Applying for a Nursery & Pre-School Place

To apply for a place at Dunalley Nursery & Pre-School, we ask that a parent or carer with parental responsibility completes our application form.

Once we receive your form, we’ll check availability and get back to you as soon as possible.

 

Nursery & Pre-school Terms & Conditions 

Terms & Conditions Agreement The following terms and conditions form part of your registration agreement. Terms are subject to change. Please read carefully.

Dunalley Pre-School and Nursery operation and admissions
The Nursery & Pre-school is open Monday to Friday from 09:00am to 3:00pm, 38 weeks a year term time, excluding bank holidays, school INSET days and school holidays. Term dates are the same as those for Dunalley Primary School and will be published on the website.

Children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old are accepted.

All children must be registered with the preschool and nursery prior to attendance.

Parents can request a place for their child by contacting the dnp@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk or calling 01242 512391.

We happily take on children, aged 2, 3 and 4 years, within our registered numbers, including those children who are entitled to government funding, and will not discriminate against children, or their families, for reasons such as race, sex, religion or ability.

We hold a waiting list for children once our provision is full. Parents will be contacted as soon as a place becomes available. It is a parent’s choice whether to accept the offered place.

In signing this agreement, you are agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions, from the first day that your child starts at Dunalley Nursery and Pre-school.

Payment of Fees  
Invoices are sent out at the beginning of each month. Fees are due upon receipt of your invoice and payable within 7 days of the invoice date.

All children in Gloucestershire are entitled to 15 hours a week funded early years education, which can be claimed by the setting, depending on circumstances. For us to claim this funding on your behalf we must see your child’s original birth certificate ahead of their start date.

2-year-old funding can be used for 3-year-old children before their 3-year-old funding becomes active. To find out if you are eligible for this funding visit NEW 9 to 23-month-old funding for working families from September 2024 | Early Years Service .

Dunalley Pre-School and Nursery also accept the Government’s 30-hour funding for those who qualify. If you’re eligible for the extra hours, you must sign up online to get a code which you need to then provide us with. See https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and- education-for-2-to-4-year-olds for more details.

It is a parent’s responsibility to apply for 2-year-old and 30-hour funding and to provide us with the eligibility code.
If fees are unpaid 2 weeks after the invoice being issued, Dunalley School has the right to refuse any unfunded hours or additional provisions provided.

If fees remain unpaid after a reminder being issued, Dunalley School reserves the right to begin legal proceedings against parents to recover any dishonored payments in line with the Debt Policy.

Notice to terminate or alter sessions
4 weeks' notice must be given in writing to terminate your child’s place.

Session change requests can only be made half-termly, in advance of the start of the next half term.

Session swaps are not permitted on a casual basis.

Non-Attendance
A refund of fee payments cannot be given in respect of sickness, holidays, or pre-school closures due to circumstances beyond our control.

Arrival and Collection
Children will be welcomed by a member of staff upon arrival and should never be left to enter the pre-school alone. Arrival and departure times are strictly recorded on attendance registers. Only parents/guardians and authorised collectors over the age of 18 will be permitted to collect a child from pre-school. A charge of £30 will apply to unarranged care such as early drop off or late collection. This should be paid to the pre- school within seven days of invoice.

For clarity we would consider the third late pick-up unacceptable and will cancel future bookings.

Medicine, illness, absence and emergencies
We are happy to administer prescribed medicines if your child is well enough to attend pre- school. You will be asked to complete a medicine form via the EduLink App. We will not administer medication without this information. Non-Prescribed Medicines must not usually be administered in early years settings. This is in line with the Primary School’s Medicine Policy.

First aid trained staff are always available and able to administer first aid in an emergency.

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Before starting at the pre-school, parents/carers are expected to provide detailed information regarding any special needs that their child may have for us to provide the appropriate care and learning opportunities. The pre-school has an appointed Special Educational Needs Coordinator (Senco) who will liaise with you as required.

Safeguarding and Welfare of children
The safeguarding and welfare of children is paramount. It is therefore essential that parents/carers understand that we have a legal obligation to contact the appropriate authorities if we feel a child is at risk of possible harm.

