Nursery Fee Increases

[Berlioze]

Out of curiosity, how much have your child's nursery fees gone up by in the last 2 years? I think mine have gone up by a ridiculous amount but need a benchmark, %-wise please as I know starting fees will vary depending on the region.

They've gone up quite a bit. But everything has gone up so I've tried not to question it too much. Presume they're doing what they can to survive rather than fleecing their customers. I'll leave working out the percentages to you. DS nursery was £6 an hour in 2022. DD will be going there this September and it's now £7.50 an hour. There's also a daily 'sustainability charge' if using government funded hours which used to be £5 a day and is now £8.50! This includes 'an organic snack' every day. Once I went and helped out with an outing and the organic snack was a piece of carrot. So really not a lot!

We also have a childminder who was around £6 per hour when we started (2020) but is now £8. Then from September she will also be charging separately for meals and outings rather than it being included, so an additional charge of £3-£5 per day for meals (depending on if staying for tea or not) and between £1 and £5 for outings depending on where they're going. I'm based in Bristol.

Just read the daily fee will be £10 per day from September at the nursery, so a 100% rise since 2022, is that right? I'm honestly shocking at maths. Ask me about collective nouns or history and I'll bore you to tears but maths gets me in such a muddle. I think it's a 25% increase in the hourly fee and a 100% increase in the daily fee for the nursery, then a 33% increase in the hourly fee for the childminder, plus say £4 - £10 for meals and outings depending on which day of the week it is. Not sure how to work that out as a percentage.

This year we had a 9.5% increase.
when I enrolled my child in March 23 (starting in oct 23) the daily rate was £48. By the time they started in oct 23 it increased to £55 and now from this April with this recent increase it’s going to £61. So it’s increase £13 per day since enrolment in March 23.

annoyingly we selected that nursery as so many around us back in March 23 were 65£ or over and we didn’t really want to pay more than 60 per day and now we are. Dread to think what those other nurseries are now if they’ve followed a similar trajectory

In August our nursery wanted to put our fees up by £8 a day from £56 to £64 a 14% increase but acknowledged that this might be a challenge for some families so increased it by £4 in September and are increasing it by a further £4 in April

Just had a 5% increase.

We had a 6% increase late last year. The previous increase was more than a year before that, largely because it was being sold. I didn't mind that.

The added the same monetary amount to an after school session though and introduced a charge for a service previously offered for free that was the same amount again as the increase. That was a 24% increase, which I was much less happy about!

it’s gone up from £6 an hour to £9 an hour since 2022.
they’ve also changed how they calculate funded hours out of the blue. Currently in a debate with the manager over the price rise for April.

Ours have gone up 9.8% 😞

A 50% increase?!

We have just been told we will be having a 15% increase in April. That's on top of the continued 10% twice a year since DS3 joined 3 years ago.

With minimum wage and on costs raising massively, the funded hours being so underfunded then what choice do childcare settings have? I know a few childminders locally who are now refusing the funded hours as they have a waiting list anyway and the hassle with them is not worth it (being paid termly, the LA taking their little cut, parents kicking off about being charged a consumable/sustainability charge etc...)

Yeah i can't say I blame them. Our CM is looking into the new policies etc coming in this April and it's a HEADACHE. If I could avoid it I would. Feel very grateful she's still accepting them as it's a huge help for us and there aren't many options out there.

Right...this is interesting.

My nursery has gone up by 40% (yes, 40%) to £80 per day in 18 months.

I am not questioning an increase is needed, but from what you're saying, this is absolutely taking the piss.

We are not in London, btw, in case anyone's wondering.

40% 😱
I thought ours was bad at 12% (and two DC there full time)

I know. The manager is telling us all a story of how much the costs have gone up - but they went up for all of us, including your nurseries and yet nobody is nearly doubling their bloody fees in a year and a half! We are taken for fools!

I sent DS in when it was £57 per day in the summer of 2022.

She's now saying it's £80 from 1 April.

We are utterly furious.

That is horrific. Can you find out what other nearby nurseries are charging?

We have gone up by £10 in 18 months from £60 a day to £70 a day so about 16%
We have no choice though and Scotland there is radio silence on additional funding for 2 year olds. I'm more pissed off about that tbh then the nursery raising the fees!

I think Wales is the same as Scotland, no extra funding. But the English funded hours are ramping up the prices anyway!

Nurseries in my area all charge the same. But if you look in the villages nearby they are all cheaper! Problem is it would take too long to do drop offs and pick ups from there, so we are completely stuck. There's a £0.50 fee difference a day between the three nurseries near us. I am enraged. They know they are keeping us hostage, it doesn't bloody cost £15 less per day 5 or 7 miles away from us, we are being overcharged!

What can be done about this? Ofsted?

My son’s nursery has gone from £78 last tax year to £90 a day starting in April for the next tax year. 😱 Also not London. All my friends nurseries in the area have had a similar fee rise. They have all made it very clear that it is to compensate for the new government scheme for “free” hours.

Ours will be going £69 to £73 in April and they are currently predicting £85 come September because of the new ‘free’ 15 hours to under 2s that are not funded properly. So a potential 23% increase 😱

Nothing can be done about it. Oftsed wouldn't even entertain a complaint like this. They are a private business and can charge whatever they want. You have a choice to move nurseries.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Ffs. Unsustainable robbery!!!

We are West Midlands and fees for 8-4 are £70 a day. Minimum wage has increased 30% since 2022, when you think of the other increases 40% increases in fees aren’t that surprising.

increased 4%. Hertfordshire