Obligatory food payments to nursery!

[Rebxo]

A bit of a long one but here we go!

my daughter is due to start nursery next week (4th September) .. I took her for a viewing around this setting the last week before the summer holidays (UK) and spoke with many of the staff and emailed back and forth with the office staff about her attending, it’s a wonderful setting, the nursery it’s self is outstanding and it’s a setting I can really see my rambunctious sassy girl really enjoying.

anyway, on the 25th July a week after the holidays have started and all of the nursery’s and schools are closed I get this email, it’s an invoice from the nursery, now a bit of background I am a single parent to two children on a low income, I receive help from the government for my daughters hours and my sons (9) entitled to free school lunches, I work full time but still classes as a low income family.. so yes 25th July I get this invoice from the nursery for £200 to cover the cost of snacks and her school lunches, I at no point agreed to her having school lunches and was always under the impression that I would send her a pack up, the thing that’s bothered me is they have made it very very clear that this is non optional, they won’t accept pack ups and are expecting parents to pay this £200 else your child basically can’t go there!

with the cost of the holidays and everyday life £200 is completely out of my budget! .. but the main thing that’s getting to me is that they’ve basically trapped us parents, they are non reachable until 3rd September and my daughter is due to start on the 4th! I’m due back at work longer hours as she was there more than her previous childminder and I’m not at a crossroads about what I’m going to do, I cannot afford this bill every term but really anxious about having any other option but to pay it!

I guess my question is, can a nursery setting force parents to pay for hot school dinners? When my child would be more than efficiently fed from any pack up I sent her.

I don't think you have any option but to wait until the 3rd and call them. Is this a nursery attached to a school? They may have an option for you to pay weekly rather than as a lump sum. If none of the children take a packed lunch then there probably won't be anyone available to supervise your DD if she took one. I suspect you might fight a losing battle on this one.

Yes they can.

Do the T’s & C’s mention anything about lunch/snacks? Is this a private nursery? Mine went to a state nursery school and they provided a fruit snack but parents provided packed lunches. You really need to check the T&C and hopefully others will be able to advise further.

Even with free hours? I don't think so! I never had to pay it

The statutory guidance around this is in the screenshot attached.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2/early-education-and-childcare-applies-from-1-april-2024

They should have a policy in place for an alternative for you.
You can contact your LA who can help you if they are saying the charge for provided meals is compulsory.

This must surely have been in the information you got sent on registering? Does your local council offer any additional support funds? Can you pay in instalments? Do you have access to an overdraft/credit card and you could use that and pay it back? Children cost money, once they start nursery/school it can soon add up.

I haven’t seen or heard anything about it until I received the invoice.

I would check your contract carefully. Many nurseries do not allow the use of free hours between 12&1.30 for instance. My local one you can use free houses 9-12 and/or 1.30-4.30 only plus they spread them over the year anyway because the free hours are term time only. Parents who don't want to pay for the 90 minute lunch break can pick up. As long as it's communicated then it's allowed

So they don't accept packups because of other kids allergies, and not being able to be sure you have not e.g. used peanut butter. My LO is under dietician care so I can send in extras but they cannot contain a list of stuff, and I still have to pay for the hot dinners.

Of course, my daughter has attended nursery or a childminder since she was 8 months old and like I say I have a 9 year old so I know children are expensive, I think my point is more that they are basically forcing parents to pay this cost and given us no other option, getting myself in debt when I’m trying to work my butt off to provide for my children is something I am not willing to do nor should I have to.

Should add this isn't new, when my dc were tiny you had to pay extra for lunch too

Paying extra for lunches isn’t really my issue, i would never expect her to be provided with a hot school lunch free of charge at nursery my point is that there isn’t an option for parents like myself who cannot afford £200 a term for them!

Technically with the 15/30 free hours the additional costs have to be optional.

Loads of nurseries don't follow this though.

It’s caused me so much stress these holidays panicking about whether shell be able to go, if not it’s given me a week to sort out other childcare when I’m due back at work.

Is it a private nursery? Issue with funded hours is that they don't cover the costs adequately, many nurseries have to charge additional from parents but are bound by rules which means it can only be to cover specific things; one of which is food. Morally I guess yes they should offer an alternative ie ability to take in a packed lunch, but in reality they can refuse a place if a private nursery if people don't want to agree to their terms. What used to happen is that as funded hours were only offered to certain ages the charges to others was higher to try and balance the books, now more ages are eligible but funding hasn't increased they have to find ways to supplement it to avoid going bust.

Morally I guess yes they should offer an alternative ie ability to take in a packed lunch

Not just morally.

As an example, but it's not a Waltham Forest specific rule (emphasis is mine)

"Providers must offer alternative options for parents/carers. This could include, for example, allowing a parent/carer to bring in their own consumables or a packed lunch, in cases where the meal offered is not suitable for children with specific dietary needs or the parent/carer prefers a lower cost option."

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/families-young-people-and-children/free-early-education-and-childcare/information-charges-free-early-education-childcare-providers

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Years ago we had an issue with nursery asking for snack fees but my ds had allergies so they asked me to pay the fees AND supply ALL his drinks and snacks ! I refused and said it was one or another and they called a meeting to say I had no choice or he couldn’t go there !

I'm not sure what else to suggest tbh.

Why do you post one full stop on posts?

That's a different scenario and there clearly should have been plans in place for folk in your situation.

I think it’s especially with the free hours. My daughter’s nursery charged for meals once they kicked in unless you were paying for “wraparound” hours (basically the free hours were only 9-3 so if your kid started before 9 or stayed after 3, you didn’t have to pay for meals)

OP this doesn’t sound right as a non negotiable, hope you get a suitable conclusion when you call them this week.

Thank you I hope so, I’ve just spoken to my children’s dad who has said he’ll help if needs be so I feel a little less stressed about it all it’s just a bit rubbish that somebody who is in a worse position than me could be really struggling 😢

sorry I’m new to this so not sure if I’m replying right 🤣 .. I am 1000% in agreement that the safety of children with allergies is so important, as the aunt of a child with severe allergies I would 100% follow any strict rules they would have.

I've worked in school nurseries and I think lots of parents don't realise they the free school meals don't kick in until they start reception.

It's to cover the cost of the meals but also the lunchtime staff as in a school the teachers and TAs who work in nursery have a very small window for their own break as they have to dismiss the children who are going home and talk with parents and deal with any issues and later receive the afternoon children and there has to be two three hour sessions a day.

In other year groups the lunchtimes can be covered by staff who are already working with those children.

Surely they don't want the £200 all at the start of the term! YANBU to assume you would have been able to send in a packed lunch.