Abbey Nursery

Admissions

The nursery follows the local authority’s vision for the promotion of equality and celebrating diversity, through the admission procedure and the services that are offered. The nursery is committed to eliminating discrimination on the grounds of class, age, disability, colour, ethnic origin, national origin, race, faith, gender, sexual persuasion or marital status. 

The Nursery is widely advertised in places that are accessible to all sections of the community. Admission to Abbey Nursery will be through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.

Places will be offered according to the following criteria:

• Children who are looked after or have day care as part of their care plan.
• Children of families living within Barking and Dagenham.
• Children who are able to access two-year-old funding.
• Children who live in neighbouring boroughs.

Up to 20% of places will be available to the children of parents who:

• Live and are employed as key workers in Barking and Dagenham
• Live outside the borough but are employed as key workers in Barking and Dagenham

Nursery Fees

Fees can be by direct debit, In person or over the telephone and through Tax Free-Credits.. Please see the Nursery manager or leadership team for more details.

Our fees as of April 2026:

Childcare Costs and Chargeable extras at Abbey Nursery

All three and four year old’s are entitled to 15 hours of free education a week, for 38 weeks of the year (term time). Visit Free Early Learning website for more information on Free Early Learning for your child in Barking & Dagenham.

The government also has the ‘extended offer’, of 30 Hours of free childcare, for three and four year old’s which is applicable to working families. To find out whether you are eligible please visit Best Start in Life – Best Start in Life , where you can also apply for other types of nursery funding including tax free childcare to help with childcare costs.

Some children are entitled to free childcare hours each week (either 15 hours or 30 hours, depending on age and family circumstance). These hours are either given during school terms only – up to 38 weeks per year OR – 51 weeks of the year – which works out as:

Stretched funding (spread across 51 weeks of the year)

Instead of using all the hours in term time weeks, the same total hours can be spread across the whole year. This means fewer funded hours each week (11 or 22 depending on your entitlement), but invoices stay more even, so parents pay similar amounts each month for any additional hours needed.

• 570 hours per year for children eligible for 15 hours
• 1140 hours per year for children eligible for 30 hours

Here is an idea of what our weekly costs may look like for a parent needing full time childcare (50 hours per week), who is entitled to 30 hours funding per week-through the stretched offer, that is not paying for any consumables or additional services and has not been late:

Description	Unit	Unit Cost	Line Total
Free entitlement hours – 30 hours per week (stretched offer = 22 hours per week)	Weekly	Free	Free
Additional hours purchased – 28 hours per week (Child attends full time Mon-Fri, 8am -6pm)	Weekly	£164.64	£164.64
Meals/ snacks/Tea (we currently charge for lunch only) Breakfast, Lunch and Tea plus snack twice daily	Per Week	£6.00	£6.00
Consumables such as, Sun cream (parents encouraged to provide their own, so no additional charge) Late Collection Fee	Daily         Per Minute	£2.00       £1.00	£0.00         £0.00
Additional services to Curriculum such as Trips and Outings	Dependent on location Ad Hoc	£0.00	£0.00
		Total payable Weekly	£170.64

At Abbey Nursery we accept the governments Tax Free Credit scheme which can further help parents with childcare costs.

Tax-Free Credit scheme – At a Glance

• Government tops up childcare costs for working parents.
• For children 0–11 (up to 17 for children with SEND).
• Single parents qualify; couples usually need both working.
• Not for families on Tax Credits, Universal Credit, or childcare vouchers (switching stops those benefits).
• Income: earn at least minimum wage but under £100k.
• Self-employed: £152/week average (no minimum in first year).
• Can be used with 30 hours funded childcare.
• Families on Tax Credits/Universal Credit usually save more with those schemes.

Free childcare funding

Term‑time only funding (approximately 38 weeks of the years)

This would be offered at 15 hours per week for approx. 38 weeks of the year. Your child would attend either a.m. OR p.m. sessions Monday-Friday at Nursery. The Local Authority (Barking and Dagenham) determines the term dates that they will fund – funded term dates can differ from academic dates, so it’s important to refer to the funding calendar for Barking and Dagenham.

