Nursery 30hrs Free Excess Charges

[Jiff99]

Hello,

We've been sending our child to a London private nursery for the last 18 months for 3 days a week. They turned 3 years old over the summer and we've just been looking through the latest invoice that now supposedly accounts for the 30 (22 per week balanced over a year) free hours he is now entitled to.

The nursery operate an eight hour day, so a total of 24 hours over three days. I'm simplistically thought we'd have to pay for the additional two hours. Or perhaps two hours, plus an additional supplement for food/trips or other extras not included in the government funding.

In all honesty, I can't make head-nor-tail of the invoice but it is a little of two thirds of what I was originally paying - which is quite surprising given 22 of the 24 hours are supposedly "free".

With a bit of detective work, it seems like the nursery might be just subtracting the government payment for the 22hrs (which I understand is a little over £5/hour) from our regular bill.

I accept the fact that £5/hour isn't a very realistic figure for funding a nursery; but the nursery's approach feels like an absolute con. I'd always operated on the assumption that the eye-watering fees (nearly £90/day) went some way to subsidise the "free hours". The thought of enjoying some free hours certainly made paying the monthly bill a littler easier each of the last 18 months and our original selection of the nursery was partially on the basis that they "do the free hours".

As is stands, the rather than 30 free hours, it seems to more akin to "£5 subsidy per hour up to the first 30 hours".

It certainly feels like an absolute swizz.

I'm eyeing a future where we plan to move up to 5 days a week for the 3 year old and have what will be our 10 month old in for 3 days a week.

Having read around, I found a couple of posts from several years ago (when it was only 15hrs) where nurseries were doing similar things. But in the main, it seems like nurseries still find a way to get their money - by limiting hours-per-day or charging for lunch, or just having a limited number of places.

I'm assuming that the approach the nursery is taking is against the rules of the scheme?

Maybe all this is to be expected. AIBU? I don't really want to change nurseries. Appreciate I'm probably a bit naive and should have looked into this earlier, but I'm more than a bit irritated by the situation.

Grateful for any thoughts.

It would help if the government stopped telling everyone they were paying for childcare, when they're not. If the nursery gave a list of extra consumables on every bill they'd be including all the things that the government don't pay for, like toilet rolls, light bulbs, wipes, etc etc etc.

I make sure that parents of children approaching three years old know that, if they want the usual provision, the space will not be completely free.

This is why nurseries and pre schools are closing down (along with other more recent events).

Where I work the 15 hours stretched throughout the year would pay for one full day
30 hours would pay for two but our days are ten hours long
Are you sure they have given you the 30 hours and not just the 15? You did give them the code in time?

Also, you can use tax free childcare with the 30 hours and save 20% on the fees

Its a catch 22 though isn't it? Nurseries can't operate at "free" hours so they have to find ways around the rules - say the "free" hours are at odd times so you pay for the additional hours / charge for meals, nappies, crafts etc.

If nurseries were not allowed to be creative, most nurseries simply couldn't operate. If most private nurseries went under, parents couldn't work. At the end of the day, would you rather be able to work and have a little bit of a saving, or would you rather businesses went out of business and you (or your H) would have to be a stay at home parent? Its really that simple.

I do think the nursery is at fault for not being upfront about it. It was 15 hours when we used nurseries and they told us at the outset we'd pay the full fees and when the funding came in from the LA, we'd simply get a cheque for the money the nursery received from the LA for our child.

Africa - that would be the best way, but we're not allowed to do that 🙄

The government offer the funded hours for ‘education’ not childcare which is why they have the limit on funded hours. Therefore many nurseries will offer fixed sessions for the funded hours such as 9-12 or 12-3 and then charge normal fees for the rest, although some will be more flexible than others depending what a family needs. Our nursery is completely free for morning and afternoon sessions within the included 15/30 hours but if a parent needs flexible sessions a fee is charged to allow for a movement in days/times (think £1 an hour) and there are charges for hot lunch and wrap around care. It’s hard balancing the needs of our families against keeping the nursery financially above water, especially with outgoings increasing every year for staffing etc.

However your nursery should be able to explain to you the break down of costs if you enquire. It’s only fair you know what you’re paying for.

Most will give the equivalent of 3 hours per am or pm session if term time only. Of all year this equates to 2.2 hours per session.
So if in there for 8 hours a day, you're effectively getting 4.4 hours per day free. The rest is for the time outside of this free learning time, so wraparound, food, etc.

We pay £2.50 per hour on top of each of the funded hours. This is a nursery where the private under 3 rate is also £90 per day..

Normally nurseries only give set sessions for funded, and you have to pay the hours in between.

For example
7-9 you have to pay
9-12 funded
12-1 pay
1-3 funded
3-6 pay so out of 11 hours, you have to pay for 6 of the hours.