Ask us anything about funded childcare - eligibility, applying, and what to expect £100 voucher to be won!

[LibbyMumsnet]

From September, eligible working parents in England with children aged 9 months to school age will be able to access up to 30 hours of funded childcare per week - part of the government’s expanded childcare offer in England.

We know that for many parents, it’s not always straightforward. You might be wondering:
– Am I eligible?
– How do I apply – and what’s the deadline?
– What will funded hours actually look like in practice?
– How do I feel about sending my child to nursery or a childminder?

This Q&A is here to help. Whether you’re after clear, practical info about the funding or want a better sense of what formal childcare is really like, post your question below and we’ll do our best to get it answered.

No question is too small – if it’s on your mind, chances are it’s on someone else’s too.
We’ve brought together two brilliant experts to support this discussion:
👩‍💼 Sarah Walker, an experienced Early Years teacher, who can answer any questions about formal childcare
👩‍👧 Tina Williams, Head of Editorial at Mumsnet and a parent currently using funded hours, who’ll be sharing her real-life experience

They’ll be answering questions weekly throughout July and August in the lead-up to the 31st August application deadline.

💬 Ask your question below by 31st August and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 VEX gift voucher (T&C’s apply)

When is the deadline? Our nursery are dragging their feet with the form.

3 and 4 year olds receive universal 15 hours a week funded. Sadly, both of you need to be working to access the additional 15 hours to make it 30.

What are you waiting for them to do? Do they have your code? That's all that's needed so far.

Nursery school is only free becuse they are offering funding, ie the same thing as you are asking about. It doesnt matter what type of setting you use your funding in.

I am following the A Level announcements for schools in Surrey. I was surprised by the lack of diversity reflected in the photos Whitgift School in particular has posted. I always understood it was quite a diverse community, but recent social media coverage doesn't seem to reflect this anymore...any thoughts on what's going on? I know they have a new Head...any current parents able to shed some light?

What on earth does this have to do with funded childcare?

Wrong thread!

Do I need to do anything to change my funded hours from private nursery to school nursery place?

Thank you, they keep saying they have a form for us to fill but don’t send it. We don’t have a code yet.

You need to apply for a code asap, this is not something you can do through your nursery. Go to the childcare choices website. The deadline for receiving a code to access funding this autumn is 31st August. If you do not receive your code by the 31st you will be unable to use funded hours until spring term which starts in January.

Once you have your code, if eligible, you complete a parental declaration form from nursery. You can’t complete this form without a code. The nursery cannot authorise the funded hours through the local authority without a code.

Agree with PP, you need to apply for the code on childcare choices website not the nursery. They will be waiting for you not the other way around. You need to get moving!

Apologies, I am new here, not sure what i am doing clearly!

Hi all,

Just a quick note from MNHQ - Tina and Sarah are the only official guests on this webchat, so any verified information will be coming directly from their accounts (TinaWilliamsMumsnet and SarahwalkerEY).

Other posters may be sharing their own experiences or views, which can be useful, but please remember these aren’t official answers. Always double-check before acting on any advice that hasn’t come from Tina or Sarah.

Thanks, and carry on with the questions!

Is every 3 year old entitled to 30 hours free from September? My child currently gets 15 hours. I'm paid pro rata in a school which means my monthly income is just under the required amount to apply for 30 hours.

Yes - being on paternity leave (whether paid or unpaid) doesn't automatically make you ineligible.

If your husband is usually employed and meets the minimum earnings requirement when working (at least £195 per week), you can still qualify for the funded childcare while he’s on paternity leave. HMRC counts your normal earnings outside of parental leave when assessing eligibility.

