15hours free query, payment?!?

[Picklebob123]

I'm trying to get my son into nursery next year. All the nurseries want at least £50 a month on top for sundries under the 15 hours free. Is this the case everywhere?

Not everywhere, but the vast majority of places yes

It's not free, it's underfunded.

I'm surprised that you're surprised. Do you not watch the news?

I'm surprised that you're surprised. Do you not watch the news?

Not everyone does watch the news, which is perfectly ok. It’s advertised as FREE childcare on the gov website so some people do assume it’s free.

Is this a school (state local authority)nursery class you want him to go to - ie school term time only starting in the September after he is 3?
Because if so you shouldn’t be paying anything unless he stays for lunch then you would need to pay for the school dinner.
If it’s a private nursery then I believe they can charge more - they can basically charge what they want.

That's very little isn't it, when you consider the price of childcare.

We don't get any free hours and pay £99.50 per day,

@roarrfeckingroar the “Free 15 hours” is for 15 hours of Early Years education though. It’s not meant as childcare.

A school nursery shouldn't charge you, a private one will.

Actually I stand corrected - gov.uk does say “childcare”.
@Picklebob123 as you can see it says you “may have to pay extras”.
If you go for a school nursery class (part of a primary school) you don’t usually have to pay much (if anything).

School nurseries are funded differently to private ones - basically they get more and they don't pay VAT as they are under the school education umbrella which is why they tend to not charge for extras so much.