Join St Mary’s Kindergarten

Fees payment

Fees are invoiced monthly in advance for regular booked sessions, while any ad hoc sessions are invoiced with the following month’s fees.

Free entitlement

Three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free early education each week during term time. This free entitlement is paid from the beginning of the term after your child turns three. To find out more about the Government’s Early Education Entitlement, please click the link below:

Early Education Entitlement

We offer the 15 free hours over three morning sessions and as free entitlement does not apply to Kindergarten lunches, sessions and lunches are itemised separately on the fee invoice.

Unfortunately St Mary’s Kindergarten does not currently offer the extended 30-hour entitlement.

Childcare Vouchers

The Government closed the Childcare Voucher Scheme for new applicants from 4 October 2018. St Mary’s will continue to deal with all approved providers of Childcare Vouchers for existing Scheme members. Please contact our Finance Office on 01206 572544 to discuss your particular requirements.

Help with Childcare Costs

Tax-Free Childcare Scheme

We are able to accept payment via the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare Scheme. For further details please click on this link: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/tax-free-childcare

St Mary’s Kindergarten is based at St Mary’s Lower School, Colchester.

Children can start at the Kindergarten in the term they turn three. During their time at the nursery, we introduce the children to learning and give them a solid preparation for starting school, both academically and socially, so they can make the most of all the opportunities school life brings.

St Mary’s is truly independent, with no owners or shareholders, and is overseen by a committed governing body who help ensure we provide a high quality and brilliantly balanced education, and a happy learning environment. We are proud to have charitable status, meaning all fees are reinvested into the school.

We focus on personal, social and emotional development as well as physical development, communication and language. We believe in providing a well-rounded experience and our specialist practitioners love encouraging children to be curious, interested and fascinated by life and the world around them.

Every afternoon, children take part in an activity such as ballet, music or Forest School, often led by a specialist teacher. These activities are designed to stimulate their bodies as well as their minds, and to help develop their personalities and build their characters.

Our purpose built Kindergarten, with its own enclosed outdoor play area, is the perfect place for young children to thrive in a safe environment.

Children also have access to all the Lower School facilities, including the Library, Dance Studio, Forest School and School Hall, all set in nine acres of land.

The Kindergarten core day is 8.30am-3.30pm. We offer wrap around care as we know this can be so helpful to working parents or those with children elsewhere.

There are different options available starting from as early at 7.30am until as late as 6pm. Breakfast and tea are included in some of the options on offer.

We offer the option of term time or year round childcare (47 weeks) so you can choose the childcare option that’s right for you.