Funded hours if child starts nursery mid term?

[wishIwasonholiday10]

Does anyone know if you can get funded hours straight away if your child starts private nursery half way through a term?

My 2nd baby will be born late Nov so will be 9 months before the Sept term starts. I want them to start nursery at exactly 12 months which is half way through the term (late Nov). Do I still get the funded hours straight away? It’s a private nursery that splits the funding over 51 weeks if it makes any difference (term dates are only relevant for the funding aspect as the nursery doesn’t operate on terms).

When do you return to work? Needs to be by 30th September to be eligible for the Autumn term.

Probably not, depends if the LA allows mid-term starters and if the nursery are prepared to do it. Will you have your code by 31st August?

The funding starts at the beginning of each term. So if your child starts nursery in November the funding would start in January. (Other term dates would be after the Easter holidays, and then after the summer holidays). And you need to apply for it the term before.

Have a look at the government website for childcare hours, it explains it all and how/when to apply.

Thanks for the info! I will return to work at the same time (late Nov) although I am thinking of officially going back a month early and using accrued annual leave for the first month. I don’t think I’ll have 2 months of annual leave though to officially go back by 30 Sept.

Ask to start them just a day a week from September as part of settling? No idea if that would work.

Did you ever find the answer to this with the funded hours. I am in the same boat this year. LO born November and wanting to start mid term as there is no availability to start at the beginning of the term

My LO started in November and it's slightly more per month than my eldest who's been in nursery for two years - not really sure how it's worked out but it seems like instead of been stretched over 52 weeks it's been stretched over 40 ISH weeks as his funding kicked in in January (he was 9 months on Sep 5th). In short the nursery generally intakes in September but allowed me to put him in the first week of Nov at the latest because he had a sibling there

im not sure my nursery will allow that then. They’re due to start in December so I think I’ll have to pay until the new term in January. Even though I am entitled to the free hours and would only be using the free hours.
Suppose I could ring them closer to the time

You could go back and then take a months unpaid leave

You’d need to make sure you could get an eligibility code before the end of August and register with the nursery for September so he could be included in numbers before headcount day. Each LA and nursery is different, getting you code on time is the most important thing.