Free Hours for 3 & 4 year olds?

[didofido]

Am asking for a friend who has a DD in Reception aged 4 (birthday in June) at a fee-paying school. Is she entitled to claim free hours until the child is 5?

I would think it depends on whether she's at a school or a preschool.

If she is at school then no, it is free PRE school education.

No, you cant claim the free hours in primary school. If she had deferred the place and kept her dd in preschool/ childminder then she could have claimed until

Hit post accidentally, she could claim until she started school

DS is going to an independent school. He's a summer birthday and the school have said they can claim the 15 free hours funding for the first 2 terms of reception, until he turns 5. Also we can use childcare vouchers towards fees until he's 5 as well.

It makes sense really, otherwise it discrimates against summer borns- we would only get 3 terms of funding but others would get 5.
I suppose it depends on the school though, ours have said it knocks about £800 a term off the fees which are £2500 a term.

My daughter was allowed to use her 15 hours early years funding for reception until she turned 5. (This was for a private school).

Many private schools do not allow the 15 free hours as they end up making a loss (ours, annoyingly, doesn't). They are not any under obligation to do so as they are a private business. They do accept childcare vouchers up until the end of the term in which the child turns five though.

You can, until child turns 5 if the school fulfils the LA criteria. Dd benefitted from this for whole of Reception as a summer bday.

Thank you all. Very useful to know

How do you know if the school fulfils the LA criteria?

The LA will be able to tell you , as would the school bursar.

DS1's school claims the 15 free hours funding for 4 yr olds in reception and reduces the fees for reception children accordingly.