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.

When DD went to a state preschool we had the same, you either picked them up for lunch or paid the £5 a day charge for the lunch session.

I would ask if you can spread the cost over the year so it’s more manageable. It would be about £50 per month. I know we used to spend more that £12.50 a week on packed lunches.

In circumstances you can get discretionary payments from the council/benefits office to help keep you in work.

I was replying to the person who posted that particular comment, it didn't relate advice on your particular situation. HTH

It’s absolutely crazy isn’t it! .. I know a few other children and their parents that already go there and one of them has told me she’s been forced to pay it even though her child won’t eat what they provide, they are under a specialist team for their meals and they still expect her to pay it!

As linked above they can't force you to pay it and not offer an alternative.

I originally thought that was £200 a month.

If it's a term then actually it's probably no more than you'll spend on snacks and packed lunch. A term is 13/14 weeks.

So that about £15 a week. £3 a day.

Could you contact them on the 3rd and just say you'd planned on providing food and snacks however you are happy to pay and ask for a weekly payment plan. Or monthly.

You'd be spending that on your weekly shop instead so if that option is affordable it's probably also easier for you.

If not at least your ex is willing to help and so you can decide if you want to pay it or not and provide your own.

We had this when my children went to nursery. They charged £10 a day for meals and snacks.

it wasn’t an option to bring your own in, if you wanted your child to have lunch that you provided, then they had to be taken off the premises to eat it.

the situation with us though is that it was made very clear about the extra fees when we were shown around the nursery for the first time.

in your case, this fee has been hidden which is not acceptable.

Hi, yes my son also attended nursery’s I was very aware of the charges when it came to hot dinners, and I absolutely appreciate them and what it covers, nursery staff, teachers, TA’s all have my upmost respect and acceptance, my issue is they are refusing another option, they are expecting the full £200 before the children go back on Wednesday, it’s so disappointing, I am slowly coming to terms with this and counting myself extremely lucky that I have people around us who are willing to help but I’m just feeling sad for others who aren’t so lucky, sad that their children will miss out over something so trivial, thanks so much for your reply 🥰

Yeah sorry I think I was trying to reply to them as well 🤣

Most nurseries are struggling for money. The government gives free hours but doesn’t provide nurseries with sufficient funds. They have to make money in other ways.

Yeah you’re right and after being brought back down to earth by her dad this morning I have to agree that is is in hindsight a good idea, it’s the £200 straight out of pocket expected before they go back, after the absolute weight of the cost of the school holidays and the no option for anything else that I think bothered me the most.

It's not great timing, but at least once it's paid then you don't have to worry about that until next term (and can start putting a bit away perhaps). 👍

Is a problem with a tight market - no choice as no other nursery spaces :(

Yep it’s just not fair at all, especially leaving us with little choice as they were actually closed when they let us all know, it’s such a shame!

What does your contract / T&Cs say? We have to pay for provided meals at our nursery.

where on earth will that school be buying meals for KIDS, for 200£ ??? jisus that's completely insane!!! kids don't even eat that much especially nursery lol. and yes it's ridiculous it should be allowed the meals the PARENTS want the kid to eat, not some random person choosing it. It's like saying you have no power on your kid while she is in nursery. Can't even pack up the lunch?? why not? doesn't affect them. they just want that extra money cause unfortunately people will pay for it bc they have no other solution, so they basically using ur child to get their needs. imagine 200£ from every child in there how much money it is and if it's over 2000£ how are they spending that much? they not.

my bad i thought it was monthly payment, sorry