Free 15 hours, please explain

[SBot]

My daughter, aged 3yrs is due to start pre school in September. She will be there on Mondays 9.15-12.30 and Fridays 9.15-3pm. Totalling 9.5hrs.....yet they want to charge me a fee because the funding doesn't cover it. Could anyone please explain why I've to pay when we are entitled to 15 free hours........

[buggie]

Have you checked with the per-school, I thought the 15hrs had to be taken over 3 days.

Also, the 15hrs is based on a school year, so if the preschool is open more weeks per year than school, then it will be less than 15hrs a week that you get.

[SBot]

Thanks Buggie, the lady that runs it just talked about how funding doesn't cover it. It runs alongside school terms andy government now allow 15hrs over 2 days.

[verds]

Our nursery also added a mysterious 'fee', which I thought was unfair. We also had to pay for the school hols. I think some non-school nurseries do charge extra.

[oimissus]

I think the whole thing is guidelines, not law, so really nurseries and pre-schools can add whatever fees they like. Also, you're not using up the whole 15 hours, that might have something to do with it - because they can't offer your leftover hours to someone else and you're taking up the place of a child who would do 15 hours? I'm guessing here, but I know a lot of pre-schools insist on the full 15 hours being used, and at very specific times (every morning or every afternoon in term-time). So perhaps you're paying for the more flexible hours they offer?

Miss Oi's nursery charges extra because it's open 50 weeks a year. The grant is taken off what the full fees would be and you pay the difference. I'm pretty certain they do it accurately and aren't fleecing us!

[Saffron]

There is a statutory requirement involved because the Early Years Grant [for 15 free hours] falls under the Childcare Act. As such statutory guidance to local authorities is issued by the Department of Education:

This statutory guidance from the Department for Education is for English local authorities on their duties under sections 6, 7, 11 and 13 of the Childcare Act 2006. Local authorities must have regard to this guidance when seeking to discharge their duties under sections 6, 7, 11 and 13 of the Childcare Act 2006. They should not depart from it unless they have good reason to do so.

http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/statutory/g00209650/code-of-practice-for-las

http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/e/la%20role%20statutory%20guidance%20final.pdf

For more information you should contact the Family Information Services (FIS) in the area in which your nursery is located. If your nursery is in Southwark, their FIS contact info is as follows:

Southwark Family information service

Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm

Tel: 0800 013 0639

[email protected]

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200016/childcare/710/early_education-three_to_five_years/1

Have your nursery make a full and transparent explanation of how your hours are credited and what additional fees you will be expected to pay. If you're still uncertain, or feel that you may be credited/charged incorrectly, speak directly with FIS.

When we read online about how our 15 hours would be credited, Mr Saff and I were both a bit confused. After speaking with our nursery and FIS, we were 100% happy with the explanation and credit of the hours. Also, our nursery was very happy to make the explanation clear and simple. Not everything is explained very well online with these grant schemes sometimes. xx

[SBot]

We're in Bromley borough, I can't actually call anyone who knows exactly how it works, they no longer have this, funding issues! the website makes it quite clear that she receives upto 15 hours free........it doesn't mention anything about using all 15 hrs.

Confusion!

I don't want to be that nagging mother at the pre school!

[alieh]

The way it works at our nursery is that the nursery receives a subsidy from the council for all children over 3, per hour up to 15 hours. So the way they work it out is they take their normal hourly rate and subtract the subsidy then multiply by number of hours he is there. I was a bit confused and slightly annoyed because that doesn't equate to 15 free hours but when she explained how it worked in terms of transfer from the council I see why they do it that way. Maybe yours is the same? I think the only way to ensure it is fully free is to take a school based place.

[ludoscotts]

Hi is she staying for lunch? my daughters nursery would charge for the lunch period as that is not covered by the grant. So we would receive the full 15 hours teaching/nursery time but we have to pay about ?2 per day I think it was for the lunch time period. This was a pre-school not attached to a school.

[SBot]

No lunch, staying till 3 on the Friday is a new thing, when I went to view all I wanted was mon and fri mornings. She has mentioned about subsidy, but then I haven't read anything about that on any government/council websites. Surely it would state that, I.e depending on costs??

[Fuschia]

http://www.bromley.gov.uk/info/20/childcare_costs/792/nursery_education_funding-free_entitlement_for_3_and_4_year_olds

[SBot]

Thanks Fuschia......read that over and over today.....seems to me there should be no cost.

[Fuschia]

For the provider to access the grant, they have to make an offer that allows 15h Pw x 38 weeks totally free of charge and no strings

Though the max you can take in 2 days is 12.5h

Some providers though will offer free places 8am -11 and 3-6pm only

Bromley site lists providers and what times they offer free, plus complaints procedure

[edanna]

I think it's just a question of there being a maximum amount that can be paid by the subsidy based on an hourly rate that isn't v high, for London anyway, so if the number of hours you are getting at the pre-school or nursery's hourly rate is greater than the max then you pay the extra. My daughter's funding equates to ?200 a month but that is on the basis of being open the whole year round.

[Fuschia]

Edanna, the provider must allow children to attend 15h term time, totally free

They can restrict what times the sessions are though

They can't charge an additional hourly fee on top though