FFS, Government making loads of cuts but now they are giving extra funding to...

[CrazyPlateLady]

the most deprived familes so their children can have 15 hours of free nursery from the age of 2 and extra help all the way to university.

AIBU to think that this is really unfair?

We don't earn good wages, but there is no way we will come near the poorest families. Why should my children have to wait an extra year to get nursery? If you aren't working I don't see why 2 year olds need 15 hours a week of nursery anyway. I'm happy to have DS at home with me now but I can see that next year he will need a bit more and nursery will be good for him.

There are going to be sooo many families that 'lose out' because we are in the middle somewhere (and by that I mean DH's wages of an amazing £16500.00 and my In Cap benefit).

What a waste of money when we all have to tighten our belts!

Sorry Sprinkle, just wanted people to know where I was coming from really.

I did used to go nursery at one point. It was probably to get me out of the way, it was in the reports that she was often late picking me up though. The nursery was across the road from where we lived. She would send me without underwear etc, but this was 'an oversight' (SS words). I think I was often left alone at night too. I used to go to my nans at weekends (my dads mum) and it was the only time I never wet the bed apparently. I used to say how I 'didn't like it' but SS wanted me to stay with my 'mother'. 'Luckily' one weekend after my nan had me, she took me home and my 'mother' had just gone. I lived with my nan ever since and had a stable(ish) upbringing from then on. I was one of the very lucky ones who got to escape that horrible sort of life I could have had. The actual plan, known by SS, was that my 'mother' was moving away, I was to go into foster care in the city she was moving to, so she could visit me if she wanted to. Given how she continuously told them she hated me and wanted me adopted, I don't see her visiting that much.

This money that the government want to put into extra nursery would be far better going to help these children in other ways, possibly? I don't know really. I just think if their homelife is shit, yes they get to escape for a while, but they know what they have to go back to, whilst they see their friends being picked up by caring parents and then wonder why they don't have that. This is making me really sad now. Can't bear to think of children in that situation.

Sorry, kind of went off on one there.

altinkum I would agree with that too. I was very lucky to have my nan and we are still very very close today.

Can someone tell me something please? If you put your child into nursery at the moment (at 2 or any pre-school age) and go to work do you get the place paid for by CTC? My children are older so I don't know much about CTC childcare payments.

Saggar my friend works 3 days a week and her twins are in nursery (they have only just turned 3 but they have been going since they were 9 months), I think her nursery fees are about £800 per month and half of that is paid by CTC. I know she doesn't pay all the fees, CTC does pay towards them but I don't think they will pay all of it. If she had to pay the full amount, it wouldn't be worth her going to work as her wages would just be paying for nursery, which is why CTC tops it up for working parents.

I think the trouble is crazyplatelady is that SS are damned if they do and damned if they don't but since the state care of children is so appalling in most cases it is better to try and work with the extended family and support them if not the actual parents.
Maybe the 15 hours a week is seen as a chance and if they blow it then there will be earlier intervention ? If the first time professionals see whether a child is brought in clean and fed is age four then the child has maybe suffered for 2 years too long already.

Thanks. I was just wondering if the government are going to make some sort of adjustment to how CTC is paid for childcare but then offer 15 hours 'free'. [cynical]

That is a good point mama.

I know someone who works at a nursery and she said a baby was brought in with such bad nappy rash it was almost purple and blistering and in a large square around the whole nappy area. When it was pointed out to the mother, she said "yeah I know" and that was it.

Unfortunately work isn't always a way out of grinding poverty. Most of the children who live in poverty actually have at least one working parent. Wages are too low at the bottom end and the minimum wage isn't enough to live on, especially in big cities like London (although I'm sure people would say things are no better in the countryside where travel costs are higher.)

When the free funding for nursery kicks in for my friend, which is will do in January, her CTC will be reduced as what she pays for nursery will be less IYSWIM so she won't be any better off. So yes, they do make an adjustment to CTC when you qualify for free nursery hours.

