Nursery Intake - January 2025 - FAQs

Please read our FAQs below - for girls joining Nursery in January 2025 who have already turned three.

  1. How many terms will my daughter complete in Nursery? Should your daughter start in January 2025, she will complete five terms in Nursery. 
  1. Is it possible to take a part-time Nursery place? No, all Nursery places are offered on a full-time basis. 
  1. Is there a special class for new girls in this intake? Pupils joining in January 2025 will be invited to join a current Nursery class – we will host a settling in and Q&A coffee morning (date tbc) to ensure a smooth transition for new joiners. 
  1. What is the deadline for making a decision about my daughter starting in January 2025? – Please let us know that you would like your daughter to join Nursery in January 2025 by Monday 25 November 2024. 

  1. Will my daughter remain in the same class for the following year with mostly new girls? As ever, we will look at the ages of the current children and the two classes will be put together to ensure a balance of ages across the cohort, however, they will be learning in the same indoor and outdoor learning environment so it will be a familiar space to them and they will be playing with some familiar faces within the cohort too. 
  1. What if my daughter attends a nursery with a two-month notice period? – Your daughter may join after half-term on Monday 24 February 2025. We can arrange a settling in time convenient to you ahead of your daughter’s start date. 
  1. What if I have a pre-existing holiday booked? Families with pre-existing holidays are of course welcome to take their daughters out of school for the trip. Fees will continue to be charged in your daughter’s absence.  

  1. Will I receive my 15-hours Early Years Grant/Tax-Free Childcare? – Your daughter is entitled to 15 hours funding a week at Blackheath High Junior School. This is a universal fund available to all girls in our setting up until the term in which they turn five. Please note that we do not offer 30 hours in our setting and the fund cannot be used for anything other than your daughter’s education. Admissions Officer Emily Browne will send you a Parental Declaration to complete ahead of your daughter starting with us. 

    • It is possible to pay for your daughter’s Nursery fees with a government tax-free childcare account (TFC). Please register on the government website (Tax-Free Childcare - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) – the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) is registered as ‘Kensington Prep’, postcode SW5 5PA. You will be assigned a TFC reference number which you will need to pass on to our Fees Department (feesdepartment@wes.gdst.net) so that they can allocate payments to your account. Any balance not covered by TFC payments will need to be paid manually before the end of term.  
    • Please note that from Reception, TFC may only be used for wraparound care and not for payment of fees. Should you have any questions at all, please contact: feesdepartment@wes.gdst.net. 
  1. What are the next steps? The contract you have signed is valid from September 2025. Should you wish to proceed, we will withdraw and re-offer your daughter a place valid from the Spring term 2025, waiving the deposit. You will need to complete the details and re-sign the contract as instructed by Admissions Officer Emily Browne (e.browne@bla.gdst.net). 

 

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