Banbury school principal urges parents to get in touch about free nursery places

Amy Rogers, principal at Dashwood Banbury Academy, is urging parents to get in touch to check if they are eligible for the free childcare places available for two-year-olds at her school.

Parents are normally alerted to these nursery places through healthcare visits but lockdown has stopped many of the routine appointments that mothers attend with their toddlers.

Dashwood Banbury Academy has a Good Ofsted rating and a first-class early years curriculum geared to help to develop the social and language skills of toddlers.

Revealing more about the nursery places available for two-year-olds, Mrs Rogers said they are Government-funded places, available for 15 hours a week and created for families that meet the criteria set.

She said: ‘’The nursery places will help children to socialise and improve their social skills.

"The places are fully funded and are aimed at two-year-olds who have greater needs than the average two-year-old and will depend on the home circumstances of a child. This is why it’s important that parents get in touch with us to find out if they are eligible.’’

Postcards are normally sent out to parents with two-year-olds who qualify for the free nursery places, but Mrs Rogers said the upheaval caused by the coronavirus crisis may have prevented the mailshots from arriving.

Health visitors are also responsible for alerting parents about places available but appointments have also been impacted by the pandemic.

Any two-year-old who qualifies for a place will automatically be eligible for a place at Dashwood’s Nursery when they turn three, which ensures continuity of care and education.

To find out if your two-year-old is eligible for a free nursery place call Dashwood Banbury Academy on 01295 263240 or email: [email protected].