When it comes to our fees there are no hidden extras. We offer an ‘All Inclusive’ package, which means all the following are included:
You can request a copy of our fees by getting in contact with us directly. Children must be booked to attend at least one full day or two half day sessions per week, and we offer discounts for siblings and full time bookings.
Whilst we are open 51 weeks of the year, some settings offer a small number of ‘Term Time Only’ places. These are offered at different daily rate. Contact your local setting to get a copy of our Term Time for Teachers fee list and to check our availability.
Term Dates for Teachers
*For children who receive government funding, please check the funding term dates further below
September 2023 – July 2024
Term 1- Friday 1st September 2023 to Friday 20th October 2023
Term 2 - Monday 30th October 2023 to Friday 15th December 2023
Term 3 - Tuesday 2nd January 2024 to Friday 9th February 2024
Term 4 - Monday 19th February 2024 to Thursday 28th March 2024
Term 5 - Monday 15th April 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024
Term 6 - Monday 3rd June 2024 to Tuesday 23rd July 2024
September 2024 - July 2025
Term 1- Monday 2nd September 2024 to Friday 25th October 2024
Term 2 - Monday 4th November 2024 to Friday 20th December 2024
Term 3 - Monday 6th January 2025 to Friday 14th February 2025
Term 4 - Monday 24th February 2025 to Friday 4th April 2025
Term 5 - Tuesday 22nd April 2025 to Friday 23rd May 2025
Term 6 - Monday 2nd June 2025 to Tuesday 22nd July 2025
There are lots of ways to pay your Red Bus invoice, and support you can receive to pay it. The Childcare Choices website is a great place to start, as it lists all the different ways you can get support paying for childcare – it even includes a calculator to work out how much you could save!
If you tell us when you register that you’d like to pay by direct debit, we can get that set up for you in advance. All you need to do is complete a form with us and you will be set up for automatic payments on the 1st of each month.
This scheme is designed so that for every 80p you put into your Tax-Free Childcare account, the government will add 20p. It essentially gives you basic-rate tax back on your bill – hence the scheme's name! Using your government gateway account, you can be set up easily for payments to Red Bus – we just need to know your reference code for payments coming in!
We can also accept payments via bank transfer – we do not generally accept payment by cash, but please speak to your setting about this.
We also accept childcare voucher payments from most suppliers, please let our finance team know if this is how you plan to pay.
As Red Bus has settings in different local authorities, the information below is generic. Please contact your local setting for more specific information.
Once registered at Red Bus, our finance team will let you know when your child is due to receive funded hours and how they work with your child's sessions. You will also be sent the full version of our Red Bus Admissions Policy.
Your child is entitled to up to 15 hours of funding the term after their 2nd* or 3rd birthday. The academic terms start in September, January and April. These hours are funded by the Local Authority and are known as the ‘Free Early Education Entitlement’ (FEEE).
Each child is entitled to up to 15 hours per week term time only or up to 11.5 hours per week all year round.
*Two year olds may qualify for funding if their parents/carers meet certain criteria. There is an application process which must be approved by the Local Authority before funding can be given by Red Bus.
Extended funding is the additional funding that is allocated to eligible 3 and 4 year olds only. Unlike Universal Hours, parents must apply for these hours to be used at Red Bus.
Where parents are eligible for extended funding, we offer 23 hours per week stretched over our year or 30 hours per week on a term time only basis where offered.
For more information and to apply for the extended funding please visit the Childcare Choices website.
Funded Children - Limited term time only spaces
Red Bus are closely aligned to local authority school term dates, however they may not be the same. There are only slight differences so please ensure you read the term dates carefully as your child is registered for attendance on these dates only.
September 2023 – July 2024
Term 1- Friday 1st September 2023 to Friday 20th October 2023
Term 2 - Monday 30th October 2023 to Friday 8th December 2023
Term 3 - Tuesday 2nd January 2024 to Friday 9th February 2024
Term 4 - Monday 19th February 2024 to Thursday 28th March 2024
Term 5 - Monday 15th April 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024
Term 6 - Monday 3rd June 2024 to Tuesday 23rd July 2024
September 2024 - July 2025
Term 1- Monday 2nd September 2024 to Friday 25th October 2024
Term 2 - Monday 4th November 2024 to Friday 13th December 2024
Term 3 - Monday 6th January 2025 to Friday 14th February 2025
Term 4 - Monday 24th February 2025 to Friday 4th April 2025
Term 5 - Tuesday 22nd April 2025 to Friday 23rd May 2025
Term 6 - Monday 2nd June 2025 to Tuesday 22nd July 2025
The government has announced a proposal for additional funded hours to be put in place for children from 9 months old. The intended plan is for this to be implemented from April 2024.
More information on this proposal will be featured on this page once we have been provided the details. We will also contact all our registered families as soon as we have more information to give.