Government Funded Nursery Hours

At Elizabeth House, we support families in accessing all available government childcare funding. We offer year-round care, and so we “stretch” your child’s eligible funding across our 51-week calendar, giving you consistent childcare throughout the year.

How Government Funding Works

The Government offers a number of funded childcare schemes, based on your child’s age and your family’s eligibility. These are normally based on a 38-week term-time model, but at Elizabeth House, we spread these hours evenly across 51 weeks.

Here’s how this works in practice:

SchemeAnnual HoursWeekly Hours (38 weeks)Weekly Hours (51-week stretched)

15 Hours570 hours15 hours/week11.17 hours/week

30 Hours1,140 hours30 hours/week22.35 hours/week

If your child joins partway through the academic year, the remaining hours will be stretched across the time they attend, so weekly amounts may differ slightly.

Funding by Age Group

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9 Months to 2 Years

From April 2024, eligible working families can access 15 hours per week (570 hours/year) from the term after their child turns 9 months.
From September 2025, this increases to 30 hours per week (1,140 hours/year) for eligible working families.

Eligibility is determined by HMRC and Oxfordshire County Council.

2-Year-Olds

There are two schemes for 2-year-olds:

• 15 Hours (Disadvantaged entitlement) – for families receiving certain benefits or support.

• 15 or 30 Hours (Working parents) – eligibility based on income thresholds and employment status.

Eligibility checks and applications are completed via the HMRC Childcare Choices website.

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3 & 4-Year-Olds

• Universal 15 Hours – available to all families from the term after the child’s 3rd birthday. No application needed.

• Additional 15 Hours (30 total) – for eligible working families, based on income and employment status.

Tax-Free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare is a government scheme to help working families with childcare costs. For every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.

✅ It can be used alongside 15 or 30 funded hours
✅ It’s available for children of all ages in nursery
✅ You apply via your online childcare account

Check your eligibility and apply here →

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A Transparent, Compliant Approach

At Elizabeth House, we ensure:

• All government-funded hours are offered free at the point of delivery

• Optional extras (meals, trips, enrichment) are clearly itemised and not required to access your free hours

• You can choose a package that suits your family – with or without additional services

If you have any questions about what you’re entitled to, or how we apply your child’s funding, our team is always happy to help.

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Elizabeth House Nursery delivers all funded childcare hours in accordance with the Department for Education’s statutory guidance and Oxfordshire County Council’s funding rules.
Our packages include optional enhancements for families who wish to purchase additional services, but access to free hours is never conditional on any purchase.