Our Session Times

  Session
Monday morning        Monday afternoon 9.15 – 12.15        12.15 – 14.45
Tuesday morning        Tuesday afternoon 9.15 – 12.15        12.15 – 14.45
Wednesday 9.15 – 13:30
Thursday morning        Thursday afternoon 9.15 – 12.15        12.15 – 14.45
Friday 9.15 – 13:30

2023/2024 term dates

Cold Ash Pre-school

Term Dates 2023-24

Autumn Term

Term starts:                Monday 4 September

Term ends:                  Friday 20 October

Half term:                    Monday 23 October – Friday 27 October (inclusive)

Term re-starts:            Monday 30 October

Term ends:                  Wednesday 20 December

Christmas holiday:      Thursday 21 December – Friday 5 January (inclusive)

Spring Term 2024

Term starts:                 Monday 8 January

Term ends:                  Friday 9 February

Half term:                    Monday 12 February – Friday 16 February (inclusive)

Term re-starts:            Monday 19 February

Term ends:                  Thursday 28 March

Easter holiday:            Friday 29 March – Friday 12 April (inclusive)

Summer Term 2024

Term starts:                 Monday 15 April

Term ends:                  Friday 24 May

(Bank Holiday:             Monday 6 May)

Half term:                    Monday 27 May – Friday 31 May (inclusive)

Term re-starts:            Monday 3 June

Term ends:                  Friday 19 July

Please note that the Acland Hall is a registered polling station and as such needs to be made available when requested by West Berkshire Council.  As a result there may be ad hoc days when the pre-school needs to close to accommodate this.  Advance notice will always be given to parents.

 

Term Dates 2024-25

Autumn Term 2024   
Staff INSET day: Wednesday 4th September
Term starts:   Thursday 5th September
Term ends:    Friday 25th October (at 1.30pm)                     37 days
Half term:          Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November (inclusive)
Term re-starts: Monday 4th November
Term ends:        Wednesday 18th December (at 1.30pm)        33 days
Christmas holiday:    Thursday 19th December – Friday 3rd January (inclusive)
Spring Term 2025  
Term starts:   Monday 6th January
Term ends:        Friday 14th February (at 1.30pm)                    30 days
Half term:          Monday 17th February – Friday 21st February (inclusive)
Term re-starts:  Monday 24th February
Term ends:        Friday 4th April (at 1.30pm)                             30 days
Easter holiday:  Monday 7th April – Monday 21st April (inclusive)
Summer Term 2025  
Term starts:   Tuesday 22rd April
Term ends:        Friday 23rd May (at 1.30pm)                                        
(Bank Holiday:  Monday 5th May                                                   23 days
Half term:          Monday 26th May – Friday 30th May (inclusive)
Term re-starts:  Monday 2nd June
Term ends:        Tuesday 22nd July (at 1.30pm)                        37 days
                                                                                                   Total: 190 days

Please note that the Acland Hall is a registered polling station and as such needs to be made available when requested by West Berkshire Council.  As a result there may be ad hoc days when the pre-school needs to close to accommodate this.  Advance notice will always be given to parents. 

 

Free Childcare & Parent Fees

Our hourly rate is £5.50 per hour.   Just for information… we are paid considerably less by the local authority for the childcare they ‘fund’.  Which is why we need to charge a Maintenance Fee and fundraise throughout the year.

Universal (15hrs) and Extended (30hrs) Free Childcare

All parents are entitled to 15 hours government funded ‘universal’ child care for their child from the term after they have turned three years old.  Some parents are entitled to 30 hours ‘extended’ funding.  To check your eligibility and find out more please find the government information here: Help with Childcare Costs.

If parents are eligible, we are able to claim this funding on their behalf once we receive a completed declaration form.  Any hours outside of a parents entitlement will incur fees.

PLEASE NOTE: we have to apply for parent funding, EVERY TERM, in the term BEFORE the child is entitled to it… so parents must confirm their session requirements and return their West Berkshire Council ‘Declaration Form’ (for 15 hrs entitlement) and/or their Childcare Tax Code & National Insurance Number (for 30 hrs entitlement) promptly.  Failure to do so may mean we miss the deadline and are unable to claim ‘free’ funding – in which case we will have to invoice parents directly.

One-off Enrolment Fee: in order to secure a place at CAPS we need to charge a one-off Enrolment Fee of £50. This is non-refundable.  Even if parents are in receipt of full government funding, this is an additional cost that cannot be claimed from the government and is to be paid by parents. 

Termly Maintenance Fee: we charge a termly Maintenance Fee of £40 to cover essentials required on a day-to-day basis, such as cleaning supplies, paint, paper, tissues etc and also parents’ subscription to our online learning journey portal, Tapestry.  This fee is charged to all parents regardless of when (in the academic year) they join the pre-school. Even if they are in receipt of full government funding, this is an additional cost that cannot be claimed from the government and is therefore to be paid by parents.