Early education and childcare provision

Types of early education provision

You can find out more about different types of childcare available below and then use our Herefordshire Early Years Education and Child Care Directory to start your search for childcare.

Nannies and home child-carers

You would employ a nanny or au pair to care for children, usually in your own home. Information on employing a nanny and your legal obligations can be found on sites such as Nannytax. A nanny can register with Ofsted as a home child-carer on the voluntary childcare register. Nannies cannot offer funded places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds as they are not register on Ofsted early years register.

Important facts to consider:

Children are looked after in their home
Can be registered with Ofsted
Can care for children of one or two families together, in the home of one of the families
May be able to work flexible hours
May be able to take or collect children from early years settings or schools
Cannot offer Early Education Funded places
Can be found through a Nanny or Au Pair Agency

Please note, the Early Years Education and Child Care Directory does not hold information on nannies and au pairs (a nanny from a different country who lives with your family).

Childminders

Registered childminders are self-employed carers, and most are Ofsted registered. Some childminders register with a Childminder Agency (which is Ofsted registered) instead of directly with Ofsted.

Childminders provide education and childcare often in their own home. They can look after up to a *maximum of six children under the age of 8 and normally only three of them can be under 5 years old at any one time. *If they have an assistant or work with another childminder, this will increase the number of children cared for on site.

Important facts to consider:

Registered with either Ofsted or a Childminder Agency, you can ask the Childminder for their Ofsted Unique Reference Number (URN) to look up their inspection report
Offer a home-from-home environment
May be able to work flexible hours to suit your needs particularly if you work shifts, or if your hours change from week to week
Will often take or collect children from other early years settings or school
May offer care for older children in the school holidays and before or after schools
Care for small groups of children
Some childminders offer Early Education Funded places
May work with other childminders or have assistants
Some work weekends
Some provide overnight care

Day nurseries

A day nursery can be privately run, or school based and can be found on varying types of premises. They can provide education and childcare for children from birth to 5 years old.

They must follow strict staff to child ratios according to Ofsted regulations. Opening times tend to coincide with a standard working day, typically between 7.30am - 6.30pm for privately run nurseries, many are open almost all year.

Important facts to consider:

They usually have fixed opening times and are open all day and during the school holidays to meet the needs of working parents
They may also offer before and after school childcare and holiday care for school aged children
Reassurance that there will always be someone there to care for your child - even if someone is off sick
Day nurseries may be on premises used solely for childcare, or may be on domestic premises, for example the home of the nursery owner
Can accommodate large groups of children
Most nurseries offer Early Education Funded places

Independent school nurseries

Independent school nursery classes provide education and care for children as part of the school in which they are based. These settings may take children from 3 months of age, but more often from 2 years of age.

Independent nursery classes may not be registered with Ofsted, but will be registered with the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Important facts to consider:

Part of the school's registration
Have a limited number of places available
May be led by a qualified teacher
You can apply for a place by contacting the school directly
The school may also offer places for children before and after school as a wrap-around service and/or during school holidays
May offer Early Education Funding places

Pre-school playgroups

Pre-school playgroups provide early education and childcare for children aged between 2 to 5 years.

Pre-schools have to meet the same Ofsted standards as all other registered settings and must adhere to staff and child ratios as outlined by Ofsted.

Important facts to consider:

They usually offer half day sessions, term time only, although some may offer extended hours
May be held in a community building and places may be limited
Will be registered with Ofsted
They may also offer before and after school childcare and holiday care for school aged children
Can accommodate large groups of children
Most pre-schools offer Early Education Funded places

Maintained nursery schools and classes

Children attending a maintained nursery school or classes are considered pupils of the school. However, admission to a school nursery is completely separate from admission to a reception, and a place in a reception class is not guaranteed.

Maintained nursery schools and classes provide education and care for children as part of the school in which they are based. These settings may take children from 2 years of age, but more often from 3 years of age.

Maintained nursery schools and classes have to meet the same Ofsted standards as all other registered settings and provide care and education to meet the needs of all children.

Important facts to consider:

Registered with Ofsted as part of the school
Maintained nursery schools offer places to nursery aged pupils only
Led by a qualified teacher
Have a limited number of places available
Only open during school hours in term time
The school may also offer places for children before and after school as a wrap-around service and/or during school holidays
You can apply for a place by contacting the school directly
Offers Early Education Funding places

Academy and free school nursery classes

Children attending academy and free school nursery classes are considered pupils of the school. However, admission to a school nursery is completely separate from admission to a reception, and a place in a reception class is not guaranteed.

Academy and free school nursery classes provide education and care for children as part of the school in which they are based. These settings may take children from 2 years of age, but more often from 3 years of age.

Academy and free school nursery classes have to meet the same Ofsted standards as all other registered settings and provide education and care to meet the needs of all children.

Important facts to consider:

Part of the school's Ofsted registration
Have a limited number of places available
May be led by a qualified teacher
You can apply for a place by contacting the school directly
The school may also offer places for children before and after school as a wrap-around service and/or during school holidays
Offers Early Education Funding places

Before and after school care/wraparound and holiday clubs

These settings allow children to attend before and after school and sometimes during the school holidays. They mainly provide care for 3 to 11 year olds. Many offer a variety of activities on top of the normal school day. These range from activities such as music, art or sport to extra study support.

They are in or near schools or youth and community centres and can be run by activity companies, nurseries, schools and voluntary or private companies. A few may collect your child from school and take them to the club if they are off the site of a school, which is a service many childminders also provide.

From September 2024, parents can expect to see an increase in the number of wraparound childcare places available across the country due the government expansion of this provision.

The aim is that all parents in England with primary school aged children will be able to access wraparound care in their local area.

Types of out of school care:

Breakfast clubs - open in the morning before school
After school clubs - open after school until around 6pm
Holiday play schemes - open during the holidays with varying opening hours

Important facts to consider regarding out of school care:

May be registered with Ofsted as part of the school
Can run before and/or after school or nursery
May take children to their school classroom and/or pick them up at the end of the school day
May have mixed age ranges in the same space
May offer Early Education Funding
May offer a snack or meal

Holiday schemes

Holiday schemes give children aged 3 years and over opportunities to mix with others in a safe place during the school holidays. Holiday schemes usually offer children the chance to try new activities and go on outings.

Important facts to consider:

They may run for all or only part of the school holidays and this may change each holiday
Some schemes will cater for large groups of children
You may be asked to provide food for your child
Some schemes will be required to register with Ofsted