Free Early Education

Here at Folkestone Primary Kindergarten, we are registered to receive free early education from the government funded schemes.

Free early education places for two year olds is known in Kent as the 'Free for 2' or ‘FF2’ scheme. We have a duty to provide eligible children at two years of age up to 570 hours of free early education a year over the course of 38 weeks of the year.

A child is eligible if:

• They come within the criteria used to determine eligibility for Free School Meals

• Their families receive Working Tax Credits and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190 per year

• They have a current statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and care plan

• They are entitled to Disability Living Allowance

• They are looked after by a local authority

• They are no longer looked after by the local authority as a result of an adoption order, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order which specifies with whom the child lives.

Eligible children can start claiming after they turn two, depending on when their birthday is.

*BIRTHDAY CHART*

From the term following your child’s 3rd birthday the Free Early Education provides for a maximum of 15 hours universal free childcare during school term time. Please note fees will be applicable for any care over the 15 hours.

Some eligible families can access the extended 30 hours entitlement. A child qualifies for the extended entitlement if both parents are working (or the sole parent in a lone parent family is working) and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours (National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage) and less than £100,000 a year.