EYFS Entitlement
Holmewood House is an Early Years provider and chooses to be part of the Early Years Free Entitlement funding scheme, through which eligible 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of free early education per week during school term time. Information on accessing the free entitlement only (without additional chargeable hours) is provided below.
Eligibility
Children become eligible for the free entitlement from the term following their third birthday:
· For children born between 1 January and 31 March: from 1 April following the child’s third birthday
· For children born between 1 April and 31 August: from 1 September following the child’s third birthday
· For children born between 1 September and 31 December: from 1 January following the child’s third birthday
These dates are consistent with those used for determining the commencement of compulsory education and ensure that every child is able to access at least six terms of funded early education before reaching statutory school age.
Each eligible child is entitled to 570 hours of funded early years education per year. As Holmewood House is open for 34 weeks per academic year, children will receive a maximum of 510 funded hours annually. The remaining hours cannot be transferred or claimed at another setting.
Use of funded hours and session structure
Early Years provision at Holmewood House is delivered through a clearly defined session structure. Sessions are offered as:
- Morning 8am – 12pm
- Morning with Lunch 8am – 1pm
- Afternoon 1pm – 3.15pm (can only be attended as part of a full day)
Up to 3 funded hours may be applied to any single session. This allows:
- Up to 6 funded hours per day
- Up to 15 funded hours per week
Holmewood House offers funded hours within the session structure described above. This reflects the School’s pattern of delivery, which is agreed with parents when a place is secured. Funded hours cannot be used outside of this structure.
Any attendance beyond the funded hours will be charged in line with the School’s published fees.
Illustrative examples of charges (based on an 11-week term)
| Session Type | Total Hours | Funded hours applied | Chargeable hours | Charge without EY funding £ | Charge with EY funding |
| 5 Full Days | 36.25 | 15 | 21.25 | 4,845 | 2,840 |
| 5 Mornings with Lunch | 25 | 15 | 10 | 3,341 | 1,337 |
| 5 Mornings | 20 | 15 | 5 | 2,673 | 668 |
| 3 Full Days | 21.75 | 15 | 6.75 | 2,907 | 902 |
| 2 Full Days | 14.5 | 15 | 2.5 | 1,938 | 334 |
Charges and additional services
Food is provided as part of the Early Years provision and is not charged separately.
Any additional charges will be clearly itemised on a termly invoice and may include:
- School trips and activities
- Wrap-around care (Breakfast Club and Owls)
- Voluntary charity collections
These additional charges are optional and are not a condition of accessing the funded entitlement.
Other charges
There is a one-off charge of £150, applied to the first term of attendance for all pupils excluding Pre-Nursery, which covers online subscriptions and textbooks. This charge applies regardless of the number of funded hours used and covers the pupil’s entire time at the School.
Accessing funded hours only
Parents who wish to access only the 15 hours of free early education may do so subject to availability. In these cases, sessions are offered for 3 hours per day from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
For children attending solely under the free entitlement:
- No registration fee is payable
- The full deposit will be refunded within six weeks of the child’s start date
Further information
Details of the School’s hourly rates and worked examples of how funded and chargeable hours are applied will be published alongside the annual fees review before the start of the Summer Term.
The School reserves the right to withdraw from the Early Years Free Entitlement scheme at any time and will endeavour to give one term’s notice should this occur.
Holmewood House delivers Early Years Free Entitlement funding in accordance with statutory guidance and Kent County Council requirements, ensuring transparent charging, optional additional services, and non-discriminatory access to funded provision.
