How do funded hours work when switching to stretched hours mid-year?

[Kalmarsund]

Hello,

I'm trying to understand how things work when you switch from unstretched to stretched hours (and childcare provider) during the year. Please ignore details such as dates, term times etc. I'm trying to understand the general logic, so have simplified.

So....

Our son turns 9 months late September this year, meaning we'll receive 30 funded childcare hours from 1 January.

He'll start with a childminder in January: 3 days x 7 hours = 21 hours/week. She does not offer stretched hours.

From the start of June, we are planning (for various reasons) to move him to a nursery, full time 4 days/week. They offer stretched hours.

You get 30 hours/week x 38 weeks = 1,140 hours/year. That works out as approx 22 hours/week if stretched across 51 weeks of the year (let's assume the nursery is closed for 1 week).

However, since the childminder is not offering stretched hours, we'd have used 30 hours a week (in reality we'd only use 21 hours per week, but I don't think you can 'save' unused hours - let me know if incorrect?) over the first 21 weeks. 2 of those 21 weeks are half terms so say we've used 30 hours x 19 weeks = 570 hours, ie half of our annual allowance.

There are now 30 weeks of childcare left in the year, and we've already used half our annual allowance. Does that mean the stretched hours would be reduced compared to someone who's been in stretched hours the whole year. I.e. we'd get 570 hours / 30 weeks = 19 hours/week.

Is this how it works when you switch from unstretched to stretched hours?

Childcare hours is by term from the councils point of view do usually it’s hard to change mid term from a funding perspective. Speak to them because each council does handle slightly differently but has a certain date for funding for the term, you would not be able to get funding for the new setting until September.

I know you said to ignore term dates etc but thwy are actually pretty important. Funding is delivered and claimed for termly not yearly so each term has its own start dates and cut offs points for claiming.

If you were to move in June, you will already have asked your childminder to claim (and receive payment for) that summer term so you won't be able to claim again until the Autumn term (September). I would therfore urge you to move at the change of a term.

Hopefully your childminder knows you plan to only use her for 6 months.

Your moving date is not working in your favour in terms of hours.

If you are at the nursery for April, you can stretch the hours until September ( call it 12 weeks of funding over 5 months / 22 weeks - around 16 hours a week).

If you move in September, you will get the 22 hours a week.

If you move in jube you will get your 30 hours until you move, then your 22 hoyrs from September.

Your childminder will claim for the hours she needs in spring term 21 hours x 12weeks
Any unused hours from that term cannot be rolled forward to your new provider in summer term so you will effectively lose the rest of your entitlement.
The childminder will also claim the hours she needs for April from your summer terms funding (possibly 3 weeks depending on how the Easter holidays fall in 2027).
Your new provider will claim the rest of the funded hours left for summer term which won’t be enough to give you 22 hours across summer term and the summer holidays.
The new provider will probably start you full stretched off from September when you have you full annual allowance of 1140 hours to utilise over 12 months.

That said, all local authorities work differently so it’s best to check with your providers and the LA.
You’d be better moving to start with the second provider in September IMO

Agree with comments above, settings claim for a term. what happens April onwards is most important. I think you need to have a conversation with the nursery to explain the situation and ask if they can add you on as a late arrival ( does mean they get their money later so may not want to) for funding and local authority may not allow that. Once you know that situation then talk to the childminder as it may be financially better to just pay their fees assuming closed 2 weeks at Easter and may half term without funding and have the nursery claim funding June onwards. Summer term is the worst to do a mid term change as it is the longest term. So consider bringing nursery forward/later if it is possible to do that.

It’s unlikely you’d get funded hours from a new setting after half term as the LA will have paid your current provider for the Summer term by that point. It is worth a conversation with your childminder though as to whether she would agree to a transfer of funding. If you are moving due to the childminder making changes this is easier than you making changes.

If you move to a new LA region you can usually make a new claim but it is hard to add new children after half term as the LA will have done the children starting after headcount week.

If you can start or claim before May half term this would be helpful.

In regards to stretched funding - you could change this at the beginning of a new term in a current funding year. They will calculate what has been used against how many weeks left of the academic year and tell you how many hours you would have per week.

If your nursery & childminder are in the same local authority that would make calculating the remaining hours easier for the nursery.
if the childminder is aware of the leaving date in June she should only apply for the weeks your child attends. My LA does 2 amendment tasks during the summer term to allow settings to add/remove children but I know not all LAs are able to be as flexible. It would be easier funding wise if you started the nursery at the summer term or in September.