'free' nursery places for 3 year olds - how does it work?

[Enid]

dd2 starts her (seeming astronomical) private nursery tomorrow. She will be 3 in October. How on earth do I go about claiming back my 'free' sessions?

I don't think you have to claim it yourself - the nursery should reduce their fees accordingly and get you to sign a form for them to use to claim the money from the Govt (or that's how it works in these parts). It will be from the term after she's 3, so from January for your dd2.

Don't think you get it until after Christmas and then the nursery will do the paperwork for you. Some offset it from the fees, some will do a rebate at the end of each term.

so they'll give me the form even though snobbish private school?

and I dont suppose anyone knows how much it works out at do they??

The school should automatically claim it and get you to sign a form when they apply for your dd's free place. Sometimes it takes a term to kick in.

I think the cost depends on your council but when ds got it (last 2 terms) it was around £400 a term

£400

really?

that would be fab

They certainly should do. It's the equivalent of 5 x 2.5 hour sessions per week, if that helps. Should be in your list of fees (unless they're too la-di-da for that ).

It is based upon a maximum number of sessions. Someone suggested to me that at our school, where dd is going in Reception but has only just turned 4, it could be over £400 per term, but we get it rebated at the end of each term and only start tomorrow so yet to see it or any paperwork.

no mention of it in any fee stuff so far

You will get it the term after her 3rd birthday so you'll get it in January. At my nursery the forms all go there and the 'head' gives the forms out, we give them back and she sorts it all out for us deducting our 'vouchers' from our total bill.

Don't know if the process is different by nursery but it's always equivalent to 5 2.5 hr session for 11 weeks of each term.

Enid, take a look at our local council website which should have details

here's the

bournemouth one for example

Enid - Ds's Nursery just take the value over the whole year (12.5 hrs per week, 39 wks of the year) and divide it by 12 to get my monthly discount. You can only use 2 x 2.5 hr sessions in one day though. So the kids have to be in Private Nursery for at least 2.5 days a week.

I think it works out at around £84 per month in my area. Not bad.

The Nursery just gave me a form to fill and sign.

I only know the amount because ds's pre-school cost more than the voucher so we had to top up the amount (I imagine most peeps in London have to unless they are very lucky and find an inexpensive pre-school!). I think my sis said hers was around £430 a term.

in MK it's £1,248 paid over 3 terms - works out at £6.40 per 2.5 hr session

oh yes, should have said that was for 5 sessions a week

Don't know about England but in Scotland the private nuresry has to be signed up to the scheme - ie not all nurseries will give it.

Also, although you are allowed 5 "free" 2.5 hour sessions a week, there is a set cost agreed for this. If your nuresry charges more than this set cost for a 2.5 hour session, then you pay the extra. Just a warning! A friend of mine with twins had worked out that she coudl afford full time nuresry for them beacuse of the funding...and then she got teh actual bill!

yes I will have to pay more than £400 a term, considerably more, still there are very very few nurseries here that offer care until 2.30 (when I finish work) so I dont have much choice.