minimum 3 session nursery rule?

[pobel]

The contract we have with our nursery states they must attend a minimum of 3 sessions per week which we are doing at the moment. DS attends three days per week. However, after july the nursery can no longer offer me the days he is on now but the days they are offering are no use to me workwise.

So, my question is.. when they state 3 sessions is it likely they mean over 3days or could this be interpreted as 3 half days session that could be taken over 2 days? My intention is to have them in nursery for 2days with a nanny on the other day... I'm trying to anticipate whether they will say take 3days offered or get out! what do you think?

You'll need to clarify with them, but I would say that one day consists of two sessions (am & pm).

Try talking to them. Interpretation of rules in isolation really won't help you.

What changes in July that they cannot fulfil your needs?

Oh and how they take you days away from you? I think I'd take my custom elsewhere (depending on your DS's emotional connection of course).

Wait a minute-who's paying who here??????????!

lol, i know but where i am i cannot find another nursery to take both boys three consecutive days a week (not a friday) so they kind of have me over a barrell!!

I am speaking with a nanny next week and have considered hiring her for 3 days per week but the one i would like to use is new to nannying and i'm worried about it not working out and having put all my eggs in the nannying basket i'm be tied to then seeking out another nanny if she doesn't work out. Not to mention having the prospect of employing a nanny is somewhat daunting. If she only does one day a week then i believe i only have to pay NI for her as opposed to tax also!

To further explain, I was under the impression that my work would be flexible enough to allow me to work weds thurs fri but they would prefer i did any combination of days but it can't include the friday! However i had already agreed with the nusery that both boys would attend weds.thurs.fri at this point. What they were then able to offer was a mon.weds.thurs but for my eldest son they can no longer offer him the monday place after July!! so i'm back to square one with the whole thing. I feel they really let me down given the fact that i originally had my eldest in the nursery on mon.tues.weds when he first started and i kept him in throughout my maternity leave to ensure they would keep the place open for him only to then find out they were unable to offer my loungest a place on the same days.. i mean really!!!

Ultimately im after the best care for my boys and feel it's not in there best interest to completely change their care arrangements. Not to mention my eldest will be elegible for 15hrs free care at the nursery come august!!!

Complicated huh!?

Well, i've read through our contract and it seems they need to be in for 3 sessions over 3 days!! so i guess it will be up to them !

Some nurseries give a minimum because sometimes children only doing half day a week NEVER settle in. They cry and just as they're getting used to it they go home and by the next week they've forgotten the good aspects and cry the whole time again.

One and a half days would be fine. Counts as 3 sessions. The nursery might be fine if you drop down to 2 sessions a week IF they are certain your child won't be upset and is truly settled in.

If she only does one day a week then i believe i only have to pay NI for her as opposed to tax also!

Taxation is not as simple as that. Agree a Gross salary, then go from there. If the salary is low enough, you won't have Employer NI to pay. However employee income tax and NI will be dependent on other factors, such as what other income the nanny has in other jobs.

For example, use this PAYE Calculator. Enter in £100 for the Per Day Gross amount, change number of days per week to 1, hours to 10. Run the calculation.
Now change the taxcode to BR, run the calculation again... notice there are now figures for Income Tax.

For more information about employing a nanny, do come and post over on the Mumsnet Childminders/Nannies board. If you want help with the financial side, we would need to know the salary being offered (per hour, or per week), number of hours per week being worked.

It can be daunting becoming an employer however there are payroll companies around that can help with the taxation side of things, producing the payslips. You could do it yourself but with payroll companies starting at under £100 a year, it may well be worth paying their admin fee to remove some of the burden.

Hi nannynick, i have read into the importance of agreeing gross wage etc (through many of the threads in childminders/nannies board which you have contributed to :)) and understand that i would need to be her employer.. i assume i would need extra home/liability insurance to cover the fact she is working in my home?She has her own liability insurance. I have had a look at the hmrc website so have a fair idea of the tax and NI i would need to pay her according to the hours she works. I would be happy to work that out using the hmrc calculators etc and produce a wage slip accordingly.

I need a crystal ball lol x

If you understand payroll, statutory payments, small employer statutory payments funding, that sort of thing, then yes you can do payroll yourself.

Your home contents cover usually includes employers liability insurance, though do check the fine print as at least one UK insurer removed that element of cover a few years back.