Funding
3 year Funding
Universal Funding
We currently offer all children 15 hours of funded (term time) childcare from the term after their 3rd birthday. This is automatically deducted from your child’s invoice, and we claim this direct from the government.
Extended Funding
There are certain situations in which parents can claim additional ‘extended’ funding which allows them to access 30 hours of funded childcare term time however you will need to apply through the HM Revenue and Customs website, please see our useful links page.
If you’re eligible for 30 hours funded childcare, you’ll receive a 30-hour eligibility code.
We require you to complete and return a form which will contain your 11-digit eligibility code, your National Insurance number, your child’s date of birth and your signature which gives us permission to process your request to access the funding.
Please note that we require the code before the beginning of the term that you wish to claim for. (i.e., 31st March for April start, 31st August for September start, 30th December for January start.)
Every three months, you’ll need to reconfirm that you’re still eligible, you’ll be reminded to reconfirm 4 weeks before the deadline.
We won’t need to see the code each time, our systems will recheck the same code.
If you fall out of eligibility the funding doesn’t stop straight away, there is a grace period of up to a term. This allows for you to either reduce your child’s hours or for your situation to change to fall back into eligibility.
For further help and information, you can call HM Revenue and Customs Helpline on 0300 123 4097 or visit childcare choices
2 year Funding
We accept 2 year funding for eligible children, this in the form of 15 hours per week over the term time period.
Parents can apply for this funding if they 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, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
- tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
2-year-olds can also get funded childcare if they:
- are looked after by a local authority
- have a statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order
For further information or to check your eligibility and then apply please visit 2 Year Funding or call 0345 155 101
Military Wrap-around Funding
The WAC (Wraparound Childcare) scheme is designed to assist working service families with the cost of before and after school childcare during term time for children aged between 4-11 years.
For more information and to find out if you are eligible, visit MOD Benefits
OFSTED
Below is a link to our most recent OFSTED Inspection, which took place in 2021.
We as a team are very proud to be graded ‘Good in all areas with elements of outstanding’.
EY555594 OFSTED – Full OFSTED report 
Learning Journals
At Lympstone Preschool we use an online system called Learning journals.
Once your child is Registered with our preschool, we will send an email with log in details to set up your account. From here you will be able to see and comment on personal observations, report any child sickness or Holidays, see and sign incident forms, check scheduled attendance for the term ahead, and receive your invoices.
Parent log in – https://lympstone.yourlearningjournals.co.uk/Login.aspx
OPAL
OPAL reduces paperwork and the need for collecting evidence. This gives us time to spend interacting and playing with your children, not testing them.
OPAL works on the basis of having very simple, six-monthly child developmental milestones. We know that not all children will have ‘typical’ development. OPAL allows us to tell and celebrate each child’s story and focus on the support they need from us.
Curiosity Approach
Within this completely play-based and child-led approach, children become the centre of their own development – or the pilots of their own play. Children are encouraged to explore, experiment, and create, using engaging resources modelled by passionate facilitators. Their innate curiosity is awakened and sparked.
The approach moves away from technology and focuses on the wonder found all around us, here and now. The co-founders believe that modern-day toys are geared towards entertainment, rather than natural play and imagination. Bennett argues that “the more a toy does, the less opportunity a child has to think and communicate”. Curiosity Approach settings instead favour authentic, open-ended resources, and recyclable curiosities, rather than bright, primary colours, or plastic toys.
Within the day, there will still be distinct rhythms, routines, and rituals, such as welcome time, story time, and snack/lunch time, and children will learn during each and every part of their day, whether it be a table-top activity or lunch time.
