OFSTED funding confused!

[mycatfatzak]

Am being really dense here but just can't work out what's what with the funding for 3year olds. I thought it was 5 sessions a week they were entitled to. Is a session a whole morning/afternoon or less?
DS is there for two full days but the reduction after the funding is taken into account his fees are only reduced by half.

Can someone please tell me slowly and simply. (back to work this week after 6 weeks off so struggling with day to day life!)

I believe a session is 2 1/2 hours. So 5x2 1/2 hours

Think it is max 2 session per day (ie am and pm), so you may only get a rebate for 10 hours not 12.5.

Looking a little clearer now I think! Had assumed that the full session was funded but guess that's not the case.

Funding is for a maximum of five sessions a week, and there is a maximum number of weeks it is payable for - this has just increased and I think it is now payable for 43 weeks a year, but I could be wrong. A session is 2 1/2 hours; you can claim for two sessions in one day as long as they are separated by lunchtime. In your situation you will be entitled to claim for 4 sessions. The funding is worth approximately £7 per session (again, sorry but I can't remember the exact rate). In reality if your child is in a private nursery it won't cover the whole cost, but whatever funding will be subtracted from your bill.

It's only 38 weeks at present, funding doesn't cover holidays - only term time as per state schools

I get NEG ( nursery education grant, - not ofsted) funding as an accredited childminder and have a funded child at present. It varies round the country in terms of financial vaalue, but between £7 and £8,50 a session. It was 2.5 hours but is due to be increased to 3 hours in 2007. I have a child three days, but claim 5 sessions a week. It covers less than half what I would normally charge.

Hello. My little girl is at a private nursery. Are all nurseries eligible for the government funded sessions? If so do they just stay at the nursery and that money gets automatically deducted from the fees or do you have to apply Sorry if sounding dim but only just looking into it as will not apply to us for a while.

Yes its 2 1/2 hours. So if he is there for 2 days, you will get say 9-11.30 and 1-3.30, both days, paid for. He would have to be there 2 1/2 days to get the full allowance.

Hi polster8 I think it is most nurseries (my understanding is that they have to be registered and apply) private schools can also get it. Our nursery basically sorts it out for us they give us a form to sign and we show proof of date of birth then the money comes off our fees some months. There is an order of priority so if you use a nursery class attached to a school and a private nursery all the funding for 5 sessions goes to the school nursery. It applies from the term after their third birthday. HTH

I read somewhere recently that nurseries could not add Top Up fees to the Nursery Education Grant. Anyone else read that? (I can't remember where I saw it). Does it now mean that pre-schools/nurseries only get the grant, and can not add any additional fees (if so, may put some groups out of business).

The nursery does have to meet certain criterai to be eligible such as Ofsted registered and LEA approved , for example there may be a minmum number of weeks it has to be open. The setting would normally provide the form for you (at the beginning of the "term" - ie. September, January or April - after your child has turned 3 and each subsequent "term") to complete and sign, then when the funding comes through offset it against your cost.

Found it..

Beverley Hughes (Children's Minister) said 'We will not allow the generation of a two-tier system, in which some families can afford a better quality of care, but poorer families cannot. This will remain a free entitlement for all families.'

Ban Top-Up Fees - Nursery World News Article

but surely that could still only apply to the funded 2 1/2 hour "session", and many actual mornings/afternoons or full time places run for longer than that, therefore incurring additional cost.

Looks as if things will be changed in April 2007.

Source
From April 2007, the minimum free entitlement will be extended to 15 hours per week?namely, it will rise from the two current 2.5 hours per day to three hours per day. At the moment, many nurseries already provide three hours, but they offer the additional half hour for a top-up fee that reflects the cost dependent on the area. For many providers, it is only possible for them to offer the 2.5 hour daily, grant-funded sessions free and maintain a high quality of care because they subsidise these free sessions with the top-up fees from parents for three-hour sessions. Many providers fear that once the free entitlement is extended, without the flexibility of choice, they will not be able to subsidise grant-funded sessions and, as a consequence, many sessional settings will no longer be sustainable and will have to close.

exactly Liz. All the nurseries have to do is juggle the books so that the top up fee is hidden as extra costs for the other hours outside the 2.5 hour paid slot. It is crazy. If the government really believe that they can make childcare free for fulltime working parents then they need to give proper fulltime nursery grants rather than only 5 sessions a week. It is a glaring hole and total spin suggesting that top up fees are banished - the nurseries need that money to survive.

The funding only covers the period of time stated. If the session length is longer, parents DO NOT have to pay an additional fee, as the provider could end the session at that point for the funded children.

The DayCare Trust said in their publication Childwise - Issue 24, September 2006
"Parents cannot be charged for any part of the free entitlement, either directly (by providers asking you to pay a top-up) or indirectly (by providers asking you to take additional hours if you do not wish to do so)."

Bexley Borough Council Children, Play and Family Services say in their Autumn 2006 newsletter that
"The Code of Practice sets out key principles about the entitlement.? The most significant principle set out in the guidance is that the entitlement should be free at the point of delivery to all parents. This means that any parent wanting to access just their 12.5 hours of free provision in a week should be able to do so without having to pay any fee. This is crucial to ensuring that all parents, including non-working families and those on low incomes, are able to access the entitlement."
It goes on to discuss the number of weeks of the enitlement, so worth a read by all providers and parents accessing NEG.

SureStart: Nursey Education Grant Code of Practice

I don't think it is very clear as to what happens if a provider charges a top-up fee, for hours which exceed the funded place hours. My feeling is that parents can choose not to have their child attend the setting, beyond the free entitlement hours and the provider needs to make that possible.
Local authorities seem to be responsible for monitoring this aspect, so parents who are finding it hard to find free places, should contact their local authority. Likewise, providers who are unclear as to their responsibilities and/or who are unable to provide the required number of funded sessions, should contact the local authority for advice.