Early Years Funding for 3 Year Olds

[clicka]

Hello

Does anybody know the situation with getting the free 15 hours of early years education for children who turn three.

What I don't understand is how it works. Presumably in the first instance the nursery needs to be registered with the local authority. If that is the case, what next? If my child is in nursery from 08:00 till 18:00 (10 hours per day) and we pay ?60 per day to the nursery or ?6 per hour. If I get 15 hours free does that mean I get ?90 (?6 x 15 hours) off my weekly bill to the nursery, or is the hourly rate for the free 15 hours limited effectively meaning in pay the difference between the hourly cap and my ?6 per hour fee?

I'm really confused and not getting much luck by researching this on line.

Many thanks

Clicka

[Helen GV]

The second scenario I believe, 15 hours a week at a rate set by the gov not by the nursery, term time only so 38ish weeks worth. Sorry for vague numbers but I hope you get the idea!

I'm sure someone on here would be able to give you an idea of how much this translates to in savings!

[hellosailor]

In a private nursery the discount doesn't work out to 15 hours per week as their hourly rate is more expensive and the 15 hours per week is calculated using term time only, not full time. Oh dear I'm not explaining that very well. Basically, in state nurseries and nurseries attached to schools it actually works out to 15 hours nursery free a week, if your child was attending private nursery from 8:00-6:00 all year round, for example say two days a week, i.e roughly 15 hours a week, and that came to roughly ?450 a month before the grant came into play, it would mean it would still come to ?250 a month with the grant taken into account. It amounts to a discount but not actually 15 hours a week at private nursery.

[Mrs TP]

In theory yes your nursery should just take off the fee for ?15 hours per week but remember the free hours are for school term times only and do not extend over traditional school hols when private nurseries remain open. I think schools are off approx 13 wks of the year.

So it is roughly 15hrs per week x 39ish weeks per year. Speak to your nursery as to how they handle it.

It also kicks in at the beginning of the school term after your child turns 3 and not immediately after their birthday. So if your child's b'day is towards the beginning of a school term you have to wait until the start of the next term for it to kick in.

Every nursery seems to handle it differently and some say along the lines of 'oh we like you to wave it so we can plough the money back into the nursery' - you don't have to agree.

Sure plenty others will have more concrete knowledge but this is a rough guide to get the ball rolling.

[hellosailor]

Mrs TP Wrote:

-

>

>

> Every nursery seems to handle it differently and

> some say along the lines of 'oh we like you to

> wave it so we can plough the money back into the

> nursery' - you don't have to agree.

>

Wow, does this actually happen in some nurseries? Audacious!

[Mrs TP]

I had work friends who had experience of this in diff parts of London - it's bonkers!

[Saffron]

I found the websites very confusing, plus some nurseries will try to bend the rules to their advantages. Phone and speak to the Family Information Services for the area in which your nursery is. For example, if you live in Lewisham but the nursery is in Southwark, it's Southwark FIS that you need to contact. I also found FIS were quite good about getting back to me on email. Contact info is on the website, eg http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/926/advice_and_support_for_families/545/family_information_service/1 . xx

[Norfolkvillas]

My three year old goes to a pre-school which isn't part of a primary school, but doesn't charge anything on top of his 15 hours. I don't know whether it's classed as 'state' or 'private' - I thought the only 'state' nurseries were the ones attached to primary schools, but I'm no expert.

In my experience it seems to be only the term-time only nurseries and pre-schools that can offer the 15h with nothing further to pay. I can see that if a nursery is open year round then it's impractical / impossible for them to take a child for 38 / 52 weeks so they have to prorate it across the whole year, and if they have a minimum attendance then that's where the need for top up fees arises.

[SBot]

My daughter is to start a pre school in sept. she turns 3 in June so will get 15hrs free. However she is only going to do 2 mornings. They've told me that the government only provide enough money to cover a certain amount, it will cost me ?1.50 or thereabouts each session.....is this right? Surely it shouldn't cost me anything!

[katgod]

as explained above, each nursery seems to do it differently. There is a 'correct' way that FUschia explained several years ago on here, and there is the reality of nurseries around here. Mine deducted a chunk equivalent to the grant value in arrears each term. That was a full daycare kind of place. Another nursery we attended discounted the rate monthly to allow for the grant amount. A national scheme does not take into account the extra rent etc that nurseries in LOndon charge. Some private nurseries won't give any discount. The only way to guarantee getting 15 house free per week term time is in a nursery attached to a state primary school. Otherwise you just have to go along with what the business chooses to do.

[etta166]

Nurseries can also charge for snacks and extra activities/supplies, because the 15 hours free is only for childcare costs and nothing else. State school nurseries don't tend to do this, though.

In theory it should not matter what the nursery charges per hour. Any charge that is soley for childcare should be covered. But as people have already said, all nurseries do it differently. Some only accept the 15 hours education grant for children that do 15hrs+ at the nursery, so that all parents are paying them at least a small amount.

[Saffron]

Check with FIS. I think if your child is enrolled for 3 or more days, then you can receive the full 15h grant. If your child only attends 2 days, then I think it's prorated to 12.5 hours. Definitely worth speaking directly to FIS if you're unsure about the nursery's policy. FIS are on your side, and it's their job to advise you on how the Early Years Grant should be applied under various scenarious. Don't just use the information on the websites, because a lot of it is confusing or incomplete. Speak to FIS directly. xx

[Saffron]

Southwark FIS:

Family information service

Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm

Tel: 0800 013 0639

[email protected]

[GinaG3]

Definitely ring the FIS at Southwark, they gave me the exact figure of the grant last year. Our pre-school charges ?9.50 for a 2.5 hour session, my daughter does 2.5 mornings a week and 3 lunches (45 minutes) which are also charged at ?2.50 a session. We meet the threshold for the grant cap exactly according to FIS. I found it so confusing in the first place as I didn't want to be stuck with top ups I had to make sure I covered myself. Family info were very helpful, the internet was less so!