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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

After school club refusing some childcare vouchers

27 replies

TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 21:56

My son has just started at his school's after school club, three evenings a week, so about £110 per half term. The school advises that payment can be made using childcare vouchers. The school is not registered with the provider that my employer uses, so I emailed the school with a link to the sign-up section of the voucher provider's website, and asked if they could complete the registration to allow me to make payment.

Today I received an email from the bursar, stating that the school is 'not able to sign up with another childcare voucher provider as we already offer a choice of six schemes for our parents'.

I know that the numbers using childcare vouchers is reducing all the time, with the scheme's closure to new entrants some time ago, and that the admin time and cost for the school may well be unappealing. But I think the idea that I have a 'choice of six schemes' is wrong - I have the scheme that my employer has contracted. The upshot is that as the school won't complete a registration form, my childcare is costing me considerably more than it needs to, and than government policies are designed to make it.

IABU: the school haven't got the time to be registering with another provider.
IANBU: the school should compete the registration and help parents use their childcare vouchers.

OP posts:
HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 09/02/2022 22:05

Have you gone back to the bursar and explained that you have no choice and are tied to the scheme supported by your employer?

Hohofortherobbers · 09/02/2022 22:09

Can you switch from vouchers to use tax free childcare instead or would that be more expensive?

Frazzled2207 · 09/02/2022 22:09

I really don’t understand why there was a choice of schemes in the first place.
It’s just going to get harder as it was some years ago now the schemes were closed
To new entrants.
I would explain as you do here that you have no “choice” in the matter. However if they have to pay to join the schemes- not sure about this- imm not sure there is much you can do

Frazzled2207 · 09/02/2022 22:10

@Hohofortherobbers

Can you switch from vouchers to use tax free childcare instead or would that be more expensive?
I’m sure op is trying to use up vouchers she’s already earnt. You can’t put the voucher value into the tax free childcare scheme.
Original poster
TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 22:12

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

Have you gone back to the bursar and explained that you have no choice and are tied to the scheme supported by your employer?
That's the plan tomorrow. I also wondered if there's a limit to how many voucher schemes a school can be signed up to. I doubt it, but reading the bursar's email, that is what she has claimed ('not able to' rather than 'not prepared to').
OP posts:
Original poster
TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 22:14

@Hohofortherobbers

Can you switch from vouchers to use tax free childcare instead or would that be more expensive?
I could move to tax free childcare, but would rather not as I have a balance in my voucher account; TFCC is also less advantageous (ab0ut a third less generous than CCV); and TFCC is per child rather than per parent, which means my wife would also have to move to TFCC.
OP posts:
HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 09/02/2022 22:15

There isn't a limit, this is a screenshot from the holiday club we use, they're registered for more than 6.

After school club refusing some childcare vouchers
Catsstillrock · 09/02/2022 22:17

Interested in how this goes. Also, after the nursery years what do people spend them on if not after school clubs (ours doesn’t accept them at all)?

I’ve looked at holiday clubs but the good local ones around us don’t take them either.

I’m still in the voucher scheme as it’s more generous. But if I can’t spend them it’s pointless.

Is the tax free childcare scheme more flexible in how you spend them? If so maybe I’d be better off moving onto that to be able to use it, rather than gets money trapped in a scheme as I can’t spend it.

Original poster
TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 22:18

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

There isn't a limit, this is a screenshot from the holiday club we use, they're registered for more than 6.
That's really helpful, thanks @HalfShrunkMoreToGo. So the school simply don't want to sign up - which may be reasonable if it's a massive admin hassle, but my feeling is it's not.
OP posts:
HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 09/02/2022 22:20

@Catsstillrock we use them for holiday clubs but PGL summer camps thing accepts them too if that's the kind of activity your kids would enjoy.

DDfollowed · 09/02/2022 22:22

There are admin fees involved for the school so I can understand the reluctance to sign up. As a PP said, they are being phased out so if there may be a reason that signing up to your employer's scheme is prohibitive. (When you say bursar, I'm assuming private school and therefore admin complexity is also relevant when you could pay the cash instead).

Original poster
TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 22:32

@DDfollowed

There are admin fees involved for the school so I can understand the reluctance to sign up. As a PP said, they are being phased out so if there may be a reason that signing up to your employer's scheme is prohibitive. (When you say bursar, I'm assuming private school and therefore admin complexity is also relevant when you could pay the cash instead).
I've asked AIBU in a genuinely open way, I understand the admin cost of these things and don't want to over-react, but equally don't want to lose out if not necessary.

