Parent Information
Little Fishes is open Monday to Friday, 9:15am to 1pm, term time only for care and education of young children between the ages of 2.5 and 5 years
Session Info
As a community pre-school we pride ourselves on being able to offer fully flexible places, we offer the free entitlement of government funded hours without any extra charges or limitations on how/when you can access these free hours (subject to availability). All children are eligible for up to 15 hours of funded care per week from the term after their third birthday. We also welcome children from 2.5 years as fee payers.
We recommend sessions appropriate for the child’s age and development (further details below) and have a high staff to child ratio ensuring we give the highest level of care and attention to our children.
| Age | No of sessions | Total Hours/wk |
| 2.5-3yrs | 2 | 7.5 |
| 3-3.5yrs | 3 | 11.25 |
| 3.5-4.5yrs | 4 | 15 |
| 3.5-4.5yrs | 5 | 18.75 |
We ask that each child does a minimum of 2 mornings a week, any less and we find that children may find it difficult to settle in.
Snacks and Lunch
We provide a mid-morning snack which the children eat together. We encourage independence and self-service, sharing and pouring milk or water for themselves. We do ask for donations from parents for snack, items such as fruit, crackers, breadsticks and crumpets etc. Please tell us about your child’s allergies or dietary needs and we will plan accordingly.
The session also includes lunch which we feel is an excellent opportunity for the children to socialise with their friends and prepare for going to school. Each child must bring their own packed lunch.
Clothing
At Little Fishes we encourage our children to get messy and have fun outside in all weathers therefore we ask that your child is dressed in clothing suitable for the various activities.
Most children choose to wear our Little Fishes t-shirts and sweatshirts. Children do not have to wear the uniform, but it does save them spoiling their own clothes and having to decide what to wear each day.
T-shirts, sweatshirts, bookbag and draw string bags for spare clothes and more are available to buy from MyClothing- Little Fishes Pre-School – My Clothing
Fees and Funding
A £50 refundable deposit is payable to secure your child’s place. This is refunded 6 weeks after your child starts with us.
Our fees (subject to change each September) for September 2022 – July 2023 are £23.44 per session. A session is 3.75 hours long.
Invoices are issued per term, in Autumn, Spring and Summer (approximately 12-14 weeks). These are payable in advance.
Please see our Terms and Conditions for more details.
For more information on fees or payment plans, please speak to the Pre-School Business Manager.
3 & 4 Year Old Funding
All children aged 3 and 4 are entitled to a maximum of 15 funded hours a week of Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Early Education Funding (up to a maximum of 570 hours a year). Children become eligible for a free funded place at the start of the school term following their 3rd birthday and the entitlement lasts up until the term they turn 5 (the term of their 5th birthday). See the table below for when children are eligible for their funded hours.
| Born Between | Eligible for funding |
| 1st Jan to 31st March | Summer Term |
| 1st April to 31st August | Autumn Term |
| 1st Sept to 31st Dec | Spring Term |
30 hours Funding
We also except 30 hours funding for those parents who are eligible, however we are only open for 18.75 hours per week. You can however split your funding between Little Fishes and another setting/childminder. To see if you are eligible go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If you are eligible you will be given an eligibility code which you need to supply to us.
2 Year Old Funding
Little Fishes also accepts a small number of RBWM funded 2 year olds. Please speak to us if you are eligible.
Voluntary Parental contributions
Parental contributions are gratefully received as these donations along with our other fundraising is vital in enabling us to offer the funded hours without limiting or charging extra.
We ask for donations from all the parents of a one-off payment of £50 per year. This is issued around October.
Term dates
Little Fishes term dates are set in line with Furze Platt Infant School, our most local Infant School.
AUTUMN TERM 2023 (14wks)
Term 1
Inset Days: Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th September
Term Starts: Wednesday 6th September
Term Ends: Friday 20th October
October Half Term Holiday: Monday 23rd – Friday 27th October
Term 2
Term Starts: Monday 30th October
Inset Day: Friday 10th November
Term Ends: Friday 15th December
Christmas Holiday: Monday 18th December – Tueday 2nd January 2024
SPRING TERM 2024 (12wks)
Term 3
Inset Day: Wednesday 3rd January
Term Starts: Thursday 4th January
Term Ends: Friday 9th February
February Half Term Holiday: Monday 12th February – Friday 16th February 2024
Term 4
Term Starts: Monday 19th February
Term Ends: Thursday 28th March
Easter Holiday: Monday 29th March – Friday 12th April 2024 (Good Friday 29th March, Easter Monday 1st April)
SUMMER TERM 2024 (12wks)
Term 5
Term Starts: Monday 15th April
May Day Bank Holiday: Monday 6thMay
Term Ends: Friday 24th May
May Half Term Holiday: Monday 27th May – Friday 31st May 2024 (Includes Bank Holiday)
Term 6
Term Starts: Monday 3rd June
Term Ends: Wednesday 24th July
Inset Day: Thursday 25th July 2024