Free early education for 2 year olds

Early education for 2 year olds is part of the Government agenda to support and improve outcomes of children through early access to high quality early years settings. Some 2 year olds are eligible for 15 hours free early education funding.

Your 2-year-old can get free early education and childcare if you live in England and get one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit - if you and your partner have a combined income from work of less than £15,400 a year after tax
• tax credits and you have a household annual income of under £16,190 before tax
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

A child can also get free early education and childcare if any of the following apply:

• they’re looked after by a local council
• they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• they get Disability Living Allowance
• they’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order

Eligible children are able to start the term after their second birthday.

To find out if you are entitled to funding, please click on this link: https://myparentportal.oxfordshire.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/parents/freechildcare

3 and 4 Year Old Funding for ALL children 

We also accept children under the Nursery Education Grant Scheme paid directly to Nursery by the Government.  The term after your child’s 3rd birthday you are entitled 15 hours free childcare per week. 

30 Hour Funding

30 hours childcare for three and four year olds is now available for many working families. To check your eligibility for 30 hour funding please visit the Childcare Choices website:  www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. Once you have your code, you still MUST keep renewing it when prompted by HMRC to remain eligible for 30 hours.

From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours childcare support. From September 2024, 15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents of children from the age of 9 months to 3-year-olds.

Early Years Pupil Premium Funding

Early Years Pupil Premium offers extra support for 3 and 4 year old children whose parents meet certain criteria. Oxfordshire County Council will check who is eligible and the funding comes directly to Shrivenham Pre-School.

We will use this additional funding to help support all children with their learning development, enabling us to buy new resources and provide specialist staff training. This helps us ensure the best possible early years outcomes for all children.  In the long term, this will mean better early years outcomes for all children at Shrivenham.