Can preschools charge top up fees?

[chorusline79]

My DS has recently qualified for the 30 funded hours. I was surprised to get an invoice from his preschool for over £100 for the term. He does 3 full days, 9.05 am - 3.20pm. I was expecting his funded hours to be covered.
When I asked I was told that the extended sessions are charged at £7.25 per session, as the funded sessions are 3 hours in the am and 3 hours in the pm.
When I looked online it looks like government guidance says preschools should not charge top up fees.
They were quite cagey when I emailed, and stated that the care they provide us ' excellent value' but avoided answering my questions. Anyone else experienced this?

They can specify which hours are funded and can charge for lunchtime too.

No, it’s ‘illegal’ to charge top-up fees. As stated above though, they can specify which hours are funded and if all hours are not funded eg the lunch hour, they could charge £20 for that hour to make up the difference across the rest of the day.

I’d take it up with them again, do they have a finance manager you can see?

I think the funded hours are 9-12 and then 12:15-3:15

So if your kid does a full day they have a split where the aren't covered. Schools charge for the lunch hour then.

If your funded hours are 3hrs am and 3hrs pm, you should only be being charged for 15 minutes a day (45 minutes a week, 3hours a month) so £21.75 a month.

Yes, they can. The government funding isn't enough. Sounds pretty cheap if it's only just over £100 for a whole term. My pre school bill is almost £100 a WEEK because our pre school charges £10 per hour in the morning and the funded hours are only given after lunch!! Outrageous, but it's an excellent pre school. The extra money helps them provide music/French/PE lessons etc

Helena that's what I calculated too, but when I emailed for clarification I was told what excellent value the preschool is as they offer outdoor play, a library etc

I know it probably does sound cheap to some, but over £100 is actually quite a lot to us at the minute with an 18 month old as well

I have asked to see a manager to discuss as I just want some clarity and I feel it's all very vague from their end!

Do you provide lunch or do they? They could be charging for that too

Are there not any other preschools? Ours charge #4 an hour, but are only open for 30 hours a week anyway, so we pay nothing.

We provide packed lunch for him so it's not food they are charging for.

Neddle - do you mean to move him to another preschool? Could consider looking but I've put his name down for a nursery place ( attached to a school) from sept full time, so I would be reluctant to move him. My feeling is probably just to suck it up and pay

They will tell you they are charging for additional services, the lunch time, etc etc, but what they're actually trying to do is stay open, while the government underpay for the funded spaces. They are trying to make sure parents don't have to pay full fees, while still being able to pay staff, rates, etc.

Have a friendly chat with them.

£100 does sound like a good deal though.

Surely preschools could opt out? They didn't have to provide funded spaces? If what they are doing is fine then I just wish there was some transparency. And yes I do empathise to a degree with their situation. £100 is quite a lot to my family at the moment, as I said.

Interesting perspectives. Thank you all.

They could opt out, but that wouldn't help parents would it.

If you could choose a preschool that didn’t offer the funding at all and one that did but charged a £100 top up fee, which would you choose?

Most would choose the latter and that’s why the gov have forced settings’ hands and made it very difficult not to offer.

It’s unsustainable to not charged for some sort of extras. Blame the gov for crap funding not the settings.

Good point Frosty.

So is it unsustainable for any preschool? Do they all charge fees then?

Most will in some shape or form.

It may be that you have to

• provide food and all consumables
• only use it during certain sessions and pay for hours outwith this
• pay a ‘voluntary’ payment
• have other set conditions on accessing the funding.

You have some quite specific (unusual) hours. It is unusual for a setting to say ‘go ahead’ take whatever hours you wish, we’ll happily fund it’. They have to maximise their spaces and in turn their income. Otherwise they will close like thousands of others since the role out of the 30 hours.

It's unsustainable...the 30 hour government money is not enough and will be even further away from enough when the "living wage" kicks in in April. Preschools, nurserys and childminders are closing down all over the place because they can't make ends meet. If your pre-school has found a way to charge enough and parents are willing to pay they may survive.
To clarify...top up fees for the 30 hours can't be charged but non-funded hours can be charged at the advertised rate. IE you should be able to work out what you owe, not surprised by a random bill. I think your pre-school is probably playing a bit fast and loose with the rules.

I don't have unusual hours. Those are the hours that the preschool is open!

Fool - exactly, that's the problem, I wasn't prepared for the invoice and the random amount of £7.25 per session.

When my ds was in nursery/preschool, we used to pay a lot more than 100 pounds top up fee a term. At least you get 30 hours, it was 15 when my ds was at preschool.

Ok never mind.

Maybe find a new preschool that doesn’t charge? Good luck 😀

Paying £100 for a term is a great deal

Thanks Frosty, I really appreciate the luck from you.