Funding source pulled within 7 days of term starting

[Lateunclear]

I would appreciate some advice or to see if others have been in this position please.

We are due to start reception with our summer born child and with 7 days to go the school have informed us that they will not be accepting 15 Hours funding for this coming year. When we joined, they were accepting it for nursery / preschool and the reception class.

The school requires a terms notice to leave, and you are liable for the terms fees if you don’t - we started after Easter so we couldn’t give notice for September as that would have happened before we began.

My question is, whilst they have done this, should they? I’ve had a cursory look online and seen things about contracts needing to be balanced but would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience

I've never heard of 15 hours funded for reception children? Is it area specific? Or are you delaying until they're CSE?

What did your contract say about funding yr pupils? Never heard of this either. Was it a bursary?

Were you planning on moving them to a different school once they are no longer entitled to the funding? It is unfair if the parameters have been changed but would the amount of time until your child turns 5 have influenced which school they attend when there are another six years to pay after that? (Based on you saying you cannot give notice to leave). Or would you move them then to y1 of a state funded school or repeat reception in one?

I would go back and ask when the policy changed and see if they can at least accept a term so you have the choice whether to keep paying after that if they wont do the whole year?

Having googled it, it looks like the 3/4 year old funding can be paid for until the child turns 5 if they are at a private school, whereas it isnt relevant if at a state funded one as no fees to pay. I would be surprised if many accept it, unless it is just a reduction in fees, especially if the 30 hours are qualified for as it must work out much less than full fees?

15 hours funding is available up until the term after the child turns 5. So for private schools they often claim back the funding for summer born children right up until the end of reception. Funding is based on age not academic year (presumably so all families can get the same financial benefits regardless of quirk of birth month even if almost all children will go to state so won’t actually benefit). It’s not area specific - but it is school specific as they don’t have to offer this.

Lateandunclear - if the funding is mentioned in the contract or you have it in writing from them then I think you would have a good argument against them for breach of contract. Usually there is also a clause that a school needs to give a terms notice the other way if they are changing the contract terms as well.

You really need to read whatever is in the school's terms and conditions/information about the funding. Potentially it will give you arguments to challenge the school e.g. if the terms say that any chance in funding must be notified to you with at least a terms notice then that's obviously going to be pretty helpful to you. Also worth finding out if this is their decision or something that has been forced on them by the local authority.