Fees & Funding

Nursery Fees & Early Education Funding

We understand the importance of parents and carers being able to access high quality, affordable childcare. Under the current government scheme, children from the age of 9 months and over may be entitled to 15 or 30 hours of funded childcare for 38 weeks of the year (term time). This is dependent on meeting certain eligibility criteria and can significantly reduce your childcare costs. The remaining 13 weeks would be charged at full cost.

Check your eligibility Call 01254 695777

Setting details

Ofsted registration number: EY357087
Setting name: Riverside Nursery
Address: Riverside Industrial Estate, Branch Road, Lower Darwen, BB3 0PR
Telephone number: 01254 695 777

Services offered

Opening days and times: Monday to Friday, 7.30am until 5.45pm
Weeks open in the year: 51 weeks (closed for 1 week at Christmas and all bank holidays)
Grant and non-grant weeks: 38 grant weeks, 13 non-grant weeks, 1 free week at Christmas
Term time only places: Limited term time only places (dependent on availability)
Sessions available: Full days only (minimum 2 days)
Age ranges: From 3 months to school age

Early education funding and delivery pattern

The funded hours below can be taken in one of two patterns, depending on how many hours your child is entitled to.

Option 1

For children with 30 hours funding

Session times: 7.30am to 5.45pm
Total funded hours per day: 10
Days of the week available: 5
Term time availability: Limited places
Stretched hours: No

Option 2

For children with 15 hours funding

Session times: 7.30am to 5.45pm
Total funded hours per day: 1 day at 10 hours

1 day at 5 hours

(fees charged for the other half day)
Days of the week available: 5
Term time availability: Limited places
Stretched hours: No

Funded hours are offered to all children who meet the eligibility criteria. Full fees are charged for any hours not covered by the funding and all remaining non-grant weeks.

What the £12.00 additional services charge includes

Government funding does not cover meals or enrichment activities, so these are charged as additional services on funded sessions: £7.00 for meals and snacks plus £5.00 for extra activities, £12.00 in total. The breakdown below sets out exactly what that pays for in each part of your child's day, alongside what a funded place includes without it.

The charge in full

Meals and snacks: £7.00
Extra activities: £5.00
Total per funded session: £12.00

Grant days only. Charged on funded sessions only, and only for children claiming the 3 and 4 year funding. Nothing is added for those claiming 9 month or 2 year funding.
Above the statutory minimum. None of it is required by the Early Years Foundation Stage, the framework every nursery has to follow. It is what we add on top of that baseline.
Always your choice. By law we cannot make this charge mandatory, or a condition of your child's funded place. Read about opting out.

Staffing and administration

Included with the £12.00 charge

Additional staff employed above the legal minimum requirements, so that there is continuity of care for the children
An enhanced practitioner to child ratio of 1:4 in the 2 year room, where the legal requirement is 1:5
Parents' evenings, pre-school information evenings and the associated staff costs
Ad hoc parent meetings and support calls
Administration of medication, which is not mandatory under the EYFS
The Famly parent communication app
Training of apprentices to offer additional staff support
Extra observations and assessments beyond the EYFS statutory requirements
Additional staff so that children can access swimming lessons

Included without the charge

Staff to child ratios are maintained at the statutory minimum
Statutory documentation is completed, being the 2 year old check and the transition form to school
The EYFS does not require settings to offer parents' evenings or meetings to discuss a child's learning and development, either in person or electronically on the Famly app

Mealtimes and dietary support

Included with the £12.00 charge

A chef and a kitchen assistant who prepare and cook all meals and snacks using fresh, seasonal produce
Menus that change every term
Staff time spent shopping for fresh produce
Breakfast, morning snack, a two-course lunch and afternoon tea
Premium ingredients from local suppliers
Catering for individual dietary and allergy requirements, including the ingredients this needs (dairy free, gluten free, halal and so on)
Baking and other food related activities
Homemade picnic meals for outings

Included without the charge

Meals and snacks are not a requirement of the EYFS, so they would not be provided
Packed lunches could not be safely accommodated, because of the number of allergies and dietary requirements we cater for and the lack of appropriate storage

Please speak to the nursery directly to discuss bringing in food from home. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis due to the risks involved regarding allergies and individual dietary requirements. We must also consider Environmental Health regulations with regards to the safe storage of food and the nutritional standards that we must adhere to as a setting.

Specialist staff training

Included with the £12.00 charge

SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) training out of hours and attendance at meetings, with additional staff covering ratios in the setting
Speech and language training
Wellcomm speech and language toolkit training
EYFS update meetings
One to one and small group interventions
Additional training carried out in the evening or at weekends
Paediatric first aid training and updates for all staff
Outdoor learning training
Talk First singing and signing classes, provided by an external teacher to support speech and language development

Included without the charge

The current EYFS requirement is for one member of staff on site to be trained in paediatric first aid

Outdoor learning and nature experiences

Included with the £12.00 charge

Gardening activities, planting and maintaining our on-site vegetable garden
Further outdoor activities including the mud kitchen, water play areas, outdoor shelters and dedicated spaces to extend learning
Off-site activities including trips to the library, the shops and around the local area, with the number of staff increased by 50% on all outings
Access to a minibus for outings
Pushchairs provided for younger children on outings
Sports lessons provided by external teachers

Included without the charge

General outdoor play is included

Creative, messy and sensory play

Included with the £12.00 charge

Arts and crafts materials
Sensory activity trays for foam, gloop and other messy activities
Loose parts play and open-ended wooden resources
A dark den with sensory lights and a bubble machine
A light table with sensory resources
Themed craft projects for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas and Eid
Home learning resource kits and take-home activities

Included without the charge

General resources and equipment are included

Seasonal and celebration events

Included with the £12.00 charge

Special activities linked to cultural celebrations including Christmas, Easter, Eid and Diwali
Graduation celebrations and a keepsake gift
Stay and Play sessions throughout the year
A transition Stay and Play session for children moving up to the next room
A Mother's Day afternoon tea and a Father's Day breakfast, with coordinating activities

Included without the charge

General activities covering cultural celebrations are included

Opt out and reasonable alternatives

Government funding is not intended to cover the cost of meals, nappies, wipes, additional hours or additional activities such as trips. These things are included in our additional services charge.

By law, we are not allowed to make these charges mandatory, or a condition of accessing a funded place. We do advise you to contact the nursery directly to discuss what alternative options we may be able to offer.

Call 01254 695777 Book a visit to talk it through

Other charges

Deposit

Payable to reserve a place. The cost is dependent on the number of days being reserved. The amount paid is refunded on termination of the account once the final invoice has been paid and the account is clear.

£200.00 for places of 2 or 3 days per week
£300.00 for places of 4 days per week or full time

Late collection charge

Added directly to your account if your child has not been collected by the time the nursery closes at 5.45pm.

£10.00 per 15 minutes

Tax-Free Childcare

For any eligible working parents, you can get a £2 top-up for every £8 towards the cost of your childcare through the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. You can use this as well as your funded hours.

Apply or check your eligibility

Additional information

If you do not meet the funding criteria as a working parent and your child is 2 or over, you may still be eligible for some support with childcare costs. This will be dependent on your personal circumstances.

Find out more

Fees and funding information last updated 5 August 2026. Please contact the nursery to confirm current charges.

Questions about fees or funding?

Every family's circumstances are different. Give us a call or send an enquiry and we will talk you through the options for your child.

Call 01254 695777 Send an enquiry