At local authority nurseries:
- All children receive 15 hours free nursery provision each week.
- Although nurseries have traditionally offered half day sessions, increasingly they will be offering the free hours flexibly to meet family needs. For example, you may choose morning sessions, afternoon sessions or a combination of morning and afternoon sessions or full days (subject to availability).
- The place is normally for the year before your child starts school, but if space is available, some children may start sooner.
- In some nurseries you can buy additional hours on top of the free sessions you receive.
For information about how to apply for a nursery place and how places are allocated please see the Nursery Leaflet (link below).
There is also information available online at our Family Information Service pages
Transfer from nursery to primary school
The Law says that children must start school at the start of the term after their fifth birthday at the latest. But, in Wigan, we currently provide a school place from the beginning of the school year in which your child turns five.
There is no guarantee that a child who has a place in a nursery will automatically get a place at the school to which the nursery is attached.
