Nursery only giving 6 hours of free 15 hour entitlement

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

How common is this? I went to look at a potential nursery and the woman showing me round said for the younger children (2 year olds) they split the week, and gave me the two days I would get if I got a place.

I know the problem with nurseries not getting the full cost of an hour but if the entitlement us for 15 hours should this not be offered?

This is a sessional nursery opening three hours in the morning and three in the afternoon, they do not offer all day care.

[bittapitta]

Is it a private nursery? It's up to them really. Doesn't sound like a typical set up in our area though.

[Littlefish]

It is up to settings to say what funded sessions are available.

Also, they may not have sessions available. When my dd started nursery, they only had 2 x 3 hour sessions per week available. Once some of the older children left, more sessions became available.

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

It is a private nursery, it only takes children from two years and had two x three hour sessions mon-fri term time only.

I'm not sure it's because that's all that's available. She just said they split the week for the younger children, but I know somebody who got five days for their child last year in a non-funded place so it's not all two year olds.

I think I will see if other providers in the area offer the full 15 hours.

[YonicScrewdriver]

It's quite common for nurseries to offer one 2.5 h or 3h session in the morning and one in the afternoon, every day. Then the balance of the ten hours (if it's 8-6) are unfounded. This mimics a pre school that would offer you 9-12 and 12-3, say.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Oh sorry, misread your post!

So the sessions are fully funded but they only have two available for you at present not the five you wanted?

[YonicScrewdriver]

From a societal perspective, the government can't compel any setting to offer the funded hours. So those that do may feel it fairer to accommodate, say, two children with two sessions each rather than one with four or five.

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

They are just allocating the spaces now yonicscrewdriver so I think they must offer fewer than 15 hours to funded children as standard. I just wish this had been pointed out to me when I got an application form as I had assumed I was applying for 15 hours.

I am going to look at another nursery as well so I will make sure to ask if they have a policy regarding funded places.

[insancerre]

What they are doing is giving priority to fee paying children and offering limited places to funded children
Which they are perfectly entitled to do
They can decide how many of their available places are offered as funded places
They may also be limiting the number of 2 year olds in order to have the correct adult to child ratio
Its 1-4 for 2 year olds, so if they had 5 in one session they would need another member of staff, which doesn't make economical sense as the funding the nursery gets is so low