Playgroup fees - is this expensive?

[QueenEagle]

This afternoon, ds had a visit to the playgroup which he will be starting in October.

I was shocked at the cost - £4.75 per 2.5hr session.

Just out of interest, what do other mumsnetters pay?

[Gobbledigook]

This is a private nursery/playgroup but only sessional - not a day nursery (in the 8am to 6pm sense). It's only open 9-1pm.

[Gobbledigook]

£12.75 per 4 hr session (9-1pm - and they take a packed lunch). Worth every penny though - it's fantastic playgroup.

That's without the funding for 3 yr olds.

[Lonelymum]

OH QE, just seen this. I am stunned as my ds3 is going to have to pay £6 for a 2 hour session as from September! I think that is very steep but fortunately it is only until he is 3.

I used to be the treasurer of my children's old playgroup and I have to say that £4.75 for 2.5 hrs seems reasonable to me. When ds2 started (5 years ago) it was £3, then it went up to £4 when dd started (well before actually) and I think they were raising it to £5 when I had to resign when we moved.

[emily05]

want to echo what zebra says - that of-course once they are 3 they get the fees paid

[zebraZ]

oh, and our local Montessori would be free from 1st term after 3rd birthday, too...

[zebraZ]

£3.75 for 2.5 hrs (Norfolk), but free from 1st term after 3rd birthday. Was a little cheaper (£3 or £3.50?) in Leicestershire 18 months ago.

[emily05]

My ds nursery fee it £10 for a 2.5 hour session! (it is a bit more pricey because it is a montessori nursery). I would be over the moon at £4.75 a session.

[alibubbles]

Message withdrawn

[QueenEagle]

Well, I guess my playgroup is on the cheaper side then, having seen what some of the others are paying

It's 5-6 years since my older ds went there and I was quite taken aback at how much the fees have gone up in that time.

[Orinoco]

Message withdrawn

[joash]

was recently paying £12.50 per three hour session.

[JulieF]

SoftFroggie, dd is at the nursery of a pre=prep school. The vouchers don't cover the whole cost their is an upper limit so it may be worth checking what it is in your area.

[throckenholt]

we pay £5 for a 2.5 hour session. Apparently they get approx £8 for children over 3 from the government. When you take into account staff costs, insurance and hire of the hall, together with equipment etc it is actually not expensive (especially compared to sending them to a nursery or a child minder).

[SoftFroggie]

I looked round a few:
£4.50 at our local play-group for a 2.5hr session, and an extra £1 if you don't go on the parent volunteer rota
£8 at the village pre-school we're using, 3 hr session; once the vouchers kick in we'll be paying £1.50 for the extra 30 mins, plus for the extra weeks
£10 at the private montesorri in the next town
£15 at the nursery wing of the prep school

The thing that surprised me is that the vouchers cover any of them - from the £4.50 to the £15 per session - might move him into the expensive one when it's free

£4.75 seems reasonable for 2.5hrs. I bet the staff aren't paid much, the hall rental is cheap and they still only just cover costs.

[sophy]

£10 for 3 hours in west london -- and that's regarded as a bargain round here.

[firestorm]

i currently pay £4,50 each day for dd to go to nursery 2 days a week (thats with nursery funding) when the funding runs out its £23,00 a day.

[logic]

Ds is starting pre-school (not attached to a school) in Sept which will cost £6.50 for a 2.5 hour session. SE again. It will be free from Jan onwards though so we only have to pay for this term.

[feelingold]

My kids are too old for playgroup now but I am still on committee and its £5.25 for 2.75 hour session (until term after 3rd birthday). We have had to put our charges up because of increase in minimum wage, which is all the staff get (except leader and asst leader) and they are worth so much more, increase in insurance costs, staff need more training which involves costs, heating and lighting costs etc. We really did not want to put charges up but we just had to, but all of our parents agree it is a fantastic playgroup (nad there is always a waiting list) which has been going 35 years this year.

[jessicasmummy]

the one closest to me is £6 for 2.5 hours.... no jess wont be going!

[vickiyumyum]

i pay 7.50 for a s.5 hour session, one of the main reasons that he will be going to the nursery that is attached to the school he will be going to.

[missycantstop]

6 pound for 2 hours 15 minutes

[happycat]

£7.50 for 3 hours

[QueenEagle]

But surely this is an unfair system? Why is it not free from their 3rd birthday, fullstop? It's discriminatory on grounds of age, I've just decided.

[charliecat]

10 pounds for 3.5 hours.

[Aero]

Same as my ds2 QE - he will miss the cut off by 2 weeks - most irritating! But it will be free when he is 3.
I think some of the quotes must be for private nursery 2.5 hour sessions and some for council run playgroups. Both have similar activities for the children though - and both are play/learning experiences without parents present.