Preschool charging parents for funded places because it's a longer term - normal?

[CourtsControversy]

Hi, this is a new one for me but have been informed by son's pre-school that we will be charged for his (normally free) 15 hours for two weeks this term, because it's a longer term length.

Anyone else had this?

The setting follows school terms, hasn't been open for any additional periods.

No, this doesn't happen at ours. There are 39 weeks of term in total (40 for the staff as they will have 5 INSET days sprinkled through the year). So it is irrelevant how long a term is if they don't exceed the 39 weeks in total. The summer term here (south west) is always a long one but you get the shorter 5 and 6 week terms in the spring. This doesn't sound right to me at all. Is it a privately run pre school (eg. the top years of a nursery school) or a council based pre school (only does 9-3 day lengths)?

If they're doing more than 39 weeks this year, then they could charge for the additional weeks, but you don't have to use them.

Settings receive 38 weeks of funding which equates to 570 hours over the academic year
38 x 15 = 570

There is a weird funding thing this year as there is some kind of mismatch between the academic year and the funding year (not sure if that is organised 'calendar' or 'financial'). I can't claim to understand it as I don't deal with that bit but I know a lot of term time settings are having to decide if they close a week earlier than the schools, have a 2 week half term or offer the final week for payment only. Because the funding levels are so low the settings don't have the budget to pay out of pocket for that extra week so it's very tricky.

Bump

Thanks for the replies. A mixed bad then. I query it as the pre-school uses the school terms, and didn't open for any longer, so assumed that long and short terms would equal themselves out and all would be funded. We only get 38 weeks funding with this council.

But Oddboot, your response sheds a different light...

It's a council pre-school so only opens 9-3...

Interesting to hear that other settings are reporting the same issue this year. May have to suck it up and pay then, just wished they'd mentioned it sooner so I could have budgeted!

Work in a nursery, we got a letter from our local council (Leicester) saying last year they'd accidentally paid us 39 weeks instead of 38 so this year we'd only get 37 weeks funding!

Few weeks later had a letter apologising saying they were now paying us 38 weeks as normal as it was their oversight.

Either way, we were still preparing to ensure everyone got 38 weeks as normal. I would contact your local council as charging you is against the rules of the FEEE rules, sounds like trying to pull a fast one.

Unless you're physically having more than 38 weeks care in which case they could charge as its additional