1,140 hours are available to all children aged three to five years old.
When does my three-year-old’s funded placement start?
All children who will be 3 years of age before the 1 March 2026 are entitled to receive up to 1140 hours statutory funded place during session 2025-2026.
From session 2025-2026 starting on 1 August 2025, start dates for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) placements will change. These changes are in keeping with Scottish Government legislation and continue to allow for all eligible children to receive their statutory entitlement up to 1140 hours.
The Government funding start dates are where a child’s third birthday fall on or between:
- 1 March 2025 and 31 August 2025 they will be eligible for funding from August 2025 (autumn term) occurring in that year.
- 1 September and 31 December 2025 they will be eligible for funding from January 2026 (spring term) following their birthday.
- 1 January and last day of February 2026 they will be eligible for funding from April 2026 (summer term) following their birthday.
Parents or carers of a child whose funded place will start at any of these times should apply now.
Parents or carers of children applying to North Lanarkshire Council from another local authority should be guided by the Cross Boundary Protocol.
Applying for an early learning and childcare placement
Children will normally attend an ELC establishment closest to their home but you can apply to any establishment, in line with the admissions policy, should you wish to do so.
You should return your application by email, post or hand it in to your first choice of ELC provider by Friday, 21 February 2025. This deadline applies to applications for a funded place that is due to start at any time during the 2025/26 session, be it the Autumn 25, Spring 26 or Summer 26 term.
Outcome letters for ELC applications submitted by the closing date of 21 February 2025, will be issued by second-class post on a date to be advised.
Returning children do not need to reapply unless they want to change their establishment.
More information including application forms will be found on North Lanarkshire Council’s Early Years Webpage
St. Serf’s Nursery
Our aim is to gain as much knowledge about the children which will help give clear starting points and address any barriers to learning and to provide the most positive out comes for our early learners, we do this by:
- a home link visit by a member of our Early Years Team and our Community Learning and Development Worker prior to starting.
- an invitation for new parents to share the ‘being me’ booklet for their child, setting personal targets.
- open door communication.
- family learning opportunities.
- coffee mornings.
Nursery staff report on pupils’ developmental stages and their ability to interact with others.
The nursery provide both verbal and written reports to teaching staff which enables the school to have good starting points for developing pupils understanding, knowledge and skills.
