Why does 15 hours at a private cost region of £300pcm but state provide same service, often with qualified teacher too, for free?

[StarlightDicKenzie]

Why?

Onelittle - you are allowed to "top up" by adding as many sessions as the nursery is able to offer, and you are able to pay for. However, the nursery is not allowed to ask for additional funds for the 15 hours. The 15 hours must be able to be accessed free of charge. This includes things like not being able to insist that parents buy uniform etc. if their child only attends the 15 hours.

But can the nursery insist that they only have 'places' for children to attend a full day, of which only 3 hours can be funded?

(although they are still saying that they need to charge extra for those hours)

Actually, I think I remember one of them saying that they do do just the 15 hours but only for one place and it has been taken.

starlight - you really do need to speak to the early years team at the local authority. Having only 1 place for 15 hours only sounds like they are not fulfilling the terms of the funding.

no they can not make it a condition to purchase extra hours to access the funded place, as i said we are required to offer at least one funded 15hrs place without extra hours if we have space. so it's likely that they are not breaking this particular rule.

Hello, ive been looking for info on this seems im not the only one confused by Nurseys ripping us off

my problem is my nrsey used to give the free hours for 52 weeks now theve changed there mind and gone back to 38 weeks thats one moan

but the other is 15 free hours isnt free

i have to pay half the time used

so for my girl to go from 7.30- 18.30 i have to pay half out of my own pocket the other half is used by my 'FREE'!!! hours , surely this cannot be right as its only 15 free if i pay 15 full payment to!!

any advice what i can do here ladies?

doesn't sound like they are doing anything wrong. if it was averaged over 52 weeks but now 38 the amount you get will just be more over less weeks. also our local authority only allows 6 hours to be claimed in any one day so they are right to charge you for the rest. only thing they shouldn't do is insist that you attend all day to get your 15 hours but it sounds like you need all day anyway?

Agree with dribbleface.