frequently asked questions

During the school term, Buttsbury Pre-school is open for 38 weeks with the following schedule: Mornings from 8.30 am to 11.30 am Afternoons from 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm We are considerate of parents' schedules and offer flexible drop off and early pick up times to accommodate those with Infant and Junior School children. Our priority is to work alongside parents to ensure a smooth experience for all. For our current term dates, be sure to check out our Term Dates calendar.

In the year before your child starts Primary School, they will be offered a place in our Risers session. Buttsbury Pre-school operates a 'Risers' session on a Thursday afternoon to prepare those children who will start ‘big school’ the following year. The session is designed to encourage social interaction with their peers, promote independence and extend your child’s learning and development. Your child will experience learning activities suitable for older children such as phonics/music sessions, football coaching and dancing lessons. We also hold Christmas and ‘End of Year’ parties for the children which include traditional party games and gifts. We ask that you provide your child with Plimsolls A change of clothes for P.E. A t-shirt and shorts for warmer weather A tracksuit when it is cooler

At Buttsbury Pre-School, we have a lunch club available for all children attending full-day or afternoon sessions. The club starts at 11:30am, and we require caregivers to provide a healthy packed lunch in a named lunch box with a cool block to ensure it remains cold before lunch. The lunch box should be brought into the session and left on our red lunch trolley in the main foyer. This provides the perfect opportunity for children to develop their independence, so we suggest using easy-to-open containers and child-friendly cutlery. Please note that there is no need to send in drinks as milk and water will be provided throughout the day, including lunch club. ​ To ensure that lunchtime is manageable, we have a half-hour limit. We kindly request that you don't send your child with excessive food. While you know your child's appetite best, we suggest a small portion of pasta or a sandwich, a piece of fruit, some yoghurt, or a small salad.

If at any time other than your child leaving to start Infant School, you no longer require a place at pre-school, we would expect a four-week term time written notice. If no notice is given, we would expect four weeks term time fees to be paid as per our fees policy.

We currently only offer visits to the pre-school and chances to meet our staff once a place has been allocated. While you are waiting, we recommend looking at our online virtual tour and gallery to get a feel for the pre-school. If you have any further questions about what we offer, you are more than welcome to give us a call or send via email.

We first earned an 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted in July 2012. Our Ofsted reports have continued to be consistently graded as 'Outstanding,' which is a testament to the incredible work of our team in educating and caring for the children. To view our reports, visit our Ofsted page.

It is highly recommended to register your child on the waiting list as soon as possible after their birth to increase the likelihood of securing an allocated placement.

Attendance at Buttsbury Pre-School doesn't guarantee placement at Buttsbury Infants School.

Please note, we are only accepting children born from 1st September 2021 to 31st August 2022 and onwards as our current waiting lists are full. If you are adding your child to our waiting list, we still recommend submitting applications to several pre-schools in Billericay to maximise your chances of securing a placement in the area.

For each two-year-old child attending the pre-school, you are asked to pay a one-off registration fee of £50.00 which contributes to our administration, insurance costs, t-shirt and art bag. After this payment is made, you will receive our new starter’s pack which includes your art bag and a Buttsbury Pre-school t-shirt. Should your child not take up their place with us, this deposit is non-refundable.

From September 2024, our fee per 3-hour session is £27.00 for non-grant-funded children, although this is subject to change at the trustee’s discretion. For our 3-4 year old grant-funded children, to enable us to sustain ourselves and provide an enriching environment for the children in our care, we ask you for a 'consumables' contribution to cover items such as snacks / extra curricula activities / themed resources / cooking ingredients / online learning journey / 2 x USB stick for your child’s learning journey / sun cream / visual aids / labels for your child’s shoe bag and snack card (a list is available – please ask our Finance Officer for a copy, should you wish). Please note this list is not exhaustive. Without your help with these costs, we would not be able to provide these additional activities and resources for your children. This charge is currently £3.75 and is subject to change at the trustee’s discretion. This charge is broken down into a cost per session but is used to cover all resources used by your child throughout the year. (Note: Committee fundraising activities generate the funds needed to enable us to purchase larger resources e.g. garden toys, tables, chairs etc.) ​ From September 2024, our 'all day' between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm - for non-grant funded children, you will be charged £27.00 for the morning session, £27.00 for the afternoon session and £6.00 for lunch club (you will provide a healthy lunch which is nut-free). ​ For grant-funded children, you will be charged £3.75 for the morning session, £3.75 for the afternoon session and £6.00 for lunch club (you will provide a healthy lunch which is nut-free). Any hours above your allocated Government FEEE-funded 15 hours, will be charged at £27.00 per 3-hour session.

Fees must still be paid when your child is sick or on holiday, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the trustees.

The fees can also be paid using childcare vouchers/tax-free childcare (TFC) and if this is your preferred option, please speak to our Finance Officer for further details.

The Riser children have the opportunity to make gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, festivals i.e. Diwali, Christmas, a leaving present for parents and a USB memory stick for your child's learning journey. Therefore, a separate Risers fee of £45.00 (for 38 weeks of activities) will be charged for these additional activities to take place. This will be charged at the start of the school year in September and you will be invoiced separately. If you are unable to pay for the Risers additional activity charge, please speak to our finance officer.

For our 3-4 year old grant-funded children, to enable us to sustain ourselves and provide an enriching environment for the children in our care, we ask you for a 'consumables' contribution to cover items such as snacks / extra curricula activities / themed resources / cooking ingredients / online learning journey / 2 x USB stick for your child’s learning journey / sun cream / visual aids / labels for your child’s shoe bag and snack card (a list is available – please ask our Finance Officer for a copy, should you wish). Please note this list is not exhaustive. Without your help with these costs, we would not be able to provide these additional activities and resources for your children. This charge is currently £3.75 and is subject to change at the trustee’s discretion. This charge is broken down into a cost per session but is used to cover all resources used by your child throughout the year. (Note: Committee fundraising activities generate the funds needed to enable us to purchase larger resources e.g. garden toys, tables, chairs etc.)

Children taking medication must be well enough to attend the pre-school. If your child is taking pain or fever relief (e.g. Calpol), we ask that you keep them at home until their symptoms pass. Only medication prescribed by a doctor (or other medically qualified person) is administered. It must be in-date and prescribed for the current condition.