How to Apply for Nursery Places for 3 Year Olds​

Your child turns three and suddenly everyone is talking about nursery applications, funded hours, eligibility codes, and term dates. It can feel like a lot to get your head around, especially when you are trying to do it alongside everything else that comes with raising a young child.

Here is the good news: the process to apply for nursery places for 3 year olds is more straightforward than it looks once you understand how the different parts fit together. This guide walks you through everything, from choosing a nursery to handing over your eligibility code on day one.

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What Your Three-Year-Old Is Actually Entitled To

Before diving into applications, let us get clear on what is available. There are two funded childcare offers that most parents of three-year-olds will be interested in.

The Universal 15 Hours

Every child in England is entitled to 15 hours of funded early education per week from the term after their third birthday. This applies to all families, regardless of income or working status. No application code is required from parents.

Your nursery handles this directly with your local authority. You simply tell them you want to use your 15-hour entitlement and show proof of your child's age, such as their birth certificate.

The 30 Hours for Working Families

Working parents of three and four-year-olds can access 30 hours of funded childcare per week. From September 2025, this extended offer became available to eligible working parents from the term after their child turns nine months old, all the way through to school age.

To qualify for the additional 15 hours on top of the universal entitlement, you and your partner (if you have one) must each earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Minimum Wage, and neither of you should earn more than £100,000 adjusted net income per year. This offer requires an application code from HMRC, which we will cover in the step-by-step section below.

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When Does Funding Start?

Funded childcare runs in three terms per year, beginning on 1 January, 1 April, and 1 September. Your child's funding starts from the beginning of the term after their third birthday.

Here is how that works in practice:

• Child turns three between 1 September and 31 December: funding starts from the January term
• Child turns three between 1 January and 31 March: funding starts from the April term
• Child turns three between 1 April and 31 August: funding starts from the September term

This means some children wait longer for their funding to begin than others, depending on when their birthday falls. A child born on 1 September will access funding almost immediately. A child born on 31 August will have waited nearly a full year since their birthday before September funding kicks in.

Keep this timing in mind when you start researching nurseries. You want to have a confirmed place well before your funding date arrives.

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Step-by-Step: How to Apply for a Nursery Place for a Three-Year-Old

Step 1: Start Looking Early

There is no such thing as applying too soon. Well-regarded nurseries fill their places quickly, particularly for September starts. Applications for nursery places typically open in the autumn of the year before your child is due to begin. For a September 2026 start, many nurseries begin taking applications in autumn 2025, with local authority school nurseries often setting deadlines in January or February 2026.

Private nurseries such as Little Mowgli Nursery in Leyland operate on their own admissions timelines, so contact them directly to find out when to apply and check current availability.

A general rule of thumb: start your search at least six to twelve months before you need a place. If your child turns three in October and you want a January start, do not wait until November to make calls.

Step 2: Research Your Options

There are several types of early years setting where your child can use their funded hours:

• Private nurseries and day nurseries: usually open year-round, often offering longer hours with the funded allocation applied as a discount against fees
• Nursery schools: state-funded standalone nurseries, often attached to primary schools, typically offering term-time provision
• Pre-schools and playgroups: shorter sessions, often during school hours only
• Childminders: registered home-based carers who can also accept funded hours

In England, all Ofsted-registered nurseries, nursery schools, preschools, and childminders can offer the funded entitlement, provided they have signed up to deliver it. Not all providers participate, so always confirm before assuming funded hours are available.

Think about your practical needs alongside the setting itself. What hours do you need? Do you need year-round care or term-time only? Is the location workable for your daily routine?

Step 3: Visit Nurseries in Person

No website or inspection report replaces a visit. When you visit, look at how staff interact with the children already there. Notice whether the environment feels calm, engaging, and well organised. Talk to the team about how they plan activities and support individual children.

In England, the legal staff-to-child ratio for three and four-year-olds is 1:8, or 1:13 where a qualified teacher is present. This is a legal minimum, not a quality benchmark, so ask whether the nursery typically operates above the minimum.

Questions worth asking on a visit:

• How does your key person system work?
• How do you communicate with parents about my child's progress?
• How do you handle the settling-in period?
• Do you accept funded hours, and are there any additional charges?
• How do you use the outdoor space?

Step 4: Secure Your Place

Once you have chosen your nursery, register your interest or submit an application as the nursery advises. Some nurseries use a waiting list; others take formal applications. Private nurseries generally confirm places directly with you. School-based nursery classes go through the local authority's admissions process.

For school-based nurseries, applications submitted after the local authority's closing date are classed as late and only processed after on-time applicants. Most school nurseries will not have vacancies left once all on-time applications are dealt with.Apply by the deadline, not the day before you need the place.

When you accept a place, ask your nursery what information they need from you before your child starts. Most will ask for your child's birth certificate, details of any medical needs, and your emergency contact information.

