Is a non-refundable week’s fee a standard nursery registration charge?

[PepperPot18]

Hi, just wondering if a registration fee of one weeks fees (non refundable and not deducted from first months bill) standard for nurseries now? This will be nearly £400 for me. What have you paid to secure a space at a nursery months in advance?

We were quoted half a month’s fee to secure a space😔

Mine was £50 a couple of years ago.

As an aside, we moved my DS to a wonderful childminder after a year, we weren’t happy with the nursery. Just mentioning it because lots of people don’t even think about looking at childminders, it didn’t occur to me at all.

Mine was £50 3 years ago.

With my first a few years ago it was a £100 flat fee so long as they were doing more than 4 sessions (2 days) you got their nursery bag included.

I’ve just secured a place for second DC & they said the same to us it’s a weeks fee (non refundable and not deducted from first months bill) however as DC will be over 9 months when they start it’s about £140, they tried to add on two days worth of consumeable fees to the fee (£28) but I argued that unreasonable given DC isn’t consuming anything & they took it off

I paid a £100 registration fee (non refundable) then one months fees as deposit (returned when you leave).

No, we didn’t have this at either of the two nurseries we used. And this wasn’t long ago, DD2 is still at the second nursery. For the first nursery, we had a deposit to pay, which you got back if you stayed for more than a set period of time (can’t remember exactly but relatively short, basically just to stop people signing up for spaces they didn’t need), and a small admin fee I think, maybe £25. Don’t think we had anything for the second nursery.

One child already in nursery, one due to start in September. I paid nothing for the first and £30 for my youngest.

Great to know, thank you! We’ll be over 9 months old but a few weeks away from eligible for the free hours (as it starts in Jan, April and September after 9 months I think) but I’ll query this :)

Thanks everyone!

Same, baby turned 9 months end of April, but doesn’t qualify for funding (30 hours) until September, fortunately I can stay off work until September.