Free nursery education places
Free flexible nursery education for three and four year
olds
The term after a child’s third birthday they are entitled to a
free part-time nursery place.
You can choose for your child to receive their nursery education
from a provider which can be either:
- A private day nursery which in on Knowsley’s provider
register
- A maintained school nursery
You can claim your child’s nursery education place from a
maximum of two providers. Not every provider in Knowsley is
registered to offer nursery education. To be eligible, providers of
childcare must register with Knowsley Early Years Service and be
registered with Ofsted. A full list of registered providers is
available from the Childcare Information Service.
Nearly all Knowsley primary schools have a nursery class
attached. The children are supported in their learning, development
and care, and enjoy play based experiences, both indoors and
outdoors, as set out in the national Early Years Foundation Stage
Framework.
Parents and carers are very welcome in the nurseries and are
encouraged to play an active part in their child’s education. Staff
will share information with you on your child’s progress and they
will welcome your views on your child’s needs and interests. Often,
nurseries can lend families books or equipment and offer a
programme of activities to support learning and development at
home.
Places in Knowsley school nurseries are generally offered on a
part-time basis - either a morning or an afternoon session five
days a week. Some school nurseries are able to offer a more
flexible delivery of the 15 hours.
- Three and four year olds are entitled to five free sessions a
week, each of 3 hours, for 38 weeks of the year. This usually means
five morning or five afternoon sessions.
- Older four year olds are in reception classes and have a free
full-time place.
Private nurseries who provide nursery education can offer the
equivalent of fifteen hours for 38 weeks in a flexible way.
Where nurseries often offer additional childcare on top of the free
hours this would be at a cost to parents / carers.
Should parents/carers need to find out what each nursery can
offer and any related costs, a full list of registered providers is
available from the Childcare Information Service.
