Help! Does anyone know what happens with pre school funding if you change settings?

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I'm really worried I've made the wong decision. DD is moving playgroup after christmas. She was in one which was a short drive away because they took children from two and a half but the plan was always to move to the local one when she got her funding.

I spoke to the staff and was very happy with the new one so arranged to move there in January, told the old playgrou etc but then on DD's first visit wasn't overly impressed and am now feeling awful about moving her in case it i the wrong thing.

She has a speech and language delay and various health issues too and I really don't want to mess her about. Anyway if she isnt happy at the new one what would happen if wanted to move her back? Tere would be a few sessions I have already checked out that side of it.

have you checked that you are still entitled to funding, the government have changed the entitlement now. You can't just be on benifits etc anymore. We are entitled to funding as DD1 has a disabled team social worker, but if she didn't then we wouldn't be entitled.

Ah sorry may have used the wrong term I mean her vouchers for pre school education that they get the term after they turn three.

ah thats ok then, thought she was 2.5 sorry.

No I think my wording was a bit hysterical! I just dropped her for her last session with her lovely keyworker. She went at 2.5 till now because the local playgroup only take them with funding (vouchers?)

Going to sort out presents for her keyworker but will keep checking in case anyone has any ideas, I think the new playgroup apply for funding for jan-september so maybe we'd be stuck there?

bump before I go to get DD, meant to add the playgroup she's at now have said if we were really unhappy with the new one then they could offer three afternoon sessions so from that point of view it would be possible but I'm worried about the fact that the new one will be applying for funding for her there.

think it depends on the preschool so would check with them as they shouold be able to advise. ds1 moved preschools and it was covered by the vouchers as they had transferred them.

Thanks that is good to know. I think I will give the new one a call after I collect DD. I really hope it doesn't have to happen anyway of course but good to know we have an escape route if its really not right for her.

The new one rang me today and were being a bit difficult about health stuff so even more worried!

Another bump as am feeling really worried and upset about this, I feel I have made a mistake.

wehad something similar but with a primary school, my DDs go to a school 2.5 miles away and we managed to get a place at the school just around the corner, about 2 mins walk, for both DDs. The new school was being very funny about taking DD1, who has special needs and learning difficulties. After many sleepless nights, meetings and worrying about what to do for the best, we decided to decline the places at the local school and leave the girls where they are. I feel it was the best decision we made as the school they are at understand DD1 and are giving her the support she needs.

If you feel you have made a mistake, you possibly have, so back out now before its too late.

good luck

Thank you, only problem is I think they may have applied for funding already and can't afford to pay out again for it.

My decision to move her was based partly on practicalities like that the one she's been at is almost impossible to get to without a car from anywhere, my mum doesnt drive and so when Ihurt my back she couldn't go, if I needed to get there quickly I could get stuck in traffic that kind of thing but also because the new one has such a good reputaion for working well wth children with speecha nad language delay like my DD and two speech therapists have sung their praises. I perhaps visited on a bad day but just didn't get a great feeling from it but then I think part of that is how much she loved the old place. She is adaptable and fairly confident but I am so worried they won't be as nice to her as the other place

Depends on the setting. FOr example, round here it can be termly, for private settings, but maintained settings are anything up to yearly!

The Nursery Education Grant/Early Years Funding people at your council should be able to tell you.

Thanks Clayhead I just can't decide. Realistically I'd have to ring them tomorrow if wanted to do anything about it and even so have lost our priority at the old one so would only get a couple of sessions.

I'll ring the grant people though thanks. The playgroup is maintained and they said they do jan-sept so I'm guessing it would be too late as if DD had two terms out of the old place there'd be no point going back.

You need to contact your LA for clarification.

Have you officially left the old playgroup?

If you are only moving after Christmas, I can't see there being a problem.

In our LA, playgroups are funded termly based on the children in attendance at headcount (which is the 3rd thursday into the term). Your new playgroup could well have added your child to their estimate numbers for an interim payment (in our LA, settings are paid 50% based on an estimate no of children) but won't have applied for full funding because this is based on children actually in attendance at headcount.

As far as I can see, there would be nothing lost in asking for your place back at the old playgroup and cancelling the place at the new one.

Thank you. I think I am a bit calmer today not quite sure what happened to me yesterday! The old one could only offer a couple of sessions but I am seriously considering asking the new one for less sessions then doing a combination of the two settings. I think the new one applies for funding at the beginning of term so Iprobably need to know what I want to do the fisrt week in Jan.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but if the new one is maintained, you won't be allowed to split the funding.

Funding can only be split over two non-maintained sector settings because the maintained sector (for the moment) are funded yearly.

The old one said it was possible but a bit of a headache for them s maybe I am misunderstanding the maintained bit. They are playgroups seperate from school if that makes a difference?

Yes, that does make a difference

Maintained sector settings are those that are maintained by the Local Authority and are usually attached to a primary school.
If the playgroup is separate from the school it will be non maintained and therefore it's perfectly fine to split the funding across the two settings.

Good luck

Thank you, I saw the lady in charge of funding at the old one today whilst out shopping today and she was absolutely lovely about it and I'm giving her a call the first week of Jan to discuss more but she said in theory it would be ok to split the two. So now have to decide if that is what I want to do! Oh dear never thought I'd be this emotional about pre school!