Day nurseries

For babies as young as 6 weeks childcare options are available from a wide range of day nurseries.  Day nurseries are usually open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm all year, but hours do vary. Children can attend on a full or part-time basis.

Pre-schools

Typically children can start at a pre-school from age 2 or 2 and a half (depending on the provider), though some now take from as young as 18 months. Most offer sessions for around 3 hours in the morning or afternoon and some offer lunch club.  Pre-schools usually operate term-time only.  The number of sessions your child can attend is flexible to suit your needs (subject to availability) although some providers will set a minimum.   Pre-school will typically accept new children at the start of a term, but may be flexible and able to accept admissions at other times if space allows.

Free Early Years Education for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

From the term after a child turns 2, families in receipt of benefits may be entitled to 15 hours free early years education. From the term after they turn 3 all children are entitled 15 hours of free early years education and some families may be entitled to up to 30 hours.  Funded places are provided during term-time until they start full-time school. This entitlement can be taken up at a nursery school, day nursery, playgroup, pre-school or childminder.  See our listings for local providers but please note that some don’t offer this free entitlement and set their own fees, so it’s important to check this out before making any arrangements.  Those settings who are in the free-entitlement scheme are allowed to charge for additional goods and services, such as lunch or trips. You can find a useful guide to the 30 hours free childcare here.  You can check your eligibility and apply for funding via the Government's Childcare Choices website. 

UPDATE OCTOBER 2023:

The government has recently announced that they intend to expand the offer of free childcare for working parents to children aged from 9 months to 3 years old.

The rollout of the offer will be phased over the next couple of years as follows:

April 2024 - 15 hours free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of two year old children from April 2024
September 2024 - 15 hours of free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months
September 2025 - 30 hours of free childcare will be available to eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months

Nursery Schools/Classes

Children rising 4 (i.e. in the school year that they turn 4) can apply for a place at a state-run nursery school/class.  Applications are made by contacting the school directly.

Some nursery schools run either morning or afternoon sessions, and many are now offering up to 30 hours of childcare in some form and this will be free for those eligible for the Government's 30 hours free childcare scheme. The format of the offering and number of places available varies by school and each has it's own eligibility criteria so you should discuss this option with each school. 

Some local private pre-schools and nurseries (also listed in our Pre-school and Nursery Schools sections) also cater for children in this age group and may be able to offer more flexible sessions. 

Primary Schools

Children rising 5 (i.e. in the school year that they turn 5) can start Primary School, but statutory school age is from the term after their fifth birthday. Primary Schools take children up to the age of 11 (Year 6). Some of the Primary Schools locally are split into separate Infant and Junior Schools - infant taking children from age 4-7, and Junior from age 7-11.  In addition to state-run Primary Schools, a number of Independent Schools are available in the area.

Secondary Schools, Sixth Form and Colleges

From Year 7 onwards (the school year that the child turns 12) until the end of Year 11 (the school year that the child turns 16), they attend Secondary School. As well as state-run Secondary Schools there are also a number of Independent Schools locally.  Some local Secondary Schools offer an optional Sixth Form for two years following the completion of Year 11.  Alternatively there are Sixth Form Colleges and Further Education Colleges offering learning opportunities from age 16+. 

Applying for state-run schools

Applications for state-run Nursery Schools, Primary Schools and Secondary Schools should be made through Havering Borough Council the school year before your child is due to start.  More details on the school application process can also be found on the Havering Council Website.

Help with the cost of childcare

There is a range of assistance available to help with the cost of childcare. See the Havering Council site for more details.  You can also find more information on the The Daycare Trust website.

Tell Ofsted what you think about your child’s school     

Parent View gives parents the chance to tell Ofsted what you think about your child’s school – whether it’s doing a great job, or if you have any concerns. Parent View also lets you see what other parents think of any school in England - a useful source of information to make an informed choice about the best school for your child.

Parents can access Parent View on the Ofsted website at any time of the year, not just when a school is being inspected.