Hours, Funding & Fees

Toddlers (2 year olds)

Camden Council offers eligible two year olds free early education and childcare places for 15 hours per week during term time.

You can apply after your child turns 18 months old. To find out more, check your eligibility and apply, click here.

All our Camden-funded children attend for 15 hours per week. We have three types of place available:

  1. Monday-Friday – 9.30am-12.30pm
  2. Monday-Friday – 1.30pm-4.30pm
  3. Two full days 9:30am-5pm (Monday & Tuesday or Thursday & Friday)

At Thomas Coram we also offer 2, 3 or 5 day places for fee paying families who are privately funded and not eligible for the free scheme. All children must attend a minimum of 5 hours.

A full list of options for fee paying families can be found below:

  • Breakfast sessions ( 8.30-9.30am)
  • Core day ( 9.30am-3.30pm)
  • Tea club (3.30-5.30pm)
  • 38/ 44 weeks a year places available
  • Full and part-time places are available

Toddlers are not charged for school meals

If you are interested in a fee paying place please see the Nursery Fees Tariff 2023/24.

Please come and talk to us at the nursery or contact us on 020 7520 0385 or admin@thomascoram.camden.sch.uk if you have any further queries.

Kinder Children (3 and 4 year olds)

All 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for 15 hours (per week) Universal Funding provided by the government. This funding is available to the nursery the term following the child’s third birthday.

Some parents may also be able to access the HMRC childcare scheme and claim an additional free 15 hours (30 hours in total). An online application form can be found here. HMRC will provide parents with an 11 digit code starting with ‘500’ if their claim is successful, which needs to be forwarded to the school.

If you are not eligible for the HMRC scheme outlined above, you may be eligible, as a Camden resident, for the ‘Camden Enhanced Offer’. This can also provide an additional 15 free hours of childcare (30 hours in total) if your family receive some forms of state support such as free school meals, tax credits or Universal Credit. To apply for the Camden Enhanced Offer (CEO) here.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria of either the Tax-Free Childcare or Camden Enhanced Offer schemes, we offer 5-day places paid provision of ‘core’ day (Monday-Friday, 9.30am-3.30pm) or ‘extended’ day (8.30-9.30am breakfast and 3.30-5.30pm tea), 38 or 44 weeks a year.

If you are interested in a fee paying place please see the Nursery Fees Tariff 2022/23.

School Meals  (3 and 4 year olds) 

‘Kinder’ children are charged a daily amount for school meals when they turn three, unless they are entitled to ‘Free School Meals’ (FSM). To find out if your child is eligible for ‘Free School Meals’ (FSM), click here. Every eligible child must apply, no one automatically qualifies.

‘Kinder’ children who do not qualify for ‘Free School Meals’ (FSM) are charged £2.40 a day for school lunch which equates to £12 a week. As an example, if there are 60 days in a term then the total cost of lunch, based on full attendance, would be £144 per child.

If a child is absent, they will not be charged for meals. It is the parents’ / carers’ responsibility to subtract £2.40 for every day that their child is absent before making payments. We kindly request that a weekly or monthly standing order is set up, using your child’s name as reference, to ensure regular payment.

Please come and talk to us at the nursery or contact us on 020 7520 0385 or admin@thomascoram.camden.sch.uk if you have any further queries.

Phone: 020 7520 0385
Fax: 020 7520 0386
49 Mecklenburgh Square
London WC1N 2NY