Nursery Fees for over 3s

[colvinho]

Hi

Hope you don't mind a Dad posting a question here.

I just want to check that my child's nursery has fair charges.

For under 3s, full time at the nursery is £1240 per term. That is for 19 hours per week. (so £63 per hour)

Foolishly perhaps, I was getting excited now that my daughter has turned 3 and would be therefore entitled to 15 hours free because of government provision.

However, I have now found out that full time (still 19 hours per week) for over 3s is £545 per term. So those 4 hours are £136 per hour.

The charge is justified as '4 hours education plus enhancements to the basic provision'. I am not sure what these enhancements are.

What would be helpful for me is to know if other nurseries have similar charges for over 3s or is this an unusually high charge? I don't mind paying if this is in line with what other nurseries do.

It is a good nursery.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Ian

Is your maths right?

£63ph / £136ph???

Sorry was not clear. I mean each term, the rate is £63 for 1 hour per week over the term.

So if child attended 4 hours per week, would be £252 per term

or if 8 hours per week, would be £504 per term etc.

Was trying to demonstrate that the charge per hour is more than doubled for over 3s when compared with under 3s

Can I ask what hours per day this is for and I may be a me to help

It's because the rate per hour they can claim from the government is much lower than the normal rate. So providers tend to charge a high rate for the hours not included in the free provision to recoup the costs. My nursery charged about £800 per term for 10 hours a week over the 15 hours free time.

What they are doing is charging "top up fees". I can't remember how legal it is or isn't for them to do, whoever. The nursery my daughter is attending does this but they are thankfully very up front about it.

However, not whoever. :)

Ok so they are not allowed to 'top up' their fees from what the lea charges to what they charge but the can charge for extras.

So meals, extra hours, outings, nappies etc can all the added on to the 'basic provision' of 15 hrs early education.

And if you are only using 19hours ie not full time but are paying full time then maybe they only charge a daily rate not hourly rate which would make it seem like it is so much more per hour.

i don't understand how you have explained the per hour bit
when you say full time is 19 hours per week , how are you using those 19 hours?

Settings are not allowed to charge any kind of top up fees. The 15 hours should be completely free. However, settings are able to decide which hours in the day they offer as their free hours.

As others have said, the rate provided by the Local Authority is usually lower than that normally charged by the Setting, so many nurseries break the rules and charge top ups.

I suggest you phone your local authority Early Years department and share the figures with them if you want to find out whether the nursery is playing by the rules or not.

I understand that nurseries find it very hard to manage with the amount given by the Local Authority, but feel very strongly that if they want to accept the funding, then they must also accept the restrictions. Otherwise, yet again, poorer families are being excluded from using many nurseries.

The nursery is not playing by the rules. They are charging an inflated rate to compensate for the much reduced rate the govt is paying for the 15 hours. It is illegal (as I recently learned on this very website). However, everyone seems to do it - nurseries and childminders alike. Parents generally get about a 50% discount on those 15 hours. But, really, who is going to kick a gift horse in the mouth. Take your 50% and keep quiet.