Childcare

• Early years childcare: nurseries and pre-schools for children under five years old.
• Home-based childcare: registered childminders and nannies.
• Out-of-school childcare: breakfast clubs, after school clubs and holiday play schemes for children of school age (usually 5-14).

The law requires anyone providing childcare professionally for children under eight for a period of more than two hours at a time to register their business with Ofsted. There are two registers: the Early Years Register and the Compulsory Childcare Register. Providers on this register are inspected regularly by Ofsted and the inspection reports are published on Ofsted’s website.
Following the inspection Ofsted will rate the quality of the childcare being provided and judge it as either "Outstanding", "Good", "Requires improvement" or "Inadequate". When provision is judged to be less than "Good", Ofsted will take steps to work with the provider to improve the quality of their childcare. In extreme cases provision found to be inadequate may be forced to close.
Currently all registered childcare providers in the City of London are rated "Good" or "Outstanding".

Some types of childcare are exempt from compulsory registration. Nannies, for example, are employed by a family to work in that family’s home, and are not classed as a childcare business in the same way as childminders who operate from their own homes. Other exempt provision includes those where children stay for less than two hours, such as crèches, or groups like Rainbows and Scouts. Exempt providers can opt to join the Voluntary Childcare Register and can also be inspected.

Benefits of Ofsted registration:
The law requires anyone providing childcare professionally for children under eight for a period of more than two hours at a time to register their business with Ofsted.
Ofsted registration can provide peace of mind to parents, and reading Ofsted reports can help when choosing a provider. It also enables parents to claim certain types of financial support towards the cost of the childcare.

To support you with finding childcare within the City of London we have compiled some information below to help you make an informed decision about the benefits of the different childcare providers. For further information about a particular childcare provider, please contact them directly.

Name of setting: City of London Child and Family Centre
Website: https://www.thealdgateschool.org/about-us-2/cass-child-and-family-centre
Email address: office@aldgateschool.org
Phone number: 020 7283 1147

Name of setting: Hatching Dragons Nursery
Website: https://www.hatching-dragons.com/
Email address: equiries@hatching-dragons.com
Phone number: 020 3912 2902

Name of setting: Smithfield House Nursery
Website: http://www.smithfieldnursery.co.uk/
Email address: office@smithfieldnursery.co.uk
Phone number: 020 7236 1000

Name of setting: Newpark Childcare Centre
Website: http://www.newparkchildcare.co.uk/
Email address: barbican@newparkchildcare.co.uk
Phone number: 020 7638 5550

Name of setting: Barbican Playgroup

Website: Barbican Playgroup - City of London Family Information Service

Email address: maryroseclackson@yahoo.co.uk
Phone number: 020 7638 2718

Name of setting: City Child Bright Horizons
Website: https://www.brighthorizons.co.uk/our-nurseries/city-child-nursery-and-preschool
Email address: citychild@brighthorizons.com
Phone number: 020 7374 0939

The Department for Education has updated existing statutory guidance for local authorities, which is effective from 1 April 2025. This guidance refers to early years provision free of charge and free childcare for eligible working parents. As the entitlements are expanded, it is vitally important that they remain accessible and affordable for families. The Department of Education has clarified the statutory guidance as it relates to additional charges – priority is ensuring there is clarity and consistency for parents and providers.

This guidance applies to:
• The duty to secure childcare free of charge for qualifying children of working parents aged from 9 months (the working parent entitlement).
• The duty to secure childcare free of charge for parents of disadvantaged 2-year-olds (the disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement) (also referred to as the 2-year-olds from families receiving additional support entitlement).
• The duty to secure universal childcare free of charge for parents of 3- and 4-year-olds (the universal entitlement).
• The duty on local authorities to secure sufficient childcare for parents to enable them to work or undertake education or training which could assist them to obtain work, including wraparound care.

Click here for the guidance or refer to the PDFs in the Downloads section below.

