Free nursery hours in Acton and Sudbury – apply to Melrose Nursery Schools

Melrose Nursery School is pleased to inform all parents that we’re accepting applications under the 15 hours’ free nursery program and the 30 hours’ free nursery scheme at our Acton and Sudbury centres.

Please read more below or please contact us with any questions you have or to book a visit to your local centre.

15 hours’ free nursery (Acton and Sudbury)

For children aged 3 or older in England, families can receive 15 hours’ free nursery care a week - that’s 570 hours a year worth of free childcare or early education.

The government recommends that the 15 hours’ free nursery care be taken as an average each week over 38 weeks of the year. However, how parents choose to allocate their free nursery hours is up to them.

30 hours’ free nursery (Acton and Sudbury)

For some families, their number of free nursery hours doubled to 1,140 per year from September 2017.

To qualify, both partners must be working. For single parents, you must be working. You (and your partner, if it applies) need to earn at least the equivalent of sixteen hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage, depending on your circumstances.

If you started a business in the last 12 months, you can also apply for free nursery hours. There is no minimum earnings threshold needed to qualify for 30 hours’ nursery care if you’re in the first year of running your own company.

If one of you is working and the other is in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Carer’s Allowance, Employment & Support Allowance, or Severe Disablement Allowance, you may qualify.

If you (or your partner, if it applies) earn more than £100,000 a year, your child does not normally live with you, or you have a foster child, 30 hours’ free nursery care is not available to you.

Choosing an approved childcare provider

To qualify for 15 hours’ free nursery or 30 hours’ free nursery, you must choose an approved childcare provider. Free nursery hours-approved childcare providers include:

  • Registered childminders
  • Registered play schemes
  • Registered nurseries
  • Registered clubs
  • A childcare agency registered with OFSTED
  • An OFSTED-registered school’s early years childcare provision
  • A home care worker working for a registered home care provider agency

Melrose Private Nursery Schools centres in Acton and Sudbury are all approved free nursery hours childcare providers. So, you can send your children to us for your 15 hours’ free nursery time or 30 hours’ free nursery time.

Qualifying for free nursery hours – contact us

For 15 hours’ free nursery time, you don’t need to set up an account on the Government’s website to benefit. Simply speak with one of our team based at our Acton and Sudbury Centres – they’ll provide you with the information you need on the 15 hours’ free nursery scheme and they can give you any forms that you need to complete.

To apply for 30 hours’ free nursery care, register on the Government website. The process takes about twenty minutes and you will need your National Insurance number (or Unique Taxpayer Reference if you work for yourself). If you’d like to speak with us prior to making your application, please do call – we’d love to hear from you.

Whether you’re applying for the 15 hours’ free nursery time or the 30 hours’ free nursery time at Acton and Sudbury admissions are staged according to the date your child was born on. Your child can start their free nursery hours in the Summer/April term if they were born between 1st January and 31st March.

If they were born between 1st April and 31st August, they can start their free nursery hours in the Autumn/September term. For children born between 1st September and 31st December, their free nursery hours begin in January.