School fees

[Noway123]

I’m hoping for some advice as I am panicking and absolutely pissed off!!!
I currently live in a London borough and my children attend a children’s centre 3 days a week, 8am-6pm, term time only. I have just been informed that if my children want an 8-6 place then I will have to pay for all year round. Can they do this? I’m just about scraping by as it is and now they are adding hundreds of pounds a month to my children’s fees. I work full time, my partner works full time and I honestly don’t know how I’m going to be able to do this.
AIBU to be totally pissed off? Another smack in the face for a working parent.

@redhelenB yes but I can’t afford it. I honestly just about cover my house bills, food etc

@bollocksitshappenedagain this is happening throughout the borough, so would make no difference if I move.

I would look at a childminder. We have quite a few that like term time only contracts as it allows them to take additional school age siblings in holidays. Also look at nursery’s attached to schools our local one does term time for teaching staff.

Why just working families?

My point was. If the cost of childcare is £5 per child per hour say...you may have been paying year round but at £3.50 per hour to take into account the hours your child wasn't there.

However the cost of running the centre doesn't drop to £3.50 per hr x whatever, it may still be £5 x whatever. So you have been paying all year, but not covering the whole cost.

So to hold the place open they now need the full amount. Presumably were you to work in the hols, like most working parents this would make no odds to you, it is only because you are in education?

I would look for wrap around alternatives and see how the hourly rate balances, or look for work in the summer... EFL tuition etc?

Isn’t that normal? I pay my cm all yr round (there is a 4 wk holiday period which is 50% of the usual fee).

It’s like the 30 “free hours” that are only TTO & subsidised not free. Still a great help though.

@hellena I also have a 5yo in primary school so me working in the hols wouldn’t work.
Also they may have costs but this is only rolled out in my borough by the council not across the country. Sounds like pure greed.
It is only working families as if you are unemployed or work less than 16 hours you are entitled to 30 hours free a week TTO. Also the council say this may not apply to certain families, depending on circumstances. If you read my quote from the letter above, it sounds as though the extra fees will be used to fund other families.

I sympathise but it's really not a smack in the face for working parents. Most peod work year round not just term time. Many of the nurseries near me are linked to schools and only offer term time which is ultimately only helpful to those working in schools.

Its a truly shit thing to happen when you have found somewhere your happy for your kids to go but you will need to look at alternatives and that may include you or your husband giving up work which is not a nice prospect. Does you're 3yo not qualify for 30 free hours? If not could you increase work to qualify or have your considered childcare vouchers etc??

@mcqueencar yes but both my children were born in April. 10 days after the cut off point do I get my free hours on sep rather than April 😩

I have just been rather irritated by a man in reception at the gym who started to serve me (take payment and get swimming certificates) but then broke off to chat to someone who waved his attention and then answered the telephone and took payment over the phone while I stood there waiting like an idiot for 10 minutes. I told him I didn't appreciate this and that surely you focus on one person at a time. I did say I understood he was busy but that I found it poor customer service. I tried to do it nicely but he looked like i'd scolded him and I really didn't mean to do that. Surely i'm not the only one to get irritated by this. I feel guilty. He wasn't a teen..more my age. Was it unreasonable?

Noway123 One of mine is the sand which is annoying. Do you not need childcare during the holidays?

Noway I apologise as I am so not having a go, I totally understand, I feel utterly frustrated at my options, the only way I can establish a career is to pay out virtually all my salary on child care. Unfortunately for me, child care is my issue, it would never occur to my husband that he shares the responsibility, he goes to work without regard for who will get DD to school and back, he will cover a drop off or a pick up if I can give his EA weeks of notice and it’s a massive favour, I’m in a catch 22 dilemma as he will ask if I have job yet without any regard for the issues I face in arranging that.

@Noway123

But is that just children's centres? Private nurseries may do term time.

@waterlily it is a smack in the face as although I get a lot of hols I don’t get to choose those hols. Most working parents take their hols during these times or are able to get family to help. I don’t have that option, hence one of the reasons I went into education.
I don’t qualify for vouchers as my partner is self employed. The reason it’s a smack in the face, like I said before is because we’re talking hundreds. There have been many budgeting threads on MN before and many struggling. When I mean I can’t afford an extra £1, I mean that.

I’m afraid you’ll have to find alternative childcare OP. A childminder is the obvious choice. Many offer termtime only contracts (you may have to pay a retainer over the holidays).

It’s rubbish to have to change childcare when your kids are happy where they are but....there isn’t really an alternative is there?

@imsosceptical ain’t life is a catch 22 that’s why I get so frustrated at times.
We’ve had a really hard time recently (financially) and kept telling ourselves in sep our childcare will go down and we might even go on a day out together, dare I say a weekend away together but instead we’ve just found out that our fees will increase dramatically rather than decrease. It’s a devastating blow.

your 3 year old will be enitled to 30hours a week free if you are working.... that is more than 3 days term time? they are probably annualising the 30hour funding so 30hr x 52 weeks = 1560 hours and your ds is only going approx 670 hours..could the 3yr old go more?

some near here do 5 days a week when all free if term time - from a funding point if view you/they are wasting a lot of funding/space if only part time term time contract...
your council will have a childcare information service (they are called something slightly different) so look on your council family services directory their contact details will be there...

you may need to change his nursery....how 3 is he? could he start school nursery and use a cm for the rest of the day...lots of ChildMinders also do the 30hour but are more flexible..

with both of you working are you sure you are getting the correct tax credits etc as your budget is so tight talk to Citizens advice

Look into a private nursery, most are open 8-6 and offer term time only,

I think you need to look around and see if another nursery or childminder can offer you a termtime only place where you can also use your funded hours.

A lot of childcare providers are struggling to stay in business with the funded hours as the amount the government pays out is a lot less than the normal hourly rate. Therefore some are going out of business and closing whereas others are having to stop offering flexibly places

My eldest gets the 30 free hours but I still pay the CM £25 a day to pick him up from 3.30-6. I work pt but I couldn’t split the hours between the 2 settings. I need the CM as I still need her twice a week during the school holidays (although I get 6 wks off).

@averythinline they cover the rest of the hours with another part time child. So another child is doing mon-tues part time. They also have a holiday scheme where anyone an pay and send. They could possibly promote that more for extra funding.
Also in sep we were planning for him to go full time, 5 days a week as he will be entitled to the 30 hours then. Meaning our fees would have dropped by about £100 a month plus he’d be doing an extra 2 days.
The 30 hours free a week does not include holiday times, it’s TTO.

I’m not entitled to any benefits. We bring in roughly 60k a year between us. After all bills, food etc are paid for we are left with nothing. We are classed as higher earners because of our combined income.

Also for the dc who is at preschool we pay about £170 a month to cover the supervised lunch & the actual school dinner so make sure you budget for that.

Do you get childcare vouchers from your employer?

Google TTO childcare in your area

They have said your one year olds contract can stay the same?

So it’s only your three year old?

Apply to teaching trusts/charities?

Or get a loan to cover the fees. It’s better than quitting your job

How comes one child only goes mon, tue &wed

And the other only on Thur and Fri

Who watches the one year old at the beginning of week?

Can your husband do some work in the evening instead of during the day

I am a cm . I offer term time contracts . I would rather work less when in the holidays more time with my child so worth phoning around . A lot of children’s centres round here have shut down