We have robust recruitment and ongoing supervision procedures to ensure that staff caring for the children are suitable to do so.

Equal Opportunities
Registration of children and recruitment of staff will be without prejudice or discrimination of any kind. Dunalley’s Equality Statement and Objectives are available upon request and can be accessed via the school’s website.

Policies and procedures
All policies, procedures and working practices are in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Please see the Pre-school Manager if you would like to receive any further information.

In signing this agreement, you agree to the above terms and conditions.

Signed:

Parent/Guardian name:

Date:

 

Statement of intent
At Dunalley Nursery and Preschool all children are welcomed and valued.
It is our intention to make our setting accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community.

Aim
We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the setting through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures. We ensure that the existence of our setting is advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.

Admissions Procedure
The application process includes a completed application form indicating which sessions are preferred. Please remember that we are not able to guarantee these sessions will be available.

We operate the following admissions procedure:

• A minimum of 12 hours are required to be taken: families should be aware that it may be confusing for young children to attend more than one setting. All children are entitled to receive 15 hours of free nursery funding the term after their third birthday.

Intakes are usually in September, January and April. 

Child’s birthday	When you can claim
1 January to 31 March	The beginning of term on or after 1 April
1 April to 31 August	The beginning of term on or after 1 September
1 September to 31 December	The beginning of term on or after 1 January

• The admission of a ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence, or guardianship order, or children with special educational needs for whom an education health and care plan (“EHC plan”) has been issued by the local authority and after discussion to ensure needs can be met.
   
• Children who have siblings attending Dunalley School or Dunalley Nursery and Preschool. 

• We operate a first on our waiting list, (first come, first served) basis.

A place on the waiting list does not guarantee a place at the Dunalley Nursery and Preschool. 

A place at Dunalley Nursery and Preschool does not guarantee a place at Dunalley School. 

The names of children who have not achieved an offer of a place will be ranked on the waiting list in accordance with the order of priority, not in accordance with the date that the application for admission was received.  This means that a chld's name may go down as well as up the waiting list as further applications for admission are received for children with higher priority.

Settling in sessions
Parent and Child Settling-in sessions will take place before children are formally admitted to nursery if possible so that families can meet with their child’s key worker and begin to build relationships to support a secure and smooth transition. Nursery staff will discuss times and settling in days with families.  

Appeals
We aim to provide a fair and consistent application of places.  However, if you feel unhappy with the procedure, in the first instance, please speak to the manager of the setting.  If we are unable to meet your requirements and you feel that you have been unfairly treated, and the matter cannot be resolved by speaking to the manager, please put your concerns in writing to Mrs Godfrey, Head Teacher.  Your written concerns will be considered according to our appeals procedure by the Head teacher and the Governor appointed to oversee the nursery. 

    Appeals procedure

1. Parent to discuss issue with manager
2. If not resolved, parent to put reasons in writing to Head teacher
3. Head teacher to liaise with Governor representative to consider the case
4. Head teacher to provide a written response to parent and nursery

 This policy should be read in conjunction with our terms and conditions.

• Funding applies during core hours: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• From September 2025:
  • Childcare funding is available for children starting the term after they turn 9 months old.
• Eligible working families:
  • You may be eligible for 30 hours funding (subject to criteria).
• For children aged 3 and above:
  • All receive universal 15 hours funding.

Childcare Choices/Free Funded Hours/Tax Free Childcare & More HERE

Visiting Nursery & Pre-School:  
Please contact us either by phone on 01242 512391 or via email  dnp@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk  to discuss a visit.
Please refer to our terms and conditions for pricing information.

Funding: Used during our core hours 9am - 3pm

Childcare funding is available for children, starting the term after they turn 2 years old. All children can receive universal 15 hours or you may be eligible for 30 hours funding. For more information follow the link below:

 

Come and See Our Nursery & Pre-School!

We’d love to welcome you for a visit and show you what makes our early years setting so special.

📞 Call us: 01242 512391
📧 Email us: dnp@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk

Get in touch to arrange a time that works for you—we can’t wait to meet you!