15 hours ‘free’ childcare - help me understand this!

[Polly46219]

This is such a simple question but I can’t find anyone who can give me an explanation and that includes the nursery which my 3 year old son attends! He spends one day at week at his nursery; that’s a 10 hour day. The daily fee is £65. So, why after signing up to these 15 free hours a week, am I paying £45 a day? Surely it would be free? Am I being thick? Can anyone explain this to me? I can’t help feeling I’m being overcharged. Thanks all

FATEdestiny no, absolutely no additional circumstances. No qualification for 2 year funding, in fact no qualification for 30 hours funding at all as DH earns over £100k. Obviously no FSM. No additional needs. Every single child who attends gets 15 funded hours which can be taken in exactly the same way I’ve described in my PP.

FATE it is actually recommend by local authorities and central government that there is no 'non funded' break, and the day should flow smoothly with the lunch hour being included in the funded hours. Exactly the opposite of what you are suggesting. There does not have to be a break.

Oh and they eat at 12.30pm (afternoon session starts at 12). So when my DC do a morning session they don’t have lunch there, just a mid morning snack. If they did an afternoon session they would have lunch there. No break between sessions.

OP your own nursery setting must know how they spread the free childcare whether term time or all year. Ask again - perhaps the person you asked didn't know- ask yhe manager or owner.

Most private nurseries will do this. My ds1 did 2 full days at nursery and I still had to pay quite a lot. My ds5 did 9-12 five days a week term time only and it was all free.

OP As you will see from all the replies - it is up to the individual provider how they offer the Early Education Entitlement.
It is underfunded by Government, so most nurseries need to find ways to make up the money they lose by not being paid their full hourly rate. All providers have had to look into the way that works best for them, to do that.
So, you will have to get the answer from your own Nursery, how they have worked it out.
They do have a point that a 2, 3, or 4 year old is going to benefit from Early Education, in shorter slots, than one long 10 hour stretch.