Nursery / 30 Hours Funding

Rialize work in partnership with Bridgewater School to support the Nursery. Rialize will oversee the lunch club and afternoon sessions. This is part of the Government initiative for 15 hours & Working Families Funding which Bridgewater are offering.

Our sessions will be staffed by:

Mrs Ria (Hales) - Manager at Rialize - Ria has a BA in Early Childhood Studies, a foundation degree and is a qualified Forest School teacher and has a Masters degree in Early Childhood and Education.

Mrs Claire (Pearce) - Level 3 qualified, Claire works both mornings and afternoon with lots of previous experience in early years day care, she works 5 days per week.

Mrs (Jane) Barker - Level 3 qualified and brings a wealth of experience having worked in various settings in Berkhamsted. Jane works 3 days.

Mrs (Jo) Maunders - joined our team in 2019, is has gained lots of experience in our Nursery setting and works with us 3 days.

Ms Lily (Dixon) - Level 3 qualified, Lily works 4 days per week and loves working in the Early Years sector.

Mrs Ali (Bunting) - Manager at Rialize, Ali is Level 3 qualified and has worked in childcare settings for over 20 years, she covers ad hoc sessions.

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If you would like more information about the Nursery applications and funding please contact Mrs Skelding or Mrs Holmes-Higgin via the School Office, or contact us in the usual way, and we would be happy to answer any questions for you.

We work in conjunction with Bridgewater School running the wrap around nursery sessions.

We currently offer:

15 Hours’ Free Childcare Provision (3–4-year-old funding)

All 3-4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours per week free childcare provision. Bridgewater School prefer that you use your 15 hours funding for 5 morning sessions at Bridgewater School Nursery. However, appreciating that everyone’s needs are different, if you choose the minimum of 3 mornings (including a Friday), you can use the remainder of your 15 hours for lunch club and afternoon sessions with Rialize. As we ask that the children attend a minimum of 3 lunch clubs per week, or 3 lunch clubs and 3 afternoon sessions per week, some of the sessions will fall outside of your 15 hours free childcare provision. The extra sessions would be part of your 30 hours’ free childcare provision, if you are eligible, or would be chargeable.

Please see below for details of the charges.

Working Families Entitlement (30 Hours’ Free Childcare)

Working families who meet the criteria are eligible for Working Families Entitlement. Parents will need to provide evidence of their eligibility code before being offered a 30 hours’ place. Should this 30-hour code expire during your child(ren)s time at our Nursery then you will be expected to pay for the sessions you confirmed with us when accepting a place, unless Rialize agree otherwise. Your additional 15 hours funding (to a total 30 hours) can be used for lunch club, afternoon or after school sessions - term time only. Again, we will ask that you sign up for a minimum of 3 lunch clubs and 3 afternoon sessions, where relevant. This should include a Friday, if not attending all week.

Paying for childcare/additional sessions (charges for 2025/26).

Additional sessions which can either be paid for, or chosen as part of your free childcare hours are as follows:

• 11.30am – 12pm, Lunch Club (£5.00 if you have to pay for lunch club). Parents/carers need to provide a nut free packed lunch.

• 12pm - 3pm, Afternoon Nursery Session (£21.00 if you have to pay for the afternoon session). NB a minimum of 3 afternoon sessions must be chosen.

• 3pm - 6pm, Rialize After School Club (£21.00 if you have to pay for after school club)

The following session can be booked, but is always a PAID session. You cannot use your free childcare provision for this session:

• 7.30am - 8.30am, Rialize Breakfast Club - £11.00 (breakfast is provided)