Visit the Childcare Choices website for a breakdown of the support available to you to help with the cost of childcare. For more information on the free entitlement for children from 9 months old, please see the below tabs.

Tax-free childcare:
• For working families, including the self-employed, in the UK
• Earning under £100k and an average of £167 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National • • • Minimum or Living Wage) each over three months
• Who aren't receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
• With children aged 0-11 (or 0-16 if disabled)
• For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year

15 hours free childcare (Age 2):
• For families in England, receiving some forms of support
• With 2-year-old children
• 15 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
• To be able to take up 15 hours of free childcare for your two-year-old you or your child must meet the eligibility criteria. Please visit GOV.UK for further information.
• A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week

15 hours free childcare (Age 3 and 4):
• For all families in England
• With 3 and 4-year-old children
• 15 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
• A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week

30 hours free childcare (Age 3 and 4):
• For working families in England
• With 3 and 4-year-old children
• 30 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
• A total of 1,140 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more
childcare provider
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week

Tax credits for childcare (Age 0 - 15):
• For working families, in the UK
• With children under 16 (or under 17 if disabled)
• 70% of childcare costs, up to a cap
• If you cannot make a new claim for Tax Credits, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit instead.

Universal Credit for childcare:
• For working families claiming Universal Credit, in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
• With children under 17*
• Up to 85% of eligible childcare costs
• Who aren't receiving Tax-Free Childcare

Support while you study:
• Weekly payments from Care to Learn if you’re at school or sixth-form college
• Help through your college if you’re in further education
• A weekly grant if you’re in full-time higher education

For more information, visit: Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK

HELP FOR HOUSEHOLDS
The government is offering help for households. Check what cost of living support you could be eligible for at: Welcome to GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Childcare and Family Services Finder is a free service to help you find registered childcare and family services in your local area. It covers all the Ofsted registered childcare providers across England, with results provided by local authorities. It's the only website that has all this information in one place.

Are you a resident of the City of London?
Do you have a child under five attending a childcare setting?
You might qualify for financial support with childcare cost under the Childcare Accessibility Scheme.
The scheme aims to support resident families to access early education and childcare. The purpose of the early education place is to support the child’s early development and empower parents to make positive changes to their lives through work, training or family support.
Please download the leaflet at the end of the page for more details.

For more information, please contact the Family Information Service.

From September 2025, 15 hours childcare for working families with children under 3 will expand to 30 hours, meaning eligible working families can now apply for 30 hours of childcare from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age.

This expansion is designed to support your child’s early education and help you better balance work and family life. It’s the final phase of the childcare expansion, which could save families up to £7,500 per year. Apply for your childcare code by 31 August to start using the support from September

The childcare must be with an approved childcare provider. You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.

You will first need to apply online for a childcare account on the HMRC website to get an Eligibility Code to give to your provider. You will need to obtain this code the term before your child is due to start in a childcare setting.

Your eligibility depends on:
• if you are in work (employed, self-employed, or both), on sick leave or annual leave, on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
• your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one)
• your child’s age and circumstances
• your immigration status

You can get free childcare at the same time as claiming Universal Credit, tax credits, childcare vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare.
If you are not currently working, you may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Limited Capability for Work Benefit or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.
If you are eligible, funding will be available from the term after your child turns nine months old. Please see the ‘When to apply’ section, below.

Keep your code up to date: you’ll need to reconfirm your details every 3 months via your GOV.UK account. You’ll get a reminder when it’s time.

Your income
Over the next 3 months you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:
• £2,167 if you’re aged 23 or over
• £2,117 if you’re aged 21 or 22
• £1,557 if you’re aged 18 to 20
• £1,098 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
This is the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.

You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:
• you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly
• you’re self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next 3 months

If you or your partner have an expected ‘adjusted net income’ over £100,000 in the current tax year, you will not be eligible.

Your child
You will not be eligible if your child does not usually live with you.
If you foster your child, you cannot use the online application to get 30 hours free childcare. Speak to your social worker and your local authority if you want to apply.

