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AIBU?

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Original poster

To find nurseries charging on bank holidays unfair?

111 replies

Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 07:25

Is it just me who finds the system at most nurseries so unfair and frustrating? DD attends on Mondays and Fridays which means that for the Easter holiday she will only go once at the start of the holiday and once at the end.

It seems so unfair as it would be different if she attended Tuesdays and Thursdays.

OP posts:
Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 16:56

When you literally have no other realistic choice other than to work Mondays, people laying into you for having the temerity to work Mondays is infuriating.

I mean, I’m a teacher, and I get paid in the holidays so should I just let them bill me then and not send her?

OP posts:
CeciliaMars · 24/03/2026 16:54

But if you work on Mondays, you are getting a paid day off presumably? If it were shared between everyone, people who aren't getting a paid day off would be paying a share too. Suck it up. You should have considered this before booking your days at the nursery!

SomersetBrie · 24/03/2026 15:43

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 24/03/2026 09:25

So you want nursery fees to go up for everyone so you don't have to pay for bank holidays. Why should other parents pay more because your child goes to nursery on Monday? Why doesn't your husband change his WFH days if it's such a problem so you can work different days?
Next thing will be posters saying they don't know why nursery staff get paid for bank holidays. I've seen that argument on here before

This is exactly what I would want.

If my child could actually go to nursery on the Monday then of course I wouldn't mind paying, but if it's closed and I'm still paying, I don't think it's fair.
I got around this by working Tues to Thurs but not everyone can do that (and if everyone did, nurseries would have to change their structure to accommodate that)

VacationQueen73 · 24/03/2026 15:35

All the people saying they still have to pay staff. I have worked in several nurseries in the 30 years since I qualified. Never did I get paid for them. They were part of your statutory holiday allowance.
Now I'm a childminder. I'm closed for bank holidays but no parent pays for them.

Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 15:21

MidnightPatrol · 24/03/2026 15:20

Nope mine is a private 51 week a year nursery and they do inset days for training.

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We’ve never had that but fair enough. It isn’t really 51 weeks if they are closing for INSETs.

OP posts:
MidnightPatrol · 24/03/2026 15:20

Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 15:14

Inset would be a term time / school based nursery; hers is private so nothing like that. But it is more akin to your child being unable to attend because of a temperature and that bill being passed between other parents.

Nope mine is a private 51 week a year nursery and they do inset days for training.

Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 15:14

Inset would be a term time / school based nursery; hers is private so nothing like that. But it is more akin to your child being unable to attend because of a temperature and that bill being passed between other parents.

OP posts:
Muchtoomuchtodo · 24/03/2026 15:00

Unless this wasn’t in the t&c’s that you signed up to then YABU

MidnightPatrol · 24/03/2026 14:58

Oh there’s no end of days you’re paying for while not using it:

  • bank holidays
  • inset days
  • holidays
  • when they have a temperature so you can’t bring them in for 48h

At least with a bank holiday I’m also off work. With the random inset days and illness days (when they aren’t ill) I have to source alternative childcare which is problematic.

Annoying to be paying the nursery £110 a day for an inset day where they aren’t providing any care - then also have to pay someone else another £150 to provide childcare that day.

WappityWabbit · 24/03/2026 14:46

It’s about time someone sued them for breach of contract. You can’t charge for a service that you’re not actually providing and it’s irrelevant what their T&C’s state if it’s not within the law. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 14:45

I must admit I am a bit lost with the idea nursery would refuse to take her on Mondays and Fridays. I know a lot do a two day minimum which is more understandable but refusal to let her attend on those days would be very odd!

OP posts:
BeAmberZebra · 24/03/2026 14:44

SpoonieMum19 · 24/03/2026 12:32

Google unfair contract terms - there is some government guidance available. Consumer terms are subject to a test of reasonableness. Generally a service provider charging a consumer for services they don’t provide would unenforceable as an unfair contract term. A lot of nurseries setting their terms don’t seem to understand this. If you are paying for a service then you should be able to access it. As other posters have mentioned it would be more appropriate for the nursery to factor the cost of bank holidays into their overall operating costs. Whether you can make any progress pushing back on this if the nursery is popular and over subscribed is a separate issue and tricky if your children are settled.