Settling into Nursery

Our nursery is a welcoming space where babies and young children settle in with ease, surrounded by caring adults and an atmosphere that helps them feel right at home. We want every parent and carer to feel confident in their child’s wellbeing and truly valued as active partners in their learning journey. We celebrate each child’s individuality, taking thoughtful care to understand and support the unique needs and circumstances of every family who joins our community.

• All nursery practitioners work in partnership with parents/carers to settle the child into the nursery environment.
• The nursery is happy for parents/carers to contact it at any time during the day to ask questions about their child’s progress.
• A key person will be allocated to each child and their family, before the child starts to attend.
• Parents and carers are asked to follow our settling‑in timetable, which includes staying with their child long enough for them to feel secure — and for you to feel confident about leaving. Most children settle comfortably within three to five days.
• We arrange settling‑in sessions at times when our whole team is available, so children can be welcomed calmly and given plenty of focused support as they get to know us. We do not book settling at the very start or end of the day, as we want families to have a relaxed, unhurried experience with a consistent team on hand.
• No child will be taken on an outing from the nursery until they are completely settled.

Home Visit

After a child has been offered a place at the nursery, arrangements will be made for practitioners to visit the child at home.  This meeting will provide an opportunity for the child to meet their key person in the security of the home. A home visit bag with some toys may be taken along for the child and provide an opportunity for the key person to interact and get to know the child. The manager/deputy will be able to discuss the child’s interests and levels of development with the parent/carer. The manager/deputy will also have an opportunity to talk to the parent/carer about what the nursery has to offer their child and also discuss any concerns that the parent may have about starting nursery.

First Settling Day

In addition to the home visit, the parent/carer will visit the nursery with their child. This will allow them to familiarise themselves with the environment, nursery routines, other practitioners, and some of the other children. This session should be an enjoyable experience for child and parent/carer.

At this time:

• The child and parent/carer will be shown around the nursery and any routines can be explained to the parent/carer.
• They will hand back any documentation given to complete from their home visit
• The child will have an opportunity to explore the nursery and play with the resources at their leisure and meet other practitioners and children.
• The key person will further discuss upcoming days of the settling-in timetable with the parent/carer (this timetable will be recorded and agreed by the parent/carer).

Outline of what will happen on the settling days

• Day one – the child and parent/carer spend time together in the setting. They will also need to have returned any signed forms that the nursery did not receive on their first visit to the nursery or that were left with them at the home visit. The child is told that the parent/carer will not leave and will stay as planned.
• Day two – as the child demonstrates that they are comfortable in the setting, consideration will be given to the parent/carer leaving the room for short periods and going to another part of the premises. The child should know and understand exactly when this will be and where the parent/carer will be. If the child shows signs of distress or wants to check where the parent/carer is, then this should be addressed as appropriate.
• Day three – when the child has demonstrated that they are comfortable with this, consideration can be given to making the periods longer and to the parent/carer leaving the premises following the same pattern described in day two.
• Day four and five – the programme for these two days will have been agreed with the parent/carer at the end of the third day and is dependant on how the child responds to your absence.
• Child’s first full day – parents/carers separate from their child as planned. It is considered that most children will be happy to be left after this five-day timetable but there is a need for flexibility according to individual children’s progress.
• For their own peace of mind, parents/carers are always welcome to ring to ask about their child during the settling-in period or at any time.
• During the first six weeks of starting nursery, parents/carers will have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress with their key person.

Parent/Carers Partnership

Parents are the children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents/carers and nursery practitioners work together in partnership, the results have a positive impact on a child’s development and learning. Working in partnership requires discussion and a commitment to sharing information.

The nursery will respect and value the views and ideas of the family. Parents/carers will be kept fully informed about the everyday activities in the nursery and should be encouraged to contribute their own particular skills to enrich the programme in line with the guidance Development Matters in the Early years Foundation Stage September 2021 (EYFS).

• All parent/carers are welcome to visit the nursery at any time.
• All parents/carers will have easy access to the nursery’s policies and procedures and Parents handbook.
• Parents/carers are involved in the shared record keeping about their child, both formally and informally. Parents/carers will have access to their children’s records.
• Parents/carers are able to discuss their child’s progress with their key person.
• Practitioners will be available to offer advice and support.
• Information about nursery activities, events and any changes in routines are regularly provided.
• Parents/carers’ comments and suggestions are encouraged and must be recorded in the child’s learning journey every term.