ADMISSION INTO RAINDROPS NURSERY (2 YEAR OLDS) including Early Years Funding Information

We have three admissions rounds per year for Raindrops nursery (subject to availability of places), coinciding with the start of the three school terms: September, January and April (after the Easter Break).  Most children start attending Raindrops from the start of the term after their 2nd birthday.

For each admissions round, we send out application forms in advance to families on our interest list, and these should be returned by the close of the admissions round (see below). If you download the application form from our website (bottom of this page), please ensure that it is returned by the close of the relevant admissions round: 

• For an Autumn Term 2023 (September) place, please ensure that we have your application by 19th April 2023.
• For a Spring Term 2024 (January) place, please ensure that we have your application by 8th November 2023.
• For a Summer Term 2024 (starting after the Easter Break) place, please ensure that we have your application by 21st February 2024.

Mid-term start dates (after a child's 2nd birthday) may be available by arrangement, subject to availability of places, please contact us to discuss.

In Raindrops, we have a maximum of 24 places available per morning session and a maximum of 24 places available per afternoon session.  Provision in our Early Years Before/After School Club is shared by Raindrops (two year olds), Puddles (three-four year olds) and Sunshines (4-5 year olds); we can accommodate up to 32 children in each Before/After School session.  Children can attend any combination of sessions to suit your needs.

If, at the close of an admissions round, we have more requests than we have spaces available for any session, we follow the North Yorkshire Admissions Policy for Nurseries. Priority for places will be given as follows:

1. Children with an Educational Health Care Plan
2. Children who are recommended by the Director of Social Services, including children in care of the local authority, or by the Designated medical officer.
3. Children from homes disadvantaged by poor housing conditions or overcrowding, or from a background which is prejudicial to the child’s normal educational development
4. After the priority admissions shown above have been made, admission will then be made for children within the school’s normal catchment area. Allocation will be based on age, oldest first.
5. Children from outside the school’s normal catchment area will be allocated a place, those nearest to school first. Priority will be given to those with siblings already in the school and then to those living nearest to the school.

Where applications are received after the close of the admissions round, places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Funding for Two Year Olds

Under the current offer, children meeting the eligiblity criteria can receive 15 hours per week (term time only, equating to 570 hours per year) of free Early Years education/ childcare from the start of the term after their 2nd birthday. You can find out more about eligibility and make your application through the North Yorkshire County Council Website (link below).

When your child turns three

In the term of a child's 3rd birthday, Raindrops staff will talk to parents about their child moving into Puddles at the start of the following term, or benefiting from a further term in Raindrops if appropriate. Children moving to Puddles will attend settling sessions within their normal nursery provision to provide seamless transition and continuity of provision within our setting.