Advice from those claiming their free 15 hours a week, please.

[Pinkjenny]

Dd is 3.8yo and her week looks like this:

Monday 8.45am - 11.45am (LEA Nursery)
Tuesday 8.00am - 6.00pm (Private Nursery)
Wednesday 8.00am 0 6.00pm (Private Nursery)
Thursday 8.45am - 11.45am (LEA Nursery)
Friday 8.45am - 11.45am (LEA Nursery)

We have claimed, I think it's 12.5 hours a week, 9 off the LEA Nursery, and the remainder is deducted from her private nursery fees.

Before I go into the ins and outs of the issue, does anyone either have any knowledge of the system or in fact arrange it like this themselves?

My son does 4 days in one nursery and 1 day in another (attached to his future school). We only claim all our subsidised hours at the major provider because it is just easiest this way and everyone is happy with that. So not much help - sorry!

There is a reason we can only claim 12.5 hours, although I'm not sure what it is...

Anyhoo, the issue is thus. Bear with me...

I was contacted yesterday by the private nursery, saying that Sefton council had billed the LEA nursery for the full amount, and we were therefore in arrears with the private nursery. I confirmed that dd only does 3 sessions at the LEA nursery and therefore the information they had was correct, the rest should come off the private bill. They asked me to call the LEA nursery and confirm that they were not billing the full amount.

After some wrangling, the LEA nursery said that they had been contacted by Sefton Council, who said the rules had changed in September, and if a child attends an LEA nursery, they must claim the full amount, even if the child is not taking the full hourly entitlement. They said the private nursery should have known this and informed us in September.

I am confused, surely someone should have told us that Sefton Council do not allow you to split the funding. And how can an individual council make a local decision like this?

The private nursery are now looking into it, but think the confusion has occurred because the LEA nursery is in Sefton council, but the private nursery is in Lancashire council.

They are getting back to me, but I am totally confused.

Loopymumsy - if you could shed any light, I'd be most appreciative. Obviously at some point (if all this is accurate), the private nursery are going to start asking for back fees.

PJ - your LEA nursery is right I am afraid. It is well hidden in the documentation. Look at this link here from the Sefton Website and on page 2 under the heading 'Can I claim the entitlement at more than one setting' towards the bottom of the age, it says that if you claim at an LEA place the n you cant claim elsewhere - sorry! That is a bummer as the school are getting 'your' money yet you are chosing to use a private nurery as well - which is a great idea, yet you are being penalised for it.

So, if that is the case, where do you think we stand? Ought the private nursery have known about this, do you think? I'm not putting this in AIBU

Tricky one I think. I would guess legally you do not have a leg to stand on as it is 'clearly' written in the information that was given to you at some point maybe) - I remeber seeing this leaflet but not sure where it came from - suspect it came with the form that nursery gave me as DS being a Feb baby had a term of free hours at private nursery before moving on to school nursery. I should have thought the Nursery Manager should have known as they deal with the financial and grant side of things, but I suspect my Nursery Manager would not have known!

I think the best you would get is your nursery to allow you to pay it over the next few months in installments if you can plead poverty - but they are a business not a bank so depends how your relationship is with them.

Your other option is to use the full entitlement and let your child go to the LEA nursery for more sessions. My DS goes on a monday morning when I am not at work and I have alovely hour at the gym! I suppose that may not be practical if you work most days though.

Would be interesting to hear what your nursery says about it all. Worth having a fight to see if you get any leeway!

Thanks for the advice. We won't be able to plead poverty, I'm afraid, it's quite an expensive nursery and they wouldn't believe us! We can't use the full entitlement, unfortunately. Dh is happy to maintain the status quo and have our fees increased at private nursery. I may just pull her out of the LEA nursery and use the entitlement at private nursery.

If we have to pay the back fees, then so be it. Ds is there for another three years so we can't afford to upset them!

Fair point well made! Best to keep nursery on your side for the sake of DS!

It may be difficult to get the funding released from the LEA for the rest of the school year as they probably already have it in their coffers! I would think that you should be entitled to remove your DD from LEA nursery and put her in the private one and use the funding entitlement for the summer term - ie April onwards. May have a fight to get it though as they will try to say that you have committed to the LEA for sessions and they are staffed accordingly, lah blah, but hopefully someone with more experience may know the answer.

Typical though - they say you have flexibility and freedom of choice - as long as you abide by their strict rules!

Success! Spoke to both councils and emailed them both, stating what had happened. They have agreed to split the funding!!!!! They said it was an exceptional circumstance in that we had been notified so late in the school year, and they had decided it was only fair to do it! Hooray!

Wow, the bureaucrats being human beings?! My faith in humanity is restored :).

peanutbutterkid - I am flabbergasted, tbh.

Fab - must have been a well written email! Result!