Day care fees
We continually review our fees to make sure we are fair and competitive for the high level of personal service we provide and the ongoing investment we make in our settings.
Full details of our fees can be found in our
From 1 April 2026
Most working parents will be entitled to claim government funding for their child from the school term after they turn 9 months old. We will help you through the process.
Our minimum attendance is two days per week, for 51 weeks of the year. We close for one week at Christmas and on other bank holidays. We do not offer term-time only places.
For 3&4 year olds
All parents qualify to claim 15 hours of ‘universal’ funding for 38 weeks of the year = 570 hours.
If eligible, parents will also be able to claim 15 hours of ‘extended’ funding for 38 weeks of the year = a further 570 hours = a total of 1,140 hours.
For children aged 9 months to 3 years old
If eligible, parents will be able to claim 30 hours of funding for 38 weeks of the year = 1,140 hours.
In all cases, we stretch the funding over the number of weeks we are open each year. For the calendar year 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, we are open for 49.4 weeks of the year. This excludes all bank holidays and our Christmas closure which includes Christmas Eve 2026.
This means, for 30 hours funding we can claim 1,140 hours ÷ 49.4 weeks = 23 hours per week. For 15 hours funding we can claim 570 hours ÷ 49.4 weeks = 11.5 hours per week.
Under 2 year olds
2 year olds
*Consumables Charge from the school term after their second birthday.
3 and 4 year olds
*Consumables Charge from the school term after their third birthday.
| Age | Full day (no funding) | Government funded day (10 hours - full or partial) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully funded day | Partially funded day (30 hours eligibility = 23 hrs funding per week = day 3 only) | Partially funded day (15 hours eligibility = 11.5 hrs funding per week = day 2 only) | |||||||
| 10 hrs funded | Meals and snacks* | 3 hrs funded | 7 hrs not funded | Meals and snacks* | 1.5 hrs funded | 8.5 hrs not funded | Meals and snacks* | ||
| 3&4 | £80.00 | No charge | £16.00 | No charge | £56.00 | £4.80 | No charge | £68.00 | £2.40 |
| 2 | £88.00 | No charge | £12.00 | No charge | £61.60 | £3.60 | Not applicable | ||
| Under 2 | £88.00 | No charge | £8.00 | No charge | £61.60 | £2.40 | Not applicable | ||
* Meals and snacks
OPT IN: Includes breakfast, mid-morning snack, hot lunch freshly prepared each day by our in-house cook, mid-afternoon snack and afternoon tea. All allergies/intolerances catered for.
OPT OUT: Parents would be provided with full details of what can and cannot be brought into nursery each day. Allergies and intolerances of other children and staff must be considered.
| Consumables | Cost |
|---|---|
| Parents are required to bring in their child’s nappies, wipes and cream, and sunscreen when the weather demands. | Not applicable |
| Trips | Cost |
| Offsite trips are optional. Parents would be advised of the cost of each trip, but they do not have to send their child. | Typically, £5 - £20 per trip |
| Late collection fee | Cost |
| Should a child not be collected by 6pm, a fee may be charged to cover the costs for the two members of staff who need to stay behind. | £15 for up to 15 minutes late, £30 for 15 to 30 minutes late, etc. |
| Late payment fee | Cost |
| Fees are expected to be paid by the due date shown on each invoice. A charge of £10 may be made for frequent late payments. | £10 for frequent late payments |
| Tax Free Childcare | |
| Parents who are eligible to claim 30 hours funding for 38 weeks of the year for their child, will also be eligible to set up a Tax Free Childcare account with HMRC. This will provide a 20% saving on the above costs, subject to a limit of £2,000 per annum per child. Some parents may be able to claim some of the above costs via Universal Credit. | |
| Invoices | |
| Monthly invoices will be sent to parents via the Famly app. Weekly charges and, if applicable, funded hours will be shown on invoices. | |
The cost covers the care, education and meals and snacks for your child. Consumables and trips are not included – see details below.
* The government will pay Once upon a time a level of funding for three different age groups that they believe covers the cost of providing ‘adequate care and education’ for your child at our nursery schools. The funding excludes the cost of meals and snacks, consumables and trips.
2 year olds: £12
Under 2s: £8
Parents who are eligible to claim 30 hours funding for 38 weeks of the year for their child,
will also be eligible to set up a Tax Free Childcare account with HMRC. This will provide a 20% saving on the above costs, subject to a limit of £2,000 per annum per child. Some parents may be able to claim some of the above costs via Universal Credit.
A ‘Statement of Fees’ will be produced for each school term. This will show the total number of days to be attended and the number of funded hours we will claim from the government on your behalf. It will also show the total fees for the term and the fees that will be invoiced each month.
Government funding
Three and four-year-olds
This funding starts from the school term after a child’s third birthday.
All children qualify for 15 ‘Universal’ funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. This totals 570 hours per year (15 x 38).
Eligible working parents also qualify for a further 15 ‘Extended’ funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. If this applies, a maximum of 30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year can be claimed. This totals 1,140 hours per year (30 x 38).
9 months to under 3 year-olds
Since September 2025, eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to three years old have qualified for 30 hours of government funding.
Important notes
Whether your qualifies for 15 or 30 hours of government funding, it is for 38 weeks of the year. Like most day care nursery schools, we stretch the funding over the number of weeks we are open each year.
It is a parent’s responsibility to re-confirm their eligibility for government funding every three months.
To check your eligibility for government funding, click here
Are funded hours free?
The government believes that their funding covers the full cost of a child’s care and education. We strongly disagree. However, so that parents do not miss out on this help with their childcare costs, we do accept funding for all age groups.
Furthermore, nursery schools are allowed to charge for the meals and snacks provided during the day and certain other consumables. However, this is optional for the funded hours and should parents choose to ‘opt out’ of paying our ‘Meals and snacks fee’, they would have to supply all the meals and snacks that their child would consume at nursery in line with specific guidelines.
A funding claim form is provided each term for parents to check and sign. This allows us to claim the funding direct from Norfolk County Council via an online portal.
Norfolk County Council has produced this Parent Booklet
Tax Free Childcare
This was introduced in 2018 as a cost-effective way to help thousands of parents pay for childcare. Eligible parents simply set up an online savings scheme with HMRC and the government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay. Put another way, every £100 of nursery school fees will cost you £80.
Eligible parents are entitled to government funding and Tax Free Childcare (TFC) – a double whammy!
There is a maximum amount you can claim every three months, and there are some terms and conditions, but most Once upon a time parents pay their fees via a TFC account.
It is a parent’s responsibility to re-confirm their eligibility for Tax Free Childcare every three months.
For more details