AIBU - No benefit from 15 free hours

[ilovepenguins79]

I have just had my invoice from my daughter's nursery for her first month of funded hours. We get 15 hours - 11 as its stretched. Its a private day nursery.

However the invoice is for exactly the same amount of money as the month before due to the extra charges made every month. So the nursery gets the £500 apx that we always paid plus the funding from the government.

AIBU? Surely this is not right that the nursery seems to be making money from the funding as well as charging us? Isn't the point of funding to make it more accessible?

Do you were paying £52/day now you’re paying £17.50/day? That’s a saving of £34.50/day, isn’t it?

I don't think I need to give them my code as Im not eligible for 30 hours.

You don't need a code
However the nursery won't be able to claim the funding for January yet.

Have you signed a form from the council for the funded hours?

@popsdaisy only some people are entitled to 15 hours free at age 2, this is usually parents in receipt of benefits etc. 30 hours is from the term after your child turns 3 and is for working parents. Obviously conditions apply to qualify for 30 hours.
From reading threads on here I think nurseries apply the grant differently, but I am so glad that my DC nursery seems to apply common sense. The 30 hours child care is funded. We're not restricted in times, days or certain hours. So lucky in this respect I think. And then we pay £7.50 per day for meals.
@ilovepenguins79 firstly have the nursery forgot to deduct the funded hours?
Secondly as many PPs have said I would query the bill eith this and get them to breakdown what you are being charged for. I would expect you to be paying for any hours over the funded hours and then meals.

yes I have signed the form.

So I have read through the bill and the additional charges add up to the full day cost (id missed some above) so they are pocketing the money from the government it seems- cheeky!

When i signed up to the nursery DD was v small so i didn't even think about the free hours element. The extra charges are all in the contract from 2017 so i guess i either vote with my feet or i suck it up! it doesn't seem right though.

Sadly the funded hours are in there and itemised in the invoice!

So what are the additional costs that are incurred that were not before? There has to be something new? Very cheeky of them

Council only pay about £3.50/hr so 11 hours a week is less than £40 but you ought to get about that off your bill. So about £160/month saving.

Tbh it sounds wrong so I would query it in the first instance politely.
If it's correct I would contact the council and request that you do not want funded hours. I appreciate nurseries are underfunded but that takes the piss.
My f-t bill only went down by about 25% when I got 30 hrs funding which was annoying but vaguely understandable.

@popsadaisy. You get 15 hrs if you’re on a low low income before 3. At 3 you get 15 hrs. The first term after they turn 3. You can get 30 hours if you work more than a certain amount of hours.

They are probably using the funding to make the younger care more affordable. A lot of nurseries do this. Otherwise it would cost twice as much for a six month old as it would for a three year old.

Have you signed a parent/carer declaration form? If not, ask the nursery for one.

Your bill shouldn't be exactly the same so if it is you're probably not registered.

Oh sorry loads of cross posts (I was slow)
Ignore me

My DD turned 3 on sunday and started nursery today. She'll be in 9-3 every day of term time and we only pay 2.50 a week for snacks.

I thought she wouldn't have started till January but apparently this one takes them almost the minute they turn 3 and for the full day.

The nursery will be funding that themselves then grand to secure you as future business. Be very thankful to them!

"additional service charge of £15 per day for things like the staff all being level 3 qualified and access to their additional land around the nursery etc."

Er so this is clearly fabricated stuff that they are suggesting you need to pay for now.

I know nurseries do struggle to deliver their standards of care for the subsidy that the govt. offers. Its much less than clients pay - £4.50 or something. But they also feel that they will lose customers if they do not offer the 15 free hours.

Were you paying those charges before you became eligible? You should at least be getting a reduction for the 15 free hours even if its only the £4.50 ph!

If your child is really in for the same hours and you're paying the same amount as before this is so wrong. Should definitely be cheaper even with meals charged for.
If this is the case you need to complain and I would seriously look at moving if they don't listen

What do you mean future business?

It's in partnership with the local council. The other nurseries are still the 15hrs just now until the 30hrs free comes in for all children.

Well... presumably she’ll be there now until she starts school??

Many nurseries lose money by offering the funded hours because usually the funded hours are not actually fully funded . The amount the Government pays is not the same rate that the nurseries charge. So they are allowed to charge for extras that might be included in the charge to fee paying parents. Having said that your Bill should be smaller than it was when you were paying for all the hours yourself. I would query it with your local authority.

Its £2.50 unfunded half hour, £15 service charge for facilities such as the use of all weather playground, the orchard and materials, the nursery library, £10 for having staff above the ratios, staff first aid training and development (all staff apparently), £5 for food, £10 charge for the use of car parking facilities, £5 charge for nappies, consumables and wipes (DD isn't in nappies but you have to pay still and you have always paid for this apparently), £4.50 for use of the nursery van for trips

service charge also includes a 'guaranteed place until she goes to school' as well!

This isn't right.
I'd question it and pull her out if needed.

We got the 30 free hours, and our bill went from 450 to 88 a month(still had to pay for lunches and a small top up)

£10 for the use of car park facilities - what?
£4.50 for the nursery van - say you don'w consent to her being taken out?
£15 service charge for facilities - this is taking the piss. My DC goes to a very naice private nursery, and they don't charge extra for the facilities.