Is there a limit to how many terms of free entitlement a child gets?

[Monkeyandanimal]

What I mean is that an autumn born child would turn 3 in september/october etc, start their free hours after christmas, do two terms, and then another academic year of 3 terms before going to school. Is this right? Or is the free entitlement limited to 1 year (ie 3 terms) before they go to school (moved from ireland, where this is the case for the funding there). ?

Both my kids were like this and they got /are getting 5 terms of 15 hours free entitlement. DS starts school in sept turns 5 in oct.

We are in England

No - you are right. My autumn born DS1 got 5 terms, summer born ds2 only gets 3.

Its not limited
You can claim from the term after they are 3
Some 2 year olds can get it too

They can have it from the term after they turn 3 to the end of the term in which they turn 5 so this can be up to 6 terms. Some can also eligible from their 2nd birthday which can add another 4 terns to it.

I don't think anyone could get 6 terms? 5 would be the max.

Ok, thanks folks, that's good to know.

Ds1 was born at the start of sept so is getting 5 terms, January start. To get 6 terms you would need to be August born but then you would actually only get 3 terms as you'd then go on to reception.

In theory every child gets 6 terms - from the term after their third birthday until the term after their fifth birthday (ie: until compulsory school age). In practice the majority of schools now operate a single Sept intake to reception which means Sept - Dec borns get five terms and Apr - Aug borns only get three terms. In our LEA summer borns who choose to defer their school entry until Jan or Easter can continue to claim their 15 hrs with a nursery/preschool/childminder.

My September born ds got 6 terms. He had a place from the day after his 3rd birthday.

It can be 6 terms if they go into a private school Reception class which is eligible for funding.

5 terms is common round here. Not aware of 6, but guess its technically possible.

And then they wonder why summer borns are falling behind their peers when they have spend 2 terms less getting used to a school environment, as most seem to go to a school nursery, and are so much younger when they get to reception.

My dd was 3 on October 3rd and started her nursery the Monday after

I stand corrected I thought they could only start the term after their 3rd birthday ie my September born started January.

They can start sooner but the funding is only from the term afterwards.

No it is the term after they turn 3 but if you don't want your Autumn born child to start school until legal age (term after they turn 5) in January then they'll still get that 6th term funded.

How many schools do an January intake though? I thought that was quite rare now?

My sept born ds got 6 terms at a regular non-private preschool. I didn't pay a penny, all free. Started the day after his 3rd birthday. The preschool phoned me to say someone dropped out the day before start of term and they'd hold the position for 2 weeks till Ds's birthday.

It doesn't matter if they don't do a January intake, you can still choose to delay your child's start if you wish and they have to hold the space., as long as they start in the reception year at some point (ie you can't hold it over to year 1).