We will be increasing our fees from 22nd April 2026. Our fees are reviewed each year.

Under 2’s (from 9 months)	£9.92 per hour, from April 26, £10.91 per hour
2 year olds	£7.95 per hour, from April 26, £8.75 per hour
3 and 4 year olds	£6.73 per hour, from April 26, £7.40 per hour
Breakfast club for school age children*  (8am – 9am)	£8.33 per session, from April 26, £9.16 per session (includes breakfast)
Teatime club for school age children* (3.30pm – 5pm)	£11.70 per session, from April 26, £12.87 per session (includes light tea)
Late session for school age children* (5pm – 6pm)	£6.76 per session, from April 26, £7.40 per session

*Please note, our breakfast club and after school club sessions are also available for our preschool children (hourly rate applies if not funded)

Additional/consumable Charges (Funded Preschool Children)

In February 2026, the Department for Education updated the Statutory Guidance on early years and childcare. The guidance confirms we are able to charge for extra optional activities under the following headings;

Activities: – yoga, French, outings or events etc

Food: – meals, snacks, drinks

Consumables: – nappies, wipes, sun cream etc

As government funding does not fully cover the cost of providing meals, consumables, and additional
activities, our setting applies voluntary additional fees during funded sessions to help meet these costs.
Parents and carers have the option to opt out of these charges and should inform the setting at the start
of each term if they wish to do so.

Please see below changes to our additional charges (preschool children only);

Additional charges

Snacks – 50p per day
Activities – 50p per day
Breakfast Meal – £1.75 (if attending breakfast session)
Tea Meal – £1.75 (if attending teatime session)

Consumables
We will not charge for consumables, items such as nappies and wipes or suncream. However we ask
that all families must provide their own nappies and wipes for both funded and non-funded sessions, if
being used. We will provide sun cream for children who do not bring their own.

We will keep a small supply of nappies and wipes for emergency use. However, if these items are used
regularly for a child, the setting reserves the right to apply a charge to cover the cost.

Opting out of Additional charges
If you wish to opt out of any of the additional charges, please inform the Preschool. If you choose to opt
out of the snack or meal charges, we kindly ask that you provide your child with healthy snacks (such
as fruit or vegetables) and meals.

We would like to reassure families who opt out of the activities charge that all children will continue to
receive a high-quality provision in line with the EYFS and will not be excluded from any additional
activities.

Funding

15 hours funded Childcare for 3 and 4-year-olds – Universal Funding

From the term after their third birthday, until they start school, your child is entitled to fifteen hours per week in a registered early years setting.  You will be asked to fill in an Registration Form and supply proof of your child’s identification such as a birth certificate; the original document will need to be seen. This will be copied and returned to you immediately. Please ensure you do not leave the building without it.

If for any reason your child is absent from a session; illness or holiday for example, it is essential that you inform us as soon as possible in writing. We are subject to regular checks of the register to ensure children are attending all the sessions claimed for. If for any reason the preschool found itself in the position of being penalised for any un-notified absences, parents would be asked to refund the group for the lost revenue.

30 hours funded childcare

We offer 30 hours funded childcare for children of working parents from 9 months old.  You may be able to get 30 hours of funded childcare a week through the Funded Childcare for Working Parents scheme. Check if you’re eligible here.

If you want your child to attend more than 15/30 funded hours, or you are using all or part of the Early Years Grant at another setting, our fees are very reasonable at £6.73 per hour for 3 and 4-year-olds, rising to £7.40 per hour in April 26, £7.95 per hour for 2 year olds, rising to £8.75 in April 26 and £9.92 per hour for under 2s, rising to £10.91 in April 26.

Any parent having difficulty paying their fees should notify the administrator or chairperson immediately and further arrangements may be made. It is playgroup policy to go to court to recover unpaid fees.

We do not charge a registration fee for Local Authority funded or for parent funded sessions. Some parents may qualify for funding for children below 3 years old under the 2-year-old funding scheme. We are also registered to accept childcare vouchers.

Please contact us for more details.

Two year old funding – 15 hours – For ‘Families Requiring Additional Support’ (FRAS)

Some children may be eligible for two year old funding if the parent/carer or child meets the eligibility criteria. This is for non-working, or low-income households, who are also in receipt of a qualifying benefit, for children who are in care or who have left care subject to an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangement order, for children that are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or children who have an Education, Health Care Plan (EHCP). Eligible children can access FRAS two year old funding from the start of the funding period following their 2nd birthday and continue to access this until they become eligible for the 3 and 4 year old funding at the start of the funding period following their 3rd birthday.

Applications for FRAS are made on the Devon Citizen’s Portal.

For further information about the schemes that might be available to you and your family, please visit Best Start in Life

Fees and session times for Before and After school club – School Children attending the Duchy School, Bradninch

We also run a Before and After School Club for children attending The Duchy Primary School in Bowley Meadow. The session times and fees are as below:

Please note, our breakfast club and after school club sessions are also available for our preschool children (hourly rate applies if not funded)

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Early Drop Off: 07:45 – 08.00 – £2

Breakfast session: 08.00 to school registration; includes light breakfast and a walking bus to school. Costs £8.33 per session, rising to £9.16 in April 26. Children must be dropped off by 08:20 in order to be on time for the walking bus – earlier if they need breakfast. We cannot delay this as other children may be late for registration at school.

Teatime session: End of the normal school day to 17:00; includes walking bus from school and a light tea. Costs £11.70 per session, rising ro £12.87 in April 26.

Late session: This is an additional session which runs from 17:00 to 18:00, for parents who work longer hours or who have further to travel. This costs £6.73 per session, rising to £7.40 in April 26.

School settling in sessions: During the first two weeks in September, we also run an afternoon sessions for children new to The Duchy Primary School to assist parents who need to work whilst the school is operating half day settling in sessions. We collect children at lunchtime and bring them up to the preschool by walking bus. Please inquire for prices and availability if this service would be useful to you.