30 hours childcare if child in reception?

[Frazzled2207]

The government website is pretty clear about the 30 hours not being available for reception children (eg for before/after school care) yet our authority has confused all parents by sending parents of all 3 year olds I know saying that ALL three and four year olds are entitled to 30 hours (nothing about reception kids being ineligible) and they can be used in before and after school clubs. My son starts reception in September but will not turn five until August 2018 so this would follow that we can claim to cost of before and after school clubs in the reception year. I'm certain that this is not government policy and that either the authority have got it wrong or that their communication was wrong.
They have been inundated with phone calls, including by me, and don't have an answer.

Anyone else know of similar?
Should I just apply anyway?

As far as I know (working in an Early Years Setting) the funding definitely does not apply once your child has started school. As you are then receiving 30 hours of funded education per week if they do 9-3...

I think you can only claim for a school age 4 year old if you are referring their entry to school for some reason.

The authority may mean that a child attending a preschool, who has turned 4 but not yet started school, can use the Extended Entitlement in Breakfast clubs and After School Clubs.

This is different to the Universal allowance of 15 hours which is for Early Years Education as opposed to childcare. As education provision it should only be claimed during 'core' hours i.e 9-3.

Yes i agree with all of you I just think our council have caused massive confusion by saying "all three and four year olds are eligible". I suspect someone somewhere will get a telling off but accurate information in the first place would have been helpful.

This is different to the Universal allowance of 15 hours which is for Early Years Education as opposed to childcare. As education provision it should only be claimed during 'core' hours i.e 9-3.

This isn't the case in our area/pre-school - the fifteen hours can be used for any time between 8:00-18:00.

School IS your 30 hours. The funding goes to the school for your child to attend????

Don't really understand the dilemma, as PP said before, school is 30hours anyway so how would you claim more for before/after?

I'm not doubting this at all. I am just saying that the letter we have suggests we can claim up to 30hours additional childcare costs until the age of 5.

We obviously don't directly pay for the 30hours at school do we.

Nope. The 30 hours free childcare only applies to pre-school children. Once your child starts reception (whether they are aged 4 or 5) you are no longer eligible.

You can use the 30 hours free childcare for before, after- school and holiday clubs, but only if your child hasn't yet started school (i.e. Reception). For example if your child attends a school-based nursery or pre-school which only operates during school hours, they could then go on to attend the after-school club after the end of the school day.

Note however that it is entirely up to childcare providers whether they participate in 30 hours offer. Many are reluctant as they risk losing money.

In addition it is entirely up to before/after school clubs whether they will take pre-school children at all. Quite a few are reluctant as not only does it change the dynamic of the club, but it also changes their staffing requirements.