Nursery asking for extra fees for 15 hours funded

completely agree.

Honestly this sounds absolutely crazy to me. You seem to have a very good deal (free hours with no extra costs). Yes nurseries are not allowed to offer top up fees, but they can put conditions on the access to 15 hours as they are completely oversubscribed. I am surprised you are getting away with only £100. It’s terrible the nursery wasn’t upfront, and feed that back, but you will still have to pay it but mostly likely you’ll make it until next pay day before they chase you?

I can’t possibly imagine why they wouldn’t want to choose the parent who can only use the free hours, and is already kicking off about having to pay a penny extra and threatening reporting to the council vs a parent actually willing to contribute towards and support the nursery who will be caring for their child, while paying for the additional extras or extra days which make it financially viable for the nursery to operate profitably.

Cant imagine at all.

This. You’ve said yourself other nurseries are full.

@TwoFeralKids its unfortunate but private nurseries don't have to accept funding at all if they don't want to - its optional

I understand it from a business point of view but isn't that discrimination? We don't want children of poor parents here etc.

Two kids. Both private nursery and never been asked for that much.

Normal here.

£150 registration fee - this holds the place but apparently also pays for the app, a bib ect.

We have hourly top of fees for each free hour used too. But the nursery to do a lot - external providers in for ballet, baby signing, music classes, ball sports etc.

yes agree!! I do admissions for a nursery too in the office - we tend to offer the places to the non funded children instead of funded children because we make more money that way! the funded hours is a ball ache - we have to put in the application and we have to itemise all the invoices -way less admin without it

and we have the choice - our list is so long

We paid a registration fee to secure the place, it wasn't specified what this was for but we assumed as there is a waiting list and it was a deposit of sorts. All of my friends have paid similar. We are all in private nurseries not attached to schools. They also charge top up fees for meals and consumables, I'm unsure what the position is on these being optional as no one seems to opt out. This is £12 per full day for us, whereas if we paid the £68 full fee these things would be included.

Our fees have been put up by 10% in April and another % in September, to cover for the fact that as now pretty much all children are using the funded places, it's not as much money coming in as when people pay the daily full fee, so they have to offset it somehow. It has meant for us that the extra 15hrs is barely saving us anything, what with the top up fees and increase x2.

Nonsense, 4-6 weeks of fees is totally standard for private nursery deposits.

Nurseries have waiting lists and if there's a choice between a child who's parents pay the extra or not who they going to choose. So many nurseries are closing as they can't afford to run on funded hours. There's a severe lack of nurseries in my area and unless you put your childs name down at birth you don't get a place unless you are lucky and someone has moved away.

Nursery registration fees at ~£100 a piece (or more) all very normally locally (in a big city).

The deposit I agree seems outrageous, but it’s competitive to get a space and they’re all doing it so not really any choice.

I think the big deposits are to stop people securing a place at X date in the future, then deciding not to send their child, meaning the nursery lose out on a month of fees or more.

it has to be optional!

however in the nursery my daughter goes to not a single other child brings a packed lunch and there are all sorts of wonderful outings and teachers that come in to do activities - these need to be paid for! if i opted out the nursery experience would be crap and she'd be left out so I just pay it - ends up around 150 a month top up for the "free hours" 😑

also i only actually get 22 hours because my nursery is open all year and the funding paid 38 weeks - no option to go term time only

The one my son is going to it is £4 a day. £1.50 for school lunch and £2.50 for lunchtime cover. There are morning, afternoon and all day sessions. Nothing else. I appreciate not all schools are like this.

My DDs school pre school sessions run 9 - 12 and 12.30 to 3.30. So if you book them in for a day you pay £2 per day for lunch time cover, and you send in a packed lunch. So £10 per week. They then ask for 'voluntary contributions' of £10 per half term for baking and forest school. If you do not pay these fees you recieve reminders. Plus 'voluntary contributions' to any school trips of around £25.00. I thought school would work out cheaper but when you then factor in the £2 for this charity day or that, the contributions asked for for this tombola and that it probably works out more expensive. I think because schools are struggling they charge much more now in extras than they did when my eldest went to pre school.

For those stating the nursery is allowed to make these charges the legislation is here.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2/early-education-and-childcare-effective-from-1-april-2025

Section A1.32 onwards. It’s very clear.

You got fleeced. Never paid more than £25/50 for private preschool deposits.

Do you qualify for UC? They can help.

If he is three I would try a school nursery. Much cheaper.