To think these fees are crazy?

[Notakitkat]

My son, 3, is at nursery full time and have been since he was about a year old (I work full time)

every year they put the fees up a little in September, fine, but they’ve just announced the fee rise for this year and it’s massive. Over 10% - taking the total WITH 30 hours of funded included to just under £1200 a month!

he’s only just 3 and I really thought the 30 hours would help with costs.

midlands - not south east as I know London can be more expensive.

Just not sure how I can make it work financially but preschools in my area finish between 3-330pm but I work until 5!

so it it just me or is this very expensive?!

Seems absolutely ridiculous

I’d assume the 30 free hours is a maximum 40% discount on the monthly fee, if using a nursery all year.

So that would assume <£2,000 a month full time fees = £1,200 with the hours?

Yes it is crazy - problem is, the funded hours don’t actually meet the costs of the nursery so they are putting up the fees for everyone else.

Brutal for those not receiving the hours!

My son left nursery in 2022. I must have been very lucky as his 30hours were exactly 30 hours. I sent him with a pack up and disposables. No top up fees required at all. It's awful how this is being advertised as clearly the rate the nurseries are being paid isn't actually covering the hours. 1200 is a lot of money

@MidnightPatrol full time no hours is £1600 so the the 30 hours don’t get much discount really at all - even if considered 22 hours as not just term time seems crazy.

Actually works out the ‘additional’ hours on top of funded are charged at approx double the standard hourly rate 😓

I think the big increase is linked to the new hours coming in for younger children - they’re having to claw back the money somewhere I guess.

shame as I will have to consider moving him somewhere else cheaper

And this is the problem with these attention grabbing "we want to win the GE" schemes that get put in place.

Sounds good in theory.

But then..... we already had 30 hours funding which didn't cover the nursery's actual costs.

Then we had inflation. Costs of heating, utilities, raise in wages and costs if maintenance rose (building work) as well post brexit.

Then ..... they said "let's give all children funded hours"

Executor that then meant nearly every child was attending on a fee which covered half the realistic costs.

The result?

What you're seeing now. You get 30 hours free (spend out over the 52 weeks so about 22 a week) But it costs twice as much for the other 30 hours you need to pay for! So it doesn't actually save you money like they claimed on the tin.

Yanbu. I really feel for working parents now. FT nursery costs more than a job on NMW takes home a month.

You are essentially working to pay nursery fees. It's disgusting isn't it.
So a few options if possible: put him in with a childminder, which would cost less?
Can you reduce your working hours to finish before pre-school?
Or do you have family/friends who would be willing to help out?

shame as I will have to consider moving him somewhere else cheaper

Are there cheaper places about?

I'm Midlands too, and this isn't far off what my nursery charges, which is in line with what the other five in my town charge. There's one much cheaper option but the hours are a lot shorter, and they don't do apps/updates/activities.

We pay nearly £500 per month for two days with 15 hours free.

Preschool would make more sense for us but would mean moving him away from his friends and struggling with the shorter days. We wouldn't do a childminder at this age, but it is an option. Otherwise, it seems the funded hours haven't really done what they set out to do...

Ours is 1060 pounds per month, not including free hours and tax free childcare, for a full time place.

We're in Birmingham.

Have you asked the preschools about using the after school club at the school - my dc went to a preschool within a very normal primary school and could attend breakfast club and after school club at the school so went full days 8am - 5.30pm and could use the free hours towards it too as was a school run club so had zero bill

Have you looked into any childminders in your area. They're cheaper than nursery and a better setting imo

I don’t think it is, as the funding for younger children is going to be much more. My 3yo gets about £5.30 for his funded hours when the childminder costs £7.50ph. My 1yo is getting 15 hours funding from September but that’s around £12.50 an hour according to the childminder, because they’re factoring in lower ratios for smaller kids. This doesn’t really work with childminders though who don’t work that way

Are there preschools with wrap around care be could go to? For us preschool with paid for after school club was still way cheaper than nursery.

Or shop around for cheaper nursery places.

Unfortunately this is likely to be the going rate for your area though.

Is there any way you could compress your hours so he only does 4 days in nursery but you don't reduce your pay?

Look at pre school with wraparound, it does make the holidays tricky though.

I'm out of the loop with these things but that seems huge to me, our nursery in London full time in 2012 was £800 a month. Have you look at how the costs compare in other local nurseries.

Ask for an itemised bill.

mine is £595 with the 22 hours stretched funding. So i pay the weekly rate for 50 hours and deduct the 22 hours. It would be £1000 without fudning.
If they’re charging you for the standard hour rate over the funded hours- if he’s full time they’re charging more than they would be if you didn’t use the funded hours.
Birmingham.

But standard hours are now £9 per hour up from £7 last year.

Is your 30 hrs a week spread across the whole year? Not just term time, so actually less per month.

Bonkers. We’ve found a childminder in Yorkshire who will be £200 a month all year (this is the cost of school holidays spread across 12 months) for 3 full days with the funded hours. Look elsewhere OP

Good idea around wrap around care I didn’t know some preschools offered this.

Will look into childminders too.

definitely over priced for the area. My friends daughter is at a nursery in the next town and it’s about 800 full time with the funded hours.

Just a shame to move him when he’s got his friends etc but I guess he’ll be moving up next year regardless!