What is the issue? Help me understand

[MyPrettyBrain]

My 3 year old’s nursery only allows you to use free hours entitlement across all mornings or afternoon sessions. They have the option of adding hours e.g stay until 3.30pm or 6pm. I want DD to go 2 full days and the other 3 days her usual free morning session. So I requested that for the Monday/Tuesday I add afternoon session to her free morning sessions and pay for the additional add on hours. I was told that they cannot do that because I would be taking up other children’s space. But how can DD be taking another child’s space? I only requested the extra hours upon the condition they were not at full capacity. So I explained this and they said it is because of free hours. But I said I am keeping the free sessions? I understand I cannot use my 15 hours across 2-3 full days and have essentially free child care. Is this really true that you cannot combine free hours alongside paying hours? Essentially, they have led me to believe that I can only get full days if I add afternoon sessions across all 5 days or stop the free hours and pay for the full 2 days myself. I remember when my DD1 was in nursery. She also had 15 hours and went to nursery 3 full days and 2 morning sessions. I only paid for additional afternoon sessions across the three days. As all her morning sessions were paid using her free hours. Not sure how what I am requesting now is any different…

I find this bizarre. Can anyone explain the rationale behind this? I keep failing to see their point.

Thank you.

Presumably they want to offer the afternoons to someone else for their 15 hours.

Or because they lose so much with the free hours it's a way of making you pay the actual cost for 2 full days.

Sounds bizarre. I don't get what theyre saying.

I did ask them if they are reserving the afternoon places for that purpose but they said no because they have a set ratio for funded only morning sessions and funded afternoon sessions and private morning/afternoon. So, the afternoon space I was requesting would be from the non funded ratio not taking a space from the funded afternoon space.

Re your other point. That is a possibility. I won’t be cancelling her free hours in order to pay for 2 days…so that means now they just have an empty space.

This is a big thriving nursery (children’s centre). There is a nursery closer to home that does funded 15 hours across 3 days (so would barely have to pay). BUT DD needs speech and language therapy which she is due to start in January. This would not be available in the other nursery.

Me too! And not once have they said they don’t have space or are at full capacity.

Unless it's to do with child to staff ratios.