Edited

Agreed. This is also why parents not to push back against nurseries when they make extra charges for food nappies etc which is also against the rules. Doesn’t make it right though.

pouletvous · 24/03/2026 14:44

No, the staff still need to be paid

BeAmberZebra · 24/03/2026 14:40

HelloR2d2 · 24/03/2026 13:32

But people who pay for full time are also technically paying for those days so I don't understand why you think most other people aren't? There will be a minority of parents who use the nursery Tue -Thursday indeed but that's all.

Tbh you're lucky you found a good nursery that accommodates that schedule, it's quite random to do Monday and Friday only.

Most part time users choose Tuesday to Thursday because of the charging mechanism which is why they always have an availability Monday and Friday. I think you’ll find that the majority of parents don’t use the nursery full time for many and varied reasons which makes the charges so unfair.

BeAmberZebra · 24/03/2026 14:35

Miranda65 · 24/03/2026 13:24

Do you work, OP? Do you expect to be paid for a Bank Holiday, even though you have the day off? There's your answer.

No it’s not actually. Obviously OP will expect staff to be paid for bank holidays in exactly the same way as they are paid for weekends. Her issue is the charging mechanism by the nursery which as many posters have agreed is unfair and capricious and not how other businesses deal with bank holidays.

ParmaVioletTea · 24/03/2026 14:16

But that’s the same for every business that closes on a bank holiday? Surely BH closures are just factored into overall running costs..

Exactly @Nottodaythankyou123 And the charges to customers are calculated to cover the overall running costs, including Bank Holidays.

Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 13:49

Miranda65 · 24/03/2026 13:24

Do you work, OP? Do you expect to be paid for a Bank Holiday, even though you have the day off? There's your answer.

Well no, not really. Not unless we’re asking tax payers who work Mondays to pay more taxes.

And some people don’t get paid if they don’t work.

OP posts:
Nottodaythankyou123 · 24/03/2026 13:47

ParmaVioletTea · 24/03/2026 13:31

That's the weirdest accounting I've ever heard of. Staff have to be paid, premises have to be paid for, utilities have to be paid for.

And you know, by your logic, I shouldn't have to pay the little bit of my tax bill that goes towards your child's "free" hours because, you know, I don't have children at nursery. Bonkers.

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But that’s the same for every business that closes on a bank holiday? Surely BH closures are just factored into overall running costs..

HelloR2d2 · 24/03/2026 13:32

But people who pay for full time are also technically paying for those days so I don't understand why you think most other people aren't? There will be a minority of parents who use the nursery Tue -Thursday indeed but that's all.

Tbh you're lucky you found a good nursery that accommodates that schedule, it's quite random to do Monday and Friday only.

ParmaVioletTea · 24/03/2026 13:31

Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 07:35

The thing with the payment of staff is that this should be a cost that’s shared evenly amongst clients, not only the clients who use it Mondays (mostly.) I can’t really think of any other setting where this happens. I don’t begrudge the staff the day off; that’s not what I’m saying.

That's the weirdest accounting I've ever heard of. Staff have to be paid, premises have to be paid for, utilities have to be paid for.

And you know, by your logic, I shouldn't have to pay the little bit of my tax bill that goes towards your child's "free" hours because, you know, I don't have children at nursery. Bonkers.

willsandnoodle · 24/03/2026 13:29

I asked my manager about this when I worked in a nursery, and she said that a child’s days are added up and split evenly over the 12 months, so each month the parent pays the same - essentially paying like normal when the nursery is shut bank holidays/ Christmas. So you’re not paying for it when it’s shut, your monthly bill is just spread out so you’re paying the same each month

Miranda65 · 24/03/2026 13:24

Do you work, OP? Do you expect to be paid for a Bank Holiday, even though you have the day off? There's your answer.

Ponderingwindow · 24/03/2026 13:23

The fee structure really is designed around full time clients. When you are part-time, sometimes it doesn’t work as well. I always viewed that as just one of the costs of being part-time.

Original poster
Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 13:20

ToKittyornottoKitty · 24/03/2026 12:28

Have you considered looking for a different nursery that doesn’t charge for bank holidays? Particularly if she’s not settling in this one anyway

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I think it’s the days she does rather than the nursery itself that are the problem. Plus, as much as it’s annoying ‘do you charge for bank holidays’ probably isn’t the first thing I’d be taking into account! And obviously you don’t want to be ‘that parent.’ It does sting though.

OP posts:
WaltzingWaters · 24/03/2026 12:37

Revoltingpheasants · 24/03/2026 07:37

But that at least would be shared and not solely on the Monday (and to a lesser extent Friday) children.

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I completely agree with you.