State primary, but with a bursar. They do also accept cash and cheque (no idea where my chequebook even is these days!) - but of course neither of those routes have the tax benefits of the two schemes.

OP posts:
HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 09/02/2022 22:42

Other than the few minutes it takes to register the childcare providers do not get charged anything for accepting childcare vouchers. The only other potential admin would be checking that they've received the bank transfer from the voucher company and issue if a receipt/reconciling the invoice,but they would have to do that to confirm a cheque or BACs has cleared into their account too.

Employers have to pay an admin fee to allow their employees to salary sacrifice into a voucher scheme, but the actual childcare providers don't according to all the FAQs and guidance docs I can find.

Original poster
TheFoldOx · 09/02/2022 23:06

That was my gut instinct, @HalfShrunkMoreToGo. It's a small, one-off piece of admin , and anything after that is no different between one provider and another, or between vouchers and cash - and cheques are very admin intensive.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheFoldOx · 10/02/2022 17:53

I'd replied to the bursar making many of the points discussed in the thread. I did drop in the word 'discrimination', which will hopefully get her attention! I'll let you know what she comes back with.

OP posts:
GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 21/04/2022 17:23

Did you manage to get this sorted? It seems odd the school would make it more difficult to pay them.

Original poster
TheFoldOx · 21/04/2022 17:53

The school are stonewalling! We're working round this by my OH increasing their salary sacrifice and me transferring an equivalent in cash. I'm keeping my account open though as we're hoping to move this year so will have a new school.

OP posts:
Staffordshireknotter · 21/04/2022 17:58

I used to work for a provider - never paid admin fees and I just registered with whoever parents wanted us to, it was usually a ten minute job.

Onlinemum22 · 21/04/2022 18:02

I am a bursar for a school and know for a fact they can accept from any childcare voucher scheme. I have never known it to cost a school to sign up with another provider.
They are being difficult. Push back on it and copy in the headteacher.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 21/04/2022 18:13

Agree with others this is madness. I'll also complain to Head. They should register every provider parents ask them to. Hope you get some joy soon.

MrsWombat · 21/04/2022 19:21

I work in a school office and this is nuts. After explaining that you are tied to your employers scheme, I would take it further and make a complaint.

MorganKitten · 21/04/2022 20:38

CCV were the bane of my life in my old job, we started to limit the amount of companies we’d take them from.
Firstly EVERY ccv company has a different date/way to send them to you. The way the come in is complex and they are always behind so parents always look like they owe fees. Each child is done individually. If there’s 20 different clubs with 30 kids in each… it takes up an insane amount of time.

The amount of parents who called me and screamed at me due to ‘I have £1000s worth of ccv and you haven’t taken them out of my account’ was ridiculous, apparently we can access them without your permission, it’s the same as a bank transfer, the owner has to do it. Or the parents who demand refunds on ccvs which is illegal.

So pleased I don’t deal with that anymore.

Merryoldgoat · 21/04/2022 20:39

It’s a complete pain signing up to providers but we do it. It’s not hard, just annoying.

They are BU but I get why.

I cannot wait until people can’t use them anymore.

From a disgruntled Bursar. 😂

Merryoldgoat · 21/04/2022 20:43

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 09/02/2022 22:42

Other than the few minutes it takes to register the childcare providers do not get charged anything for accepting childcare vouchers. The only other potential admin would be checking that they've received the bank transfer from the voucher company and issue if a receipt/reconciling the invoice,but they would have to do that to confirm a cheque or BACs has cleared into their account too.

Employers have to pay an admin fee to allow their employees to salary sacrifice into a voucher scheme, but the actual childcare providers don't according to all the FAQs and guidance docs I can find.

This isn’t correct.

Its extremely onerous to check with some providers, they don’t always send remittance notices, parents frequently send the wrong amount which is then a nightmare.

we always register but it’s an absolute nonsense.

MummyTo2GorgeousMunchkins · 21/04/2022 22:36

No limit to the number of schemes the school can sign up to. We had to sign up to several once schools returned from the first Covid lockdown as we had to setup a breakfast club for our pupils as they couldn’t attend the one at our linked infant school (I worked at a junior school). The process was relatively straightforward and didn’t take too long per scheme. However once extra curricular clubs resumed we did make the decision not to accept payment for those by childcare voucher as if we had to cancel a session (e.g. if the teacher running the club had Covid) the refund process was a faff.