When will my child's funding start?
Start date for three year old funded places
The government funding start dates are where a child's third birthday falls on or between:
- 1 March and 31 August - they will become eligible for funding from August (autumn term) occurring in that year
- 1 September and 31 December - they will become eligible for funding from January (spring term) following their birthday
- 1 January and last day February - they will become eligible for funding from April (summer term) following their birthday
Information on eligible two year old start dates can be found on our Eligible two year olds webpage.
Session 2025/2026 start dates
| Age | Start date of 20/08/2025 | Start date of 05/01/2026 | Start date of 20/04/2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 year old | 01/03/22 – 31/08/22 | 01/09/22 – 31/12/22 | 01/01/23 – 28/02/23 |
| 4 year old | 01/03/21 - 28/02/22 | - | - |
| Deferred Entry | 21/8/2020 – 28/2/2021 | - | - |