Nursery free hours but not for breakfast club

[Chazgy]

Hello, my son is recently qualified for the government 30 hours funding but my chosen nursery states we can only use this for the nursery hours 9-3.30pm and we will have to pay for breakfast and after school club if we need it. Nearly £15 a day adding onto food costs.
They are school run and so fall under the same ofsted number so I am confused as to why we are unable to use the funding for those extra hours too as it would still only be 9 hours a day.
The receptionist wasn’t too sure and sounded like she was just quoting when she said it’s because the nursery is only registered with the council for 9-3.30 despite offering the before and after provisions.
Does anybody have any experience of this please?

[wheresmyhairytoe]

Nurseries can chose when to offer the 30 hours, so yes, they're perfectly within their rights to charge for breakfast club and after school club.

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

Because it's education not childcare. Sounds like they offer two funded sessions a day, 9-12, 12.30-3.30. Anything outside that is wrap around and not funded. Same as school hours.

[KellyHall]

Yes, many nurseries have set hours, especially if they're attached to schools.

Have you checked if you can receive tax-free childcare? It would at least lessen the additional costs...

www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Perfectly normal and acceptable. They get to choose when you can use them, not you.

[Apple40]

Hi, yes this is normal, sadly the funding nursery’s get from the government is way way below what they would normally charge so to be able to offer there parents the funding and stay in business they have to adapt a model that works for them curtain hours, paid lunch time, paid breakfast and after school sessions etc a charge per session, charging for all extras etc as the funding is only for the care and nothing else.

[Chazgy]

Thanks all, guess I’ll have to suck it up then.