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Nursery at Nottingham College
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Childcare alongside college study is the practical link here: Once Upon a Time is Nottingham College’s internal nursery, and students can apply for a place for their child. For a parent returning to learning, that makes the nursery a childcare option to consider alongside their course. A nursery place and financial help with childcare are separate matters, however. Eligible students must apply for support and receive approval before relying on it.
Help with childcare costs can support eligible students while they study. Proof of the parent’s relationship to the child is required, with a birth certificate or child benefit evidence among the accepted options. The college also considers other funding a student receives when assessing support needs. Students must use other available support first, so a childcare application needs to account for existing help rather than assume the college will meet every cost.
Funding approval matters before childcare begins. Students should wait for confirmation from the Student Finance team before placing their child in a setting and arrange interim care or have the means to pay during the first few weeks. Once an eligible application has been fully assessed, payments or reimbursement usually reach back to the start of the term in which the application was submitted, subject to the bursary rules and available funds.
Applications are considered in the order received and depend on places at the chosen setting. Support continues only while funds remain. For a student parent, applying with the necessary evidence is therefore part of making a workable childcare plan.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the normal deadline. Treat the nursery decision and the later school application as separate choices: choosing childcare now does not secure a school place for the next stage.
Childcare support is linked to study time. For eligible students, it covers scheduled teaching hours and reasonable journeys between college and childcare, up to the applicable limits; costs above those limits remain the student’s responsibility. Meals, drinks, snacks and other charges can be included within an agreed childcare cap, with any excess payable by the student. This is financial assistance with childcare, rather than a promise that every charge will be covered.
Changes to childcare sessions must be sent to Student Finance beforehand in writing. Where childcare is needed for school holidays or inset days outside college terms, students must supply a holiday calendar or a school message at the beginning of each term, ideally at the start of the academic year. Without that evidence, funding cannot be guaranteed. Extra support for examinations or revision outside the usual timetable may also be considered when college staff or the student’s learning plan confirm the requirement.
To request childcare support, students use the Childcare part of their Student Finance application, accessed through their Nottingham College account dashboard. A birth certificate or other accepted guardianship evidence should accompany the application. General college enquiries can be made on 0115 9100 100. Refer to the college for current nursery charges.
Once Upon a Time is the college’s internal nursery.
Yes. Students can apply for a place at Once Upon a Time.
No. Families need to make a separate Reception application through the normal route and by the normal deadline.
Use the Childcare section of the Student Finance application through the Nottingham College account dashboard. Eligibility is assessed, and evidence of the relationship to the child is required.
For students approved for support, meals, snacks, drinks and other charges can fall within the agreed childcare cap. Students pay charges above that cap.
