Clover Country Nursery
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Free early learning & childcare

CLOVER COUNTRY NURSERY The Old Schoolhouse, Fala, By Pathhead, EH37 5SY
Tel - 01875 833375  Email - info@clovercountrynursery.com


As from August 2014, children aged 3 and 4 are entitled to 600 hours free early learning and childcare per year, also known as a 'funded place'.  It's now being offered to parents on a more flexible basis. Clover Country Nursery can provide all of your child's free early learning and childcare, or you can split it between 2 providers - the choice is yours. We're in partnership with Midlothian Council to deliver this. Please ask us, and we'd be happy to explain.

Below are some FAQs about early learning and childcare, to give you some guidance.

What is partnership?
Clover is one of a number of private nurseries in Midlothian who have chosen to provide early learning and childcare for children aged 3 and over. This means that your child can be with us for all or some of the 15 hours and 50 mins that your child is entitled to every week for 38 weeks of the year. Partnership is designed to give parents choice as to how they access their child's entitlement, and more information about how is works is below.

I don’t live in Midlothian – can I still come to Clover for my child’s early learning and childcare?
Yes. Where you live does not affect your right to access early learning and childcare as cross border funding applies. If you decide you would like to come to Clover, we provide you with the appropriate paperwork for completion and we deal with all administration.

How does it work?
Your child is entitled to 15 hours and 50 minutes per week of early learning and childcare, for 38 weeks of the year when they reach age 3. This is calculated as being five sessions of 3 hours and 10 minutes per week (but please see about how you can take this time with Clover).
You are entitled to attend a maximum of 2 different providers of early learning and childcare at any one time e.g. your local authority school nursery and Clover. Your child's entitlement to 15 hours and 50 minutes per week of early learning & childcare is split accordingly.  For example, if your child is attending your local authority nursery 2 morning (or afternoon) sessions per week, you are using 6 hours and 20 minutes of your early learning and childcare entitlement.  You can then claim all or part of the balancing 9 hours and 30 minutes with Clover, depending how many sessions you are with us. The current maximum number of hours that can be taken in any one day is 8, so if you wanted to use all your child's entitlement at Clover, you would be able to take 2 x 8 hour days. If you needed any hours at either end of the day, these are available at our additional hourly rate.

When can I start claiming my child’s free early learning and childcare place with you?
Your child can start their free early learning and childcare with us on their 3rd birthday plus 1 month. However, if your child's birthday falls in November, you need to wait until January, and if your child's birthday falls in May, you will need to wait until August. 
Your child may be able to start at their local authority nursery immediately following their 3rd birthday, i.e. there is no need to wait until the start of the next term. This is dependent on your local authority’s own policy and varies from region to region, so please check with them.
You can register your child at your local authority nursery any time after their 2nd birthday, and we would encourage you to do so. It means that the school nursery can allocate a place for your child (although they may not be able to tell you until closer to the time whether you have been given a morning or afternoon place) and can plan accordingly.

What if I feel my child is not ready for Primary 1 at the end of their 2 years of free early learning & childcare?
If your child’s birthday falls in January or February of the year in which they are due to go to school in August, you have an automatic right to ask for your child’s entry to Primary 1 to be deferred to the following August. This should always be discussed with ourselves and your child’s school. We will be able to guide you through the process. Further early learning and childcare funding should be available for your child's deferred year, but unless you live in Midlothian, the responsibility for further funding passes to your own local authority, so you need to speak to your child’s school.
If your child’s birthday is in December or earlier, a strong case for not going to school needs to be made. However, you do have the legal right to defer your child's entry to school if you decide this is what you would like for your child, but your child might might not receive another year's early learning and childcare funding unless your local authority agrees to this.


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  • Home
  • Free early learning & childcare
  • Opening hours & fees
  • Our staff
  • Gallery
  • Contact