Nursery asking for full fees

[Mummybinky]

My nursery is trying to charge full fees after closure despite us not being there. I am being told I have to pay full amount for consumables on top of my funded hours that they will be paid for by government. She’s not there to consume?! And my food bill has gone up at home having her home.
Should I still pay? Can they do this?

It depends on the terms of your contract. It is very possible you will still be liable.

Your contract may have force majeure which means fees are payable but I’m certain they can’t charge consumables if you’re not there.

We certainly aren’t charging it.

What does your contract say?

My daughters nursery is the same. I guess the only way around it is to officially pull your child out of nursery, but then when it comes to your child returning you’ll have to re enrol (although I don’t think you’ll be at all prioritised if you try with the same nursery).

I personally will keep paying in order to hold my daughters place.

Our contract has force majeure and the owners are only charging us a nominal fee. What’s in your contract?

The gov message asks child care providers to be reasonable. I don't think full fees is fair and I wouldn't pay.

Yes I think they can if the contract provides for it. They work on tight margins. However now that the government is paying 80% of the employees’ wages, might be worth seeing if they’re going to pass this saving on?

Thank you for your responses I haven’t got my contract here and they shut their website down before telling everyone

Mine has agreed to reduce by 10%. My food bill has doubled.

I think nurseries are some of the biggest cheeky fuckers around.

What are these tight margins that they run on, when charging upwards of a grand a month PER CHILD while paying staff the bare minimum, and buying the cheapest of the cheap food and giving out miniscule portions?

You could see if you can get their website through the wayback machine.

Mines just sent out an email saying April fees are being suspended

If you lost your job, would they give you free childcare for several weeks or months ?

What happens if they don't reopen anyway, several thousand down the drain and no place kept

I haven’t got my contract here

so ask them for a copy of the contract that you signed

Your contract may have force majeure which means fees are payable

This isn't what force majeure means.

Please get advice OP - eg look at the Which? website.

My nursery hasn’t closed, which I feel v uncomfortable with (haven’t sent my DC in). Does anyone know what happens with private nurseries which refuse to shut?

Our nursery initially said it was charging fees but I guess enough people kicked up a fuss they’ve now retracted it. I will say if I had a kid who was to start school in September I would just withdraw them, and if I was being fully paid by my employer I would continue to pay, (I am so I would have carried on paying). Every situation is different. My advise is speak to your nursery and if you can’t afford it don’t pay

Do you still want your nursery to be open and able to care for your child after this? If you answer yes, I think you need to consider paying.
I’m sorry it’s shit, but we’re all in the same boat.

I have a business that has had to close too. So I get what they are going through however I don’t have government funding still coming through. I haven’t asked my customers to pay even though we are closed?

We’re paying in full too. Our nursery is massively oversubscribed, if I pulled DD out we’d never get the space again. I don’t mind supporting them, they’re fab.

It's a business to consumer contract, I presume with standard terms that you didn't negotiate with the nursery. If that's the case and they're relying on a force majeure clause that says they don't have any liability during times like these, but you are still liable for the fees- then it's very likely this will be seen as an unfair contract term under the Consumer Rights Act.

First bring it up with nursery that you can't pay. Then if you really can't pay and don't mind losing your child's place at the nursery- complain about the term to trading standards if they don't properly respond to you.

I don’t mind supporting them, they’re fab.

So fab that they're charging full fees despite having less overheads during this period and knowing that many parents won't be able to afford this/ will be saving as much as possible due to impending job losses.

The very least that any ethical childcare setting should do during this time is work out the minimum income they need to receive from parents to keep the nursery open (bearing in mind the government will cover 80% of staff fees), and then charge parents this amount and no more. Most parents would be willing to support such transparency. As it is, we're all in this together, except for nurseries apparently who continue to demand full fees.

So can private nurseries stay open for all children?

Local authorities are still paying the NEG funding for the main amount of hours but for any additional hours they get no funding of course, it also may be complicated for them to reclaim the 80% wages back if they receive some funding, we are not sure actually what nurseries will be entitled to. Also they have to stay open for keyworkers children.

I would expect them to make the staff who are over and above requirements 'furloughed staff' however that is on the assumption they will get the 80% back.

Unfortunately it is really complicated until we have more info. I dont think you are either reasonable or unreasonable here.