Your immigration status
To be eligible for 15 hours free childcare for your 2 year old, you must have a National Insurance number and at least one of the following:
• British or Irish citizenship
• settled or pre-settled status, or you have applied and you’re waiting for a decision
• permission to access public funds - your UK residence card will tell you if you cannot do this
If you have a partner, they must have a National Insurance number too.

When to apply
You can apply from the term after your child turns 9 months.

You can apply outside of these recommended dates but you might not receive your code in time. You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts.

Already using 15 hours childcare for working families? You don’t need to reapply for a new code. Simply continue to reconfirm your details every 3 months on your GOV.UK account and your existing code will update automatically to enable you to take up 30 hours from September.

More information
• How to claim 15 hours free childcare including how to get your code - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk): This guidance answers some common questions from parents.
• For queries on education entitlements: earlyyears.entitlements@education.gov.uk
• For queries on tax-free childcare: taxfreechildcareteam@hmrc.gov.uk

For further information, visit the Childcare Choices website the government website: Apply for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), or contact us at EEYservice@cityoflondon.gov.uk.

All three and four-year-old children are entitled to a free universal early education place. Each place provides 15 hours of early years education for up to 38 weeks per year. However, this universal entitlement is flexible and can be accessed over a minimum of three days per week (this can be stretched to two days with providers who operate for 45 weeks or more per year), but this will be dependent on whether a provider can accommodate this.

Providers are funded on a termly basis and eligible children need to be accessing their place by headcount data each term in order for the funding to be accessed. Please contact your providers to clarify this data but if your child is attending from the beginning of each term they are likely to be there on this termly date.

Parents will be expected to pay for any additional services or additional hours of early education/childcare over and above the universal entitlement.

When can my child access the 15hrs?

The table below shows when a child becomes eligible:

Children in some families will now be entitled to an additional 15 hours of free childcare, otherwise known as the 30 Hours Childcare or Extended Entitlement. This is to support parents who are working, who wish to work or intend to increase their working hours to improve their family's economic well-being.

You may be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare if your circumstances are as follows:
• Both parents are earning or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months
• This equates to £120 a week (around £6,240 per year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 (around £5,800 per year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old
• This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on a zero hours contract
• The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work
• Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave
• Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work
• Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.
• If a non-EEA national, the parent must have recourse to public funds.

Who will not qualify?
A parent will not meet the criteria when:
• Either parent has an income of more than £100,000
• Either parent is a non-EEA national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds)

What happens if a parent loses eligibility?
They will receive a “grace period” – this means they will be able to keep their childcare for a short period. Once the “grace period” has lapsed, the child will be entitled to the universal 15 hour entitlement.

How do I apply?
Parents must apply directly to Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) not the Local Authority or the Childcare Provider. Parents can now apply for places either through an online application system via:
• The Childcare Choices website and click on section 4: ‘Apply or sign in to the childcare service as a parent’.
• Or by phone at the Customer Interaction Centre (which should also be used if you have any queries): Tel: 0300 123 4097

In order to apply you will need the following to hand for you and (if relevant) your partner:
• Your National Insurance number
• If you're self-employed, your Unique Taxpayer Reference.
You are sent a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) when you first register for Self-Assessment. Your UTR is on notices to file a tax return or payment reminders sent to you by HM Revenue and Customs. Look for a 10-digit number, sometimes with a letter 'K' on the end. It's sometimes just called 'tax reference'. Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.