Step 5: Check Your Eligibility for 30 Hours (If Applicable)

If you are a working parent and you want to claim 30 funded hours rather than 15, you need to apply for an eligibility code through HMRC.

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to beststartinlife.gov.uk or gov.uk and use the eligibility checker to confirm you qualify.
2. Sign in or create a Government Gateway account. You will need your National Insurance number, the date you started or are due to start work, any benefits you receive, and your child's UK birth certificate reference number if available.
3. Complete the application. You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. It can take up to seven days to find out whether you are eligible.
4. Receive your 11-digit eligibility code. This code is what you hand to your nursery provider.
5. Give the code to your nursery along with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth. The nursery will verify the code and confirm your funded hours arrangement.

HMRC recommends applying at least a month before the term deadline. The deadlines are: 31 March for an April start, 31 August for a September start, and 31 December for a January start.

Step 6: Reconfirm Your Code Every Three Months

This is the step many parents forget. Once you have your eligibility code, you must reconfirm your details every three months via your GOV.UK childcare account. If you do not reconfirm on time, your funded childcare for working families may be paused.

HMRC should send you a reminder email four weeks before your reconfirmation deadline.When you receive it, log in promptly. The universal 15-hour entitlement for all three and four-year-olds does not require reconfirmation; only the working parent element needs renewing.

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What Happens If You Cannot Get a Place at Your First Choice?

Popular nurseries do fill up. If your first choice does not have availability:

• Ask to be added to their waiting list. Spaces do open up.
• Contact your local authority. Local authorities have a duty to help parents find available funded childcare places in their area.
• Consider other types of settings. A registered childminder may have places available when nurseries are full, and your child can use funded hours there too.
• Look at whether starting at a different point in the year works for your family. January and April starts often have more availability than September.

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Things to Know About How Funded Hours Work in Practice

A few practical points worth understanding before your child starts:

Funded hours are not the same as free childcare. The funded hours cover the core early education. Nurseries can legally charge for meals, nappies, and optional extras such as trips or specialist sessions. They cannot charge for the funded hours themselves, but supplementary costs are common. Always ask for a clear written breakdown before you sign.

You can split hours between providers. You can split your child's funded hours between up to two approved providers, such as a nursery for three days and a childminder for two. Both providers need to agree in advance how the hours are divided.

Term time versus stretched hours. By default, funded hours run over 38 term-time weeks. Many nurseries offer to stretch those hours across 51 or 52 weeks, giving you fewer hours per week but consistent provision throughout the year including in school holidays.Ask your nursery which arrangement they offer and which suits your family better.

The funding ends when your child starts school. The funded entitlement for three and four-year-olds runs until the September following their fourth birthday, when most children start Reception.

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Little Mowgli Nursery: Accepting Applications in Leyland

If you are based in Leyland or the surrounding areas of Lancashire, Little Mowgli Nursery welcomes children aged from birth and accepts funded hours for eligible three and four-year-olds. The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum through a play-based, nature-inspired approach across its Tigers and Giraffes rooms and outdoor play area.

To check availability, ask about funded places, or arrange a visit, contact the team directly at hello@littlemowgli.com or call 01772 974084. The nursery is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm.

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FAQs: Applying for Nursery Places for Three-Year-Olds

Q: When exactly should I apply for a nursery place for my three-year-old?

Start as early as you can, ideally six to twelve months before you need a place. For September starts, many school-based nursery applications open in the autumn the year before, with deadlines in January or February. Private nurseries have their own timelines, so contact your chosen setting directly to find out when they need your application. Popular nurseries fill quickly, and a late application could mean missing out on your first choice.

Q: Does my child need to be three before I can apply for a nursery place?

You can register your interest or apply to a private nursery before your child turns three. However, funded hours only begin from the term after your child's third birthday, regardless of when you apply. School-based nursery applications have their own age eligibility windows set by the local authority, so check the specific criteria for your area.

Q: What is the difference between the 15-hour and 30-hour funded offer for three-year-olds?

All three-year-olds in England get 15 funded hours per week from the term after their third birthday. This is universal and needs no code. Working parents who each earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage and no more than £100,000 per year can access an additional 15 hours, making 30 in total. The extra 15 hours requires an eligibility code applied for through HMRC at gov.uk.

Q: What documents do I need to apply for funded nursery hours?

For the universal 15-hour offer, your nursery will ask for proof of your child's age, typically their birth certificate. For the 30-hour working parent code, you will need your National Insurance number, details of your employment and start date, any benefits you receive, and your child's birth certificate reference number if available. Your nursery will then need your eligibility code along with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth.

Q: Can I use funded hours at a nursery outside my local area?

Yes. Funded hours can be used at any Ofsted-registered provider that has signed up to deliver the entitlement, regardless of whether that provider is in your home local authority area.This is sometimes referred to as cross-boundary funding. Contact both the nursery and your home local authority to confirm the arrangement and ensure the funding can be transferred correctly.

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