Nursery charging for days they’re closed??

[tigger2022]

DS started nursery in March and goes Mondays-Thursdays. In 99% areas I love the nursery. But what seems really unfair is that if a bank holiday falls on a Monday (which they usually do) then I have to pay for a full day of nursery even though it’s shut. What’s worse is at work because I’m on flexible hours I have to take holiday for bank holidays. So in May I paid the nursery nearly £200 for 3 bank holiday days where I had to take an unpaid day off work to look after my son at home myself. It feels so unfair but when I complained they said every nursery is like this. Is that true??? Why can’t they spread out the cost of days they’re closed within the pricing itself so Monday parents don’t get penalised?? I feel like I’m being swindled.

Surely you read the contract when you signed up and this was on there? No one to blame but yourself really. It's not unreasonable if they tell you beforehand and you agree to it?

Most nurseries do this. I've seen some childminders do it too. Don't like it you find somewhere else i guess.

Eh?

If a Monday is in your contract then what happens to the bank holidays you are entitled to be off (paid) for? You are paid yes?

Yep. Pain in the backside but totally normal.

It’s ridiculous to be paying for a service you can’t access. It’s not your job to pay for staff holidays, it’s the nursery owners.

No I have a flexible working pattern so I have to use my holiday for bank holidays

Did you read the contract before you signed it? If it's in there and you signed it, you've agreed to it.

No, it isn’t explained you have to pay for bank holidays in the contract

Oh then that's naughty!

You need to change your working days so you don't work Mondays you will get extra annual leave too

(Even if it was I would still be complaining about it anyway cause it’s stupid 😂)

I can’t unfortunately ☹️

But you are still getting paid. Your BH entitlement has been pro rata'd into your allowance (as you work 4 days) then you use some to take the Monday off.

But your (pro rata) bank holidays will have been added to your normal holiday allowance, won't they? That's what happens in most workplaces, anyway.

We have the same -my son does Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at nursery. Felt upsetting in May! I questioned the nursery but they said it is at it is. I also think cost should be spread across all the parents.

Very normal - was the case at our old and current nursery.

We did see one nursery where the fees were cheaper on a Monday - presumably to entice people to sign up for a Monday!

Now I could live with that!

They are factored into the cost. That's why you're being charged for them.

No they aren’t, I’m charged for days they’re closed as line items.

Most people working part-time have to use their holidays for bank holidays. This, along with nursery charging for mondays, is why I don't work mondays.

I wish I could have Monday as my non-working day, it’s clearly the best one… probably why they don’t let me have it 😭

It definitely is the best day. I work 3 days a week and if I had Monday as a working day I would get something like 5 days less annual leave to use when I want because it would have to be used on a Monday BH. It is crap for you I know, but it is standard I'm afraid. I had actually agreed to work Mon, Wed, Fri and changed to Tue, Wed, Fri at the last minute!

Yes, they are! That's how they are factoring those costs into their business model - by charging you for them.

Mine actually didn't charge for this. They charged for everything else...

I think you’ve misunderstood the point of the thread, I’m saying they should spread that out in the actual day cost. So instead of charging the monday parents £65 x 8 per year for days they’re closed (plus what we have to then spend on actual childcare) they make the day fee £65.02 for everyone, or whatever it works out as.

No, I understand exactly what you're saying. But it's a perfectly normal way of operating a nursery. You're paying for place, not individual sessions. I know why you think it's unfair but it would be equally unfair to ask Wednesday parents to pay for Monday kids' staff.