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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

30-hours free childcare and private hours

29 replies

Mum445 · 08/09/2023 19:35

Hello,

I have a quick question about private hours at a nursery. My daughter is three and qualifies for the 30 hours free childcare. She attends nursery 2 days per week. Our nursery opening hours are 7.45-6pm which is 10 hours and 15 minutes. Nurseries can only offer 10 hours per day so we receive 20 free hours per week and have to pay for 30 minutes. Our nursery charges £120/hour for private hours if you attend 2 days per week (and £14/hour if you attend 3 days per week) so even though my daughter attends 2 days per week we still have to pay £60/week for that extra 30 minutes!!!!

The nursery never provided a price break-down and only released their fee structure when asked over and over again via email. My question is: Are they allowed to charge this staggering amount per hour? Is there an organization that can advise us on this and should we contact ofsted to complain?

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Maryann1975 · 08/09/2023 19:51

I’ve just googled the hourly rate for our county for early years funding rates and providers get £4.86 an hour. if you do the same for your area and add the £60, does it roughly equal the daily rate you would normally pay? That seems a lot to me, but depends on which part of the country you are I guess.

def write to your MP and complain about the low rates of pay for providers though.

sleepyscientist · 08/09/2023 19:46

Why not do the three days and pay £42 a week but get an extra days education for her

KateyCuckoo · 08/09/2023 19:40

Ofsted dont deal with contractual complaints.

Maybe you should direct your anger at the government who pay piss poor rates for funded (not free) hours and force them to charge such high rates for additional hours to stop them going under.

That is the harsh reality. If they don't recoup their fees from the woeful underfunding then they will close.

howshouldibehave · 08/09/2023 19:40

They aren’t ‘free’ hours, they are partially funded hours. The government doesn’t fund nurseries or childminders enough money per hour to make taking the older ‘funded’ children viable for them. They have to charge extra somewhere just to stay afloat. Some nurseries here have stoped taking children over 3. Others have had to close their doors completely.

You can complain to Ofsted if you want to. They will probably have to close as they can’t afford to pay their wages/bills and you’ll have to find another nursery.