Our Pre-school offers education and care for children from the age of two until they start school. We are a Registered Provider under the Bristol Early Years Partnership and so can claim funding for most children from the term after their third birthday. (All children are entitled to 15 hours of pre-school education from the start of the next national term after their third birthday and may be eligible for 30 hours if parents are working). From April 2024, the Government are rolling out extended entitlement of 15 hours to 2 year olds of working parents. Some other children are also eligible for funding from the age of two. (Additional criteria applies – speak to Cathy) Additional sessions/hours above the free entitlement can be paid for.

 

Our Pre-school is open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm but we operate on a sessional as well as full day basis.  We currently only operate Term time only. (See below for this years term dates) The first hour of each day is our Breakfast Club (from 8am to 9am) and our normal session times run from 9am to 12noon or 1pm and then from 12noon or 1pm  to 3pm or 4pm  Our Lunch time is at 12noon and children bring their own packed lunch for this. Children can come for the whole day and finishing times are flexible depending on if you have siblings attending other local school.

 

How many sessions each child attends will be agreed individually with you and reviewed as and when necessary according to your child’s needs and subject to space available.

 

Extra hours above your entitlement will be charged termly. This may then give you more time to fit around work commitments or enable you to access training opportunities.

 

ST JOSEPH’S PRE-SCHOOL TERM DATES for Year 2025 to 2026 

• Term 1 2 September 2025 to 24 October 2025 

• Term 2 3 November 2025 to 19 December 2025 

• Term 3 5 January 2026 to 13 February 2026 

• Term 4 23 February 2026 to 2 April 2026 

• Term 5 20 April 2026 to 22 May 2026 

• Term 6 1 June 2026 to 22 July 2026 

 

NB: WE WILL ALSO BE CLOSED FOR FIVE IN-SERVICE TRAINING DAYS DURING THE YEAR. 

The first of these are on Tuesday 2nd September so our first day of term for the Children will be from Wednesday 3rd September. 

We have 4 further in-service training days provisionally booked on Friday 24th October 2025, 

Monday 23rd February 2026, Thursday 2nd April 2026, and Wednesday 22nd July 2026. 

(We hope to stick to these dates, but may have to change one subject to Trainer availability) 

 

We also close for Bank Holidays. (But most bank holidays fall in non-term time anyway!)