The application process for the 30 hours extended free entitlement and Tax Free Childcare will be aligned so a parent need only apply once to HMRC for both schemes.
If you are on a zero hour contract, providing you work on average two weeks out of every three and when you are working you earn the equivalent of at least 25 hours at the National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage (depending on your age), your child will be eligible for the 30 hours free childcare.
If eligible, HMRC will set up a secure account for parents and the parent will receive an eligibility code to their secure account.
Have you already set up an account and are trouble accessing it? If so, please download the 'Accessing Your Childcare Account' guidance.
There will be an eligibility code per parent / child combination, therefore multiple birth siblings will each have their own code.
Parents need to take their code to an approved childcare provider or school nursery of their choice to show they are eligible for the additional 15 hours free childcare. Your early years provider will also need to see a copy of your child’s birth certificate (if not already provided) and will ask you to sign a declaration form
Your childcare provider will then validate your code and allocate your child a place.

When do I need to apply?
Parents need to obtain a valid code the term before their child starts at nursery/playgroup.

You can apply outside of these recommended dates but you might not receive your code in time. You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts.
You have to reconfirm your eligibility every three months. If you apply more than three months before the term starts, you’ll have to reconfirm your eligibility in your account in order to keep your code valid.

How do I reconfirm my code?
• HMRC will manage the application process and send out reminders to parents about the need to reconfirm their eligibility.
• Parents should receive two reminders to reconfirm (four weeks and two weeks before their reconfirmation deadline).
• If a parent’s details have not changed, they only need to tick a box in their childcare service account to confirm their details remain the same. However this system is not perfect and parents should set themselves a reminder to reconfirm their code in time.
• If a parent misses the reconfirmation deadline, they will receive a message telling them that they are no longer eligible for 30 hours and Tax-Free Childcare.
• If a parent’s circumstances change and they are no longer eligible for the additional 15 hours of free childcare, a ‘grace period’ will apply so that children can continue with their free place for a short period of time, whilst alternate arrangements can be made.
• If a parent’s circumstances change again whilst they are in the grace period, they may reapply to HMRC and become eligible again.
• If you are no longer eligible, you can still access the 15-hour universal early education entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds.

Do I have to use all the 30 hours each week?
No, you can use anything from 15-30 hours - it is up to you. However, not all childcare providers may be able to offer the exact amount of free hours that you require.

The following criteria apply:
• No sessions to be longer than 10 hour (no minimum session length)
• Hours - not before 6.00am or after 8.00pm
• A maximum of two sites in a single day so if your childcare provider cannot offer the exact amount of free hours that you require, you could split your 30 free hours across more than one childcare provider (e.g. your child can attend a nursery in the morning and an Ofsted registered childminder or nanny in the afternoon)

Are there additional costs?
Government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional childcare hours or any additional services offered by the childcare settings.
Childcare settings may therefore charge for meals and snacks as part of the free entitlement place and they may also charge for consumables such as nappies and sun cream and for services such as trips.

Who do I contact if I have questions?
If you would like further information or if you have any issues accessing your child’s Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) for example because you believe the provider is:
• charging you inappropriately
• charging extra, where the child has SEND
• rationing places for any reason;

If you have not had a satisfactory reply from the provider, then contact the City of London Family Information Service on 020 7332 1002 or email EEYService@cityoflondon.gov.uk

The Childcare Act 2006 establishes Ofsted as the authority for the regulation of childminding and childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises in England. It gives HMCI responsibility for the registration and inspection of providers who are registered on the Childcare Register and the responsibility for enforcement where it appears that legal requirements are not being met.

There are three aspects to the regulation of providers on the Childcare Register. These are:
• registration of applicants
• inspecting providers to check that they continue to meet legal requirements for registration
• taking enforcement action where requirements for registration are not met or where provision that should be registered is operating without registration

Please see the government website for information on why Ofsted inspects daycare providers; how often inspections take place; how long inspections last, and what inspections look like.

How Ofsted inspects nurseries and other types of daycare - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

An independent review of the City of London’s Child and Family Centre Services took place in the summer of 2023. The independent review was completed by Place Group, who were appointed following a competitive tendering process. The purpose of the independent review was to evaluate the current services provided by the Children’s Centre services and to identify future options for delivery in the context of the national move to a Family Hub model. A comprehensive report outlining the findings of the review was presented to the Head of Service - Education & Early Years at the City of London Corporation in September 2023.

A copy of the review is available here: Children's Centre's Service Independent Review 2023

Or the review is available in the downloads section at the bottom of the Childcare page.

Providing high quality care and education for young children can be very rewarding. It provides a much-needed service for local communities and, most importantly, makes a huge difference to the development and well-being of children.

What you need to do:
1. Research the need
Before starting up your childcare business it is important to assess what the demand for a new childcare provision is likely to be. Remember that the City of London is a very small area.
You will need to take various steps, such as:
• creating opportunities to talk to parents informally, for instance, in the City Child and Family Centre, our community libraries or through surveys;
• finding out what’s already available through our childcare sufficiency audit;
• viewing details on parents’ use of childcare and their views and experiences through the Early Years Alliance Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents;
• looking at our directory of early years providers in the Square Mile

2. Financial viability
You can register with the City of London to claim funding to provide part-time early years education places for three and four-year-old children, and eligible two-year-old children.
Some three and four-year-olds will also be eligible for a 30 hours funded place. You can register to provide for this at Childcare Choices

3. Ofsted registration
• If you will be looking after children under the age of eight years for more than two hours a day you will need to register with The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).
• If you are a childminder, you can choose either to register with Ofsted or with a Childminder Agency.
• Ofsted inspects and regulates the quality and standards of care and education in childcare provision. Find Ofsted's guidance on setting up a childcare service here

4. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage is a mandatory framework for all Ofsted registered childcare providers caring for children from birth to five years. It was developed to ensure that all childcare services provide a safe and secure environment for children and support children’s learning through carefully planned play activities that are fun and appropriate to their needs.
Contact the Education and Early Years Team for support, guidance and training: EEYService@cityoflondon.gov.uk

5. Premises
Childcare may be provided on domestic premises (for example, in the home of a childminder) or on non-domestic premises (such as a pre-school in a community hall or nursery on a school site).
The premises that you operate from must comply with the EYFS requirements. In choosing premises you will also need to consider whether the building is in a good state of repair, if it is safe and secure for the children, whether appropriate toilet and kitchen facilities are available, whether the premises are easy for families to get to and whether they are accessible to children and adults with disabilities.

6. Health and safety
The safety of the children and adults in the provision is a central theme throughout the EYFS. You will have a duty to develop effective procedures for ensuring that the provision is secure and that any risks are identified and managed through regular risk assessments; safeguarding and protecting children from harm or abuse; maintaining high standards of hygiene; regularly checking fire procedures and equipment.

7. Data Protection
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you will need to put systems in place to ensure any personal data you collect is securely processed, stored and destroyed. You will also need to issue those whose personal data you collect, such as parents, employees and volunteers with a privacy notice.

8. Insurance
Childcare providers must have adequate insurance cover. Some forms of insurance are required by law or for Ofsted registration, such as public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance (where applicable).
Others are not legally required, but are still necessary because they provide protection for the provision and for those that use and are responsible for it.

9. Safeguarding and child protection
Every provider in the City of London is required to have and implement a safeguarding children policy and procedures which follows the guidance and procedures of the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership

10. Employer responsibilities
As an employer, you will need to take steps to ensure that your employees, job applicants, service users and volunteers are treated in a fair and consistent manner. Everyone has certain legal rights, including the right not to be discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, or sex

11. Inclusion and diversity
For the benefit of all staff and families, equality and inclusion must be embraced throughout your provision. The Equality Act 2010 requires childcare providers to ensure that their policies, procedures and practices promote equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination against children and adults in the provision.

Providers also have a duty to regard the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (DfE 2015) when meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities and developing a special educational needs policy.

The Early Years Alliance has a useful free mini guide to Setting up a Childcare Provision which advises on key choices and responsibilities to consider before you start.

Please note: This information is also available in the Early Years Hub, which offers guidance to EY practitioners and settings