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.

How is school nursery any better? 3 hour days, then bank hols off half term off summer hols off yes sounds fantastic if op only works 3 hours a day term time!!!!

How can you have a flexible working pattern and be told you have to work Mondays?

Why would you have to use annual knave for Banks when you are entitled to a certain amount of bank holidays paid?

Why would you have to use annual knave for Banks when you are entitled to a certain amount of bank holidays paid?

Because many employers will add your bank holiday entitlement to your annual leave. It means you can work the bank holiday and take another day off instead, or take the bank holiday off. It gives both the employer and the employer more flexibility.

It is standard practice. I disagree with it. People will argue it's fine because everybody gets paid for bank holidays. This isn't even true. The OP doesn't. Nurseries are service providers. They should only charge for the service they provide.

Book him in Tues-Fri instead and have Mondays as your day off.

Sorry seen now you said you can't. I'd just assumed you could as you said you have flexibility.

Absolutely not ok. Would you let a supermarket charge you for food you hadn't bought or had? Some of the big chain nurseries will try to convince you that this is standard practice, but it really isn't. The smaller private nurseries don't do this as it's unethical.

Because if the staff are entitled to be paid on bank holidays then everyone should pay for it.

I've never used a nursery that charges for bank holidays and other closures!

You’ve got a very inflexible sounding flexible working pattern OP.

It's rotten, but it's pretty standard. Will have to check my contract, but I'm reasonably sure it says we have to pay for days where the nursery is closed. Which includes the bank holidays and the Christmas shutdown days.

It's exactly the reason why I've swapped my Mondays to Wednesdays from September. I've got two kids in nursery now. Even with 30 free hours for one of them, I'm not paying over £100 to keep them at home.

I'd be pressuring your work to give you different days or be looking elsewhere for a job.

Ours is a small private nursery. They still charge for BHs.

I couldn’t find a nursery that didn’t charge for bank holidays either. So like many others, I chose not to work on Mondays. However, now that DD is at school, I feel I’d be better off working Mondays again, so I might change back if I’m allowed to.

OP, if I were you, I’d consider looking for another job, preferably at a large organisation that might be more flexible regarding working patterns.

It’s standard as is paying for Christmas and Easter. Round here, all the nurseries are the same. It’s why I don’t work Mondays as I’m not using my annual leave for bank holidays

When mine were in nursery we were not charged for the days the nursery chose to close. So two weeks over Christmas and I think the two Easter bank holidays. They were open the rest of the year.

Our nursery charges for all Mondays, I thought it was standard. It’s rubbish but it is what it is.

weird that you think parents who only use nursery on weds or Thursday for example should share the cost though?!

They have to pay rent on the building for Saturdays and Sundays when it’s always closed and that’s passed through to all parents in the fee. Bank holidays should be cost of doing business, it should be treated like any overheads. If all parents shared it, it wouldn’t be noticeable. But in May I paid a crazy amount for days they were shut and I had to find alternative childcare on.