Funding

Nine Month Old Funding

From 1st September 2024 babies of working parents, from nine months old, will be entitled to 570 hours funding/year. Parents will be able to apply for this from the summer term 2024 (1st April onwards). Funding starts from the term after the baby turns nine months, i.e. 1st September, 1st April or 1st January.  

Using the same qualifying criteria, funding will increase to 30 hours per annum from September 2025.

Two Year Old Funding:

Some two year olds are entitled to 570 hours of funding per year if their parent/carer receives certain benefits*, or the child gets disability living allowance (DLA), is looked after by the Local Authority or has a current Educational Health Care Plan. The funding can be taken 15 hours per week over 38 weeks or you can stretch your entitlement over 51 weeks which equates to 11 hours/week.

*Benefits are listed on www.gov.uk get childcare: step by step.

Some two year olds of working parents will be entitled to 570 hours funding/year from 1st April 2024. In order to access this funding both parents will need to be working at least 16 hours/week or a single parent will need to be working 16 hours/week.

The funding can be taken 15 hours per week over 38 weeks or you can stretch your entitlement over 51 weeks which equates to 11 hours/week.

Three and Four Year Old Funding:

All three and four year olds are entitled to 570 hours of funding per year from the start of the term after their 3rd birthday, i.e. 1st September, 1st April or 1st January.  

The funding can be taken 15 hours per week over 38 weeks or you can stretch your entitlement over 51 weeks which equates to 11 hours/week.

30 Hours Funding Entitlement for Three and Four Year Olds:

To be eligible for this extended entitlement of 30 hours funding (1,140 hours per year) both parents or the sole parent in a one parent family needs to be working and earning the weekly minimum equivalent of 16 hours at national minimum wage/living wage.

The funding can be taken 30 hours per week over 38 weeks or you can stretch your entitlement over 51 weeks which equates to 22 hours/week.

For families accessing three and four year old funding, a termly general essentials/extras fee for consumables and activities, not covered by the Early Years Education Funding, is applied and will be invoiced monthly at a rate equivalent to £15.24 per week (£66 per month) for those on 15 hrs funding and £132 per month for those on 30 hours funding. For children attending term time only this fee can be paid over nine or 12 months. Children accessing fewer than their full entitlement of funded hours will be charged on a pro-rata basis.

The consumables fee will not be charged for funded places for three and four year old children in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium and/or if additional non-funded hours are fully paid for e.g., by social services.

If you feel you might struggle with this charge please speak to the nursery manager and we will of course review each family’s circumstances on an individual basis.

More information regarding funding can be found on

the Isle of Wight Council website or www.gov.uk