When 2 year old nursery places were piloted in the area I love they were specifically targeted at children who were significantly behind at their 2 year development check. Didnt matter what their family income was.

To qualify for the nursery place, the child's parents also had to agree to having parenting help at home, for five hours a week, with a Family Support Worker. The results of this trial have been amazing, children are making progress of more than a year in the 9 months they have been funded through nursery.

My DD1, who was 2 at the time of the pilot, did not qualify for a nursery place, nor did I get parenting support. Because she was well past her 'milestones' and I am a decent parent. However, she has massively benefitted from it, as she has just started school with several children who did take part and whose parents did get support.

I have no resentment that DD did not get her nursery place, despite that fact that she is as financially deprived as these other children. Because she is not deprived of love, nurturing or early education from a lovong parent. I do feel proud that children where I live are having their needs recognised and being helped to avoid perpetuating the deprivation they live in.

How sad that there are such selfish people on mumsnet and within society, that they resent a small child being given the chance to improve their life chances. I'm pretty chuffed that some of those people wont be able to spend Child Benefit money on having their hair done and sending their children to ballet lessons.

I'm pretty chuffed that some of those people wont be able to spend Child Benefit money on having their hair done and sending their children to ballet lessons.

Not sure that makes you any better than them tbh

See if someone had said this few tears ago I would been cross yes single parent yes ds3 was way behind and would hate people to presumed it was because no help at home ,yet funny enough np with my other 3.So it might not be as straightforward as oh they have a bad lifestyle at home

turns out ds 3 has quite severe Sn which I had been saying for months ,we had to wait till he was 3 for a placement as they could not fund 1-1 before then

It's pennies.

It's a pittance.

It is in absolutely no way going to go anywhere to make up for the cutting back in state and higher education.

For a start, it's supposed to spread from primary to higher ed., following poor students.

How is it going to compensate for the fact that higher education is being, effectively, privatised? And we don't even know what cut-backs are on the way for primary and secondary education.

And it's window-dressing, again, to carry off a bit of the storm when we look and see what's being done to education generally. which is already shaping up to be a horror show (in higher ed. for sure.)

I can't believe the way people in this country are turning on each other, how can anyone seriously begrudge any child from benefitting from this.

This has existed in a targetted form, I myself have made referrals so 2 year olds can get free nursery care.

If I claimed my CB I would gladly give it up so more children could benefit from this, and would feel proud to do so rather than spite filled.

How on earth can it be unfair to give a chance to kids who might not get the opportunity any other way?

It's what the welfare state's about surely?

people are focusing on the 2 year olds here.....majority of the extra help will come in school years....

dont we have a problem with 1 to 1,extra support,TA's being axed?

why bring this in? seriously. why get rid of TA's etc,just to bring in another scheme

and how will they assist with uni places?? will it all be government funded then?

As I said on another thread, 2yo are being targeted in this initiative because if they are still non-verbal (for whatever reason) at 3 then they are already a year behind their peers by then and potentially even further behind by school starting age. It would be hard for a child of average ability to catch up that much lost time in the first few weeks of reception (and unlikely in a reception setting tbh) so the focus being placed on the littler children is to help them fulfill their potential right from the start. Many children with educational problems come from families where no-one is too sure what to expect at a given age because none of the children around them are doing anything different either.

There was a study recently about this in Bradford I think. If you live in any area where no 3 yr olds are speaking in sentences, you wouldn't think it unusual if yours didn't. So poverty of aspiration starts with VERY young children. Which means that formalising early education a bit more away from families, may mean that problems are picked up earlier and dealt with while it's still possible.

Which is why I think that funding nursery places for 2 yo that need it is a very good ida indeed.

Schools here were in deficit budget last year (depsite rising numbers) and lost staff - mainly TAs. I dread to think what we face next year TBH.

Saggar a shocking number of schools are in deficit budget, some towns every school is in defeicit by millions.