Question 1

What are your opening times?

Accepted Answer

We are a term time only setting that follows the Hampshire County Council term dates. We open from 9.00am to 2.45pm although we do offer an early bird club from 8.15am. As well as attending for the whole day, children can come for a morning session which ends at 12.00pm.

Question 2

Do you have funded places?

Accepted Answer

We accept both the universal 15 hour funding for three years olds as well as the 30 hour funding for those parents who are eligible. We charge a small hourly fee of £1.10 for funded hours to cover the snack, consumables and other activities that we provide and that are outside the basic provision we receive funding for.

Question 3

What will my child have for lunch?

Accepted Answer

Children that stay for lunch have a two course hot meal each day. This is included in the fees for privately funded children and costs £2.80 for funded children. Children cannot bring in a packed lunch. We can cater for special diets and allergies as well, just let us know.

Question 4

Will they go outside if it is raining?

Accepted Answer

We try to use our nursery gardens whatever the weather. We ask that the children arrive for
the day wearing clothes and footwear appropriate for the day’s weather. On arrival, the
children change into indoor slippers and then put on their outdoor footwear when they go
out. Puddle suits and/or waterproof trousers are a must as well!

Question 5

When are invoices sent/due?

Accepted Answer

Our invoicing software calculates the cost of childcare and then pro ratas this across 12 equal monthly payments. Spreading the cost like this means that in months of uninterrupted care (i.e. no school holidays) the invoice will be the same as in months such as December and August where there are holidays. This makes tax free childcare, voucher payments and direct debits easier to set up. Invoices need to be paid by the 1st of each month and are sent home a week prior to this.

Question 6

How will I be kept up to date with how my child is doing in nursery?

Accepted Answer

We use the brilliant ‘Famly’ nursery school management app. This is the main way we communicate with parents both individually or as a group. Your children’s progress as well as posts telling you what they’re up to, general updates for parents, menus for the week and everything else in nursery life happens on Famly.

Question 7

Does my child have to be potty trained in order to attend?

Accepted Answer

We believe children should only be encouraged to progress onto using a toilet or potty when they are ready. We will look out for development signs and then work alongside families to manage this when the time comes. Children who are still in nappies will need to supply these. Our Owlets and Nestlings have nappy changes logged on Famly.

Question 8

Which is your feeder infant school?

Accepted Answer

We are often asked whether attendance will make any difference to getting a place in a particular infant school. Most of our children attend Old Basing Infant School but attendance here does not factor in to being allocated a place. We have also had children go to Great Binfields and other Basingstoke schools. We work closely with whichever schools we have children going to, to try and make this transition as smooth as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions