Below are some frequently asked questions about our provision, along with our responses. Following this if you would like a tour of the school or still have some unanswered queries please email the school office to make an appointment.

office@meadlands.richmond.sch.uk

 

What is the full offer to families with preschool children?

Our highly successful nursery offers parents a choice of three options:

Fully-funded morning place	08.30 – 11.30
Fully-funded afternoon place	12.30 – 15.30
Full day (costs dependent on entitlements)	08.30 – 15.30

 

From September 2026, families entitled to 30 hours free childcare can use their whole entitlement at Meadlands. The lunch hour will be free to all families but we do ask for a voluntary contribution of £2.80 per day towards the cost of a hot lunch.

All families are entitled to 15 hours per week funded by the local authority, with further hours chargeable to parents who do not qualify for the 30 hours scheme. Chargeable hours are £6.50 each.

Further we are planning to offer after school nursery care from 3.30pm to 5pm chargeable at £10/hr (£15 for the session). This will be from September 2026.

Nursery children are welcome to attend our breakfast club from 7.45 to 8.30am. Each session is £4. And so effectively you have the option for your child to be in school from 7.45am to 5pm if you utilise all the available wrap around care.

We accept any and all childcare vouchers and encourage families paying for additional hours to use these.

You may find this calculator (click here) useful for working out what support you may be able to get with your childcare costs.

If you would like to apply for a Nursery place, please fill in the form below and return it to the school, along with a copy of your child’s birth certificate.

 

 

What are the wrap around care facilities at the school? 

We offer a breakfast club in school, Monday to Friday from 7.45 each morning. At 8.30 a member of staff from our Nursery team will collect your child and settle them into their class for the day ahead! For more details and information on how to book your child into breakfast club, please click here 

From September 2026 we are offering after school care for nursery children from 3.3pm to 5pm. Each session is £15 bookable through parentmail.

 

How will I know whether my child is settled and enjoying their time in Nursery? 

By speaking to us! We pride ourselves on our very honest and positive relationship with our parents and try to find ways to include you as much as possible in school life. Nursery staff will always be available to talk to parents about their child's progress and this is in addition to the termly parent-teacher meetings and end of year annual reports. 

We will always let you know if your child has had a great day and making leaps of progress in their learning but similarly if an incident or any issues occur in school that we need your help with we will tell you! In addition to this parents are always welcome to share with us anything that might be happening at home that could impact upon their children's wellbeing as there are many staff members or friends of Meadlands who may be able to offer advice or support. We want the best for your child and know that a good relationship with parents is one way we will achieve this. 

Do take a look at our SEND pages if your child has additional needs or you feel that they might be showing signs of delay in their early milestones of development, you are also welcome to meet with our SENDCo in advance to starting your child with us. Click here

 

What equipment does my child need for school? 

School uniform for Nursery children is optional! If your child would like to wear uniform all details can be found here. Otherwise comfy clothing that you don't mind getting a bit messy is perfectly fine! 

Your child will need to bring a bag with them for their outdoor clothing, wellington boots and overalls - as well as their school reading book and named water bottle.

Children do not need to bring a snack to school with them as we provide free fruit both in the morning and the afternoon. 

 

Our childcare information duty can be found here: https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/childcare_providers