How does 3 year old funding work when moving childcare??

[mumtosp]

To give you a bit of a background, DS is 3.5 yo and has always gone to a child minder. In Jan this year, he also started at a Montessori 2 mornings a week. As far as funding is concerned, we receive the standard 15 hours per week from the child minder. It was easier for the child minder to apply rather than trying to split the funding between the child minder and the Montessori IYSWIM.

The Montessori is really good, but the only reason we choose it was because it was close to the childminder for drop offs and pick ups.

Now for various reasons, we may not be able to continue with the current childminder (and hence also stop the Montessori) as we want to move to a completely different nursery from September. The new nursery is close to our new place, is highly rated and they have full time places. I am thinking that a full time nursery will also help DS get ready for school next year (but that's not relevant to this thread)

Now childminder asked me today what I have decided to do as she needs to apply for funding for the next term which goes from July to Dec. I asked her what would happen if I move in September and she said that I would likely not receive funding at the new nursery for Sept to Dec as childminder would have already applied for that period. She thinks that if we have made up our minds about moving to the nursery then we should apply at the nursery from Sept and forget about receiving any funding from now till Sept.

Am I mistaken in thinking that surely there must be an option to move funding when my childcare options change? The childminder is unable to explain this very well as I believe she herself doesn't get it (her DH does all her funding related paper work)

Also, I thought funding only applies during term time. So does the July to Sept period really matter??
I am thoroughly and would appreciate your help in understanding this

TIA :)

[ceeveebee]

We moved from London to Manchester at the end of October and our new nursery got the funding for the 6 weeks remaining of the term. Don't know whether old nursery had to pay back their funding or not!

[mumtosp]

Thanks ceeveebee

I am going to talk to someone from the new nursery later this week and will raise this then.