NurseryAdmission

Nursery Admissions 

At Ladbrooke School Nursery we care about giving your child the best possible start to their school life.

Our dedicated staff members are committed to meeting the needs of each individual child, while nurturing their interests and talents. Activities are planned to ensure all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum are covered and are designed to follow the interests of the children to ensure maximum engagement.

We offer a safe and stimulating environment which is filled with open-ended resources and learning opportunities. Our exciting outdoor area has been developed to include a natural climbing structure, new texture kitchen, construction shed, bug hotel, wildflower grass area and ‘secret garden’.

As a parent or carer you are kept fully informed of your child’s progress through their Tapestry Online Learning Journal which gives you access to photographs, videos and observations made throughout the day.

We would welcome the chance to show you our setting in action, so if you would like to visit, please make an appointment to come and see us.

 What We Offer

 Ladbrooke JMI School offers up to 30 hours of child care, term time only.  This offer is made for children in the September after they turn three.  If places are available we may take children in the term after they turn three, but this will be considered on an individual basis.  We have 26 places available in each session.

 All parents are entitled to 15 hours of free child care and can buy additional hours for their child. This is charged at £18 per 3 hour session. Some children will be entitled to 30 hours of free child care. The nursery operates  from 9am until 12pm  or from 9am until 3.00pm. Children can come to morning sessions or full day sessions.  Stand alone afternoon sessions are not  permitted. For example a child requiring 15 hours could come every morning for 5 x 3 hour sessions or could attend on two full days and one morning. If a child is staying all day, parents will need to provide them with a packed lunch.

What am I Entitled to?

All children, who are three or four years old are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare. Some children may be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare. To be eligible you will need to meet the following criteria

  • earn or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months;
    • this equates to £183 a week for each parent 21 years old or over or £137 a week for each parent between 18 and 20 years old or £102 a week if your'e under 18 or an apprentice
    • this applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on a zero hours contract;
  • the parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work;
  • where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave;
  • where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work;
  • where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months;
  • either parent has an income of not more than £100,000

if a non-EEA (European economic area) national, the parent must have recourse to public funds.

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

either parent is a non-EEA (European economic area) national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds).

More information on this can be found at

www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/parents

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Can I look around the Nursery?

Visits to the nursery are warmly encouraged throughout the Spring Term.  Please contact the school office to find out the dates and times and whether there are any restrictions in place.  These dates and times are usually available by December.

How do I apply?

Click on the link below.  Complete the form and hand it into the school office

Nursery Application Form

When do I apply?

Applications for September 2025 can be made between 3rd February and 7th March 2025.

After this time, applications will be classed as late applications and will be looked at after other applications have been considered.

We will consider early applications for children in the term after they have turned three, but these will be considered on an individual basis and only if places are available.

How Applications are considered?

Once the closing date has arrived, we will then consider all the applications made. If there are less than 26 applications made, all offers will be made. If we receive more applications, then the following  criteria will be applied.

  1. Does your child have an EHCP?
  2. Is your child a looked after child?
  3. Does your child have any medical or social  reasons why Ladbrooke is the school they should go to?
  4. Does your child have a sibling in the school?
  5. Does one or more of the parents work in the school?
  6. Are you taking up the 30 hour offer?
  7. The distance you live from the school

To be eligible for criteria 1-3, further documents will be required at the point of application.  If these are not sent in with the application form, this criteria will not be considered.

 How will distances be measured?

We will use the following online distance measuring tool to calculate the straight line distance from your house to the school

www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm

When will offers be made?

Offers will be made in the week beginning 10th March 2025.  Parents will have until 21st March 2025 to accept or reject the offer.