, you may need to wait for reconfirmation before applying for your code. If eligible, apply for your code and provide us with the number starting with a 5. We'll include it for your child's funding, showing a zero charge for funded hours but detailing a consumables contribution on the invoice.

Some 2-year-olds may also access funded childcare if parents receive certain benefits. This funding becomes available in the term after the child turns two. For more details, please speak to our Finance Officer or check online at https://www.essex.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs

Currently, all 3 and 4-year-olds can access 15 hours of funded care per week for 38 weeks a year, regardless of their parents' income or work status. Starting in September, eligible working families with 3 and 4-year-olds can access an additional 15 hours, totalling 30 hours per week. Essex Early Years will inform us of eligibility criteria each term, usually in the term after the child’s third birthday. Our Finance Officer will contact parents in advance, asking for a completed declaration form, which will be emailed and should be returned by the specified date.

Early Years Pupil Premium

The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) is extra funding for early years providers to help improve children's learning and development. To qualify for EYPP, children must be receiving funded education for 3 and 4-year-olds. If eligible, the pre-school will give you a form that needs to be filled out each term.

Disability Access Funding

If your child receives Funded Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the pre-school can get Disability Access Funding (DAF). This is a one-time annual payment made to a single provider and cannot be split between multiple providers. Parents must choose which setting will receive the DAF payment.

The purpose of DAF is to help the childcare provider improve access to funded early education for the child. The payment goes directly to the provider and cannot be used for childcare fees or to provide extra FEEE hours.

If you have any other questions about our pre-school fees, please contact us.

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