Free early learning - how does it work?

[sophiechristophy]

Hi everyone,

I don't think my daughter will be going to a nursery until she is 3, when she will qualify for the free 15 hours a week, but I was wondering, how does it work? When would I need to get her on a waiting list to make sure she had a place for when she is 3 (she is just about to turn 1)? Do all nursery's offer the free 15 hours?

Any advice welcome!

Thanks, Sophie

[leta]

3 and half more likely.

my son"s birthday is in sep and i was lucky that the school had january intakes or else i would have to wait until sept when he would be 4.

It depend v much when your daughter is born(the month).

Now they dont take january intakes so my son was lucky but he still has to wait until sept 2012 to start reception.So he will be in nursery for 1 year and half.

Usualy you have to put her name down with a year befor starting,,,,,some they dont even have place.

Hope it helps

[Fuschia]

Is free from term after they are 3 at the moment - google free nursery entitlement

Put their name down for your closest school assuming it has a nursery class as well as a couple of private nurseries

15h Pw termtime only and provider should not charge any topup fees or insist you take other paid sessions but some do

There is a suspicion legislation going through might remove the obligation on councils to Offer thus provision to all children though

[The Nappy Lady]

It is no longer restricted to term time - you can look at the total hours over the term - e.g. 15 hours per week over say a 5 week term is 75 hours, but can then spread it out evenly across the weeks INCLUDING school holidays - so instead of using 15 hours a week, it may be you actually do 10 hours per week but this works out to the same amount of hours used over the year (or however long) your child is there.

Hope this makes sense. I found this out today when I went to put my 2.5 year old down at a nursery for the 15 hours a week. The lady said it's an administrative nightmare as they keep changing the rules, but have finally realised parents don't only work Term Time, which has instigated this change - (DOH)!

My daughter is 3 in October and can start there in the January, assuming they have space, but priority is given to full time children. I have said I'm happy to be flexible so hopefully she will get something, my ideal would be 2 or 3 mornings a week.

She would have gone to Ivydale School nursery in January 2012, but now they are single intake she can't go there until September 2012, which is much too far way for her - she's desperate to be like her big sister and to go to 'school'. I know there has to be a cut off somewhere, but the single intake is a nightmare for children born in the Autumn.

[Fuschia]

Molly you're right, it's called stretching the entitlement

What I meant to say is you're entitled to 15h x x no of weeks - think it's actually 36

[Fuschia]

Molly autumn born children don't start later in reception under the new rules, just summer born start earlier

The sept before they are 5

It's just school nurseries won't tend to get aves come up in jan any more - just sept

[The Nappy Lady]

I know, it's just I was so looking forward to dropping them both off at 9am in one place from January....sigh....and she is so excited about going into the nursery (I know once she's there she'll probably be clinging to me and begging me not to leave, but even so.....).....