Just be sure to reconfirm your details when prompted, and explain the temporary change if needed. You can check your current eligibility on the Childcare Choices website: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Hope this helps! @MittensForKittens123

Hello there
My son, 7, just started school with. Ew teachers/new classmates on Monday. Yesterday he came home with a fever and a stomach ache and a bad headache.
Today morning, after drinking water, he puked, but then drank some more water and ate an apple and felt fine, except for the headache. He then ate a piece of cake, some rice and some watermelon for lunch (usually he eats more though). Then he had diarrhea and still fever, stomach ache and a headache. Today evening after drinking dime water and refusingfood he puked two times.
Is he sick or are those nerves (he is quite sensitive emotionally and seems to be a bit overwhelmed with the whole school thing, the teachervis a bit rough at times with her words)

Is it just me or is every one else's teenagers and young adult such assholes. I collected one from work and because someone hadn't replaced the butter they ( not me) it's my fault and it's a reason to be rude and not do as asked. Another was to clean her room before going to a party - not clean but have found the lost city of Delph - and I sent her a few snaps to gentle remind her and to spread a little guilt and I get a text that I don't ask her brother to clean his room. The brother is disgusting - I keep encouraging a career in the army as they maybe able to teach him about a clean sleeping area - 19 years and I hold my hands up I have failed he is awful, leaves a trail of destruction and messy and no amount of requests, demands, tears or threats is working. I know now why birds push their children from the nest they are done with this shit.
It's like been in an abusive relationship where you are been gaslighted by each member of your family. I am not enjoying this stage of parenting I just want them to leave and with the housing crisis I know it's likely this is my life for another 10 years at least.
There is 1 of me and 3 of them and I am done. I am thinking of staying silence and just pretend they are not there like some annoying ghost or bothersome fly, stick my head in a book or not return one day after work and see if it's noticed.
But when I think about it I feel that awful mother guilt that says I cannot let them walk home from their summer job at night or they can't let their work down by not been given a lift there.
I want to be able to go full bitch and burn it all down but that nagging mother duty keeps pulling you back into the fray, and you get spined around into family life again. Maybe I should just run away and join a circus I am sure lion taming and juggling of flaming torches has to be easier then this. For now I will breath and try and count to 10 and remember when my children and I liked and even loved each other and hope that comes again

I have seen emails that my husband sent his ex whilst he was with me right at the start of our relationship where he’s actually begging her to get back with him. Saying hes seeing someone new (me) and I’m just passing time and will never compare to her. This was obviously years ago and we’re married now but I can’t help feel so betrayed by it. I feel like he settled for me and if she wanted him we would have never been together. I feel like leaving, am I over reacting?

Does the code you get work for all 3 terms - or is it a new application each term ?

Help please! I am currently on maternity leave and I'm due to return to work beginning of September. My baby turns 9 months in September. I am confused with the free childcare hours. I know it states that if my baby turns 9 months in September then technically he won't get his childcare hours until January term. However, it states on the gov website that if I am due to return to work between 1st May and 30th September, I need to apply by 31 August and I can get the hours from 1 September as I will be returning to work then. I have received the childcare code however the childminder has said that I can't use the hours until January. Obviously this doesn't help me at all as a single mother and I cannot afford to pay for a full month. I have tried to call Childcare choices but noone seems to know the answer. I have even challenged it with HMRC as I don't understand why it says my return to work will affect when I can get the hours. Would this be correct that I won't be able to use the hours until January term despite me returning to work in September?

The code remains the same, but you need to renew it every three months, otherwise you will likely lose the entitlement.

We have left a setting and hopefully will have a new one for Oct. Do I reconfirm my funded hours?! I don't want to get it wrong and not be able to access from Oct, but want to know what to do.

I’m currently researching Catholic secondary schools in SW London for my DS for Year 7 entry next year. We were previously keen on St Richard Reynolds in Twickenham but notice that their A Level results were a lot lower than previous years. Does anybody have children at the school and know why?

Hi. I’m being told by my childcare provider, via the local council, that my daughter won’t be eligible for funded childcare hours for this September term despite all the gov websites saying we would be. The local council have said any child born between 1 September and 31 December is not eligible for September term, and can only get funding from January.

She turned 9 months in July, so before September term started, and I have my eligibility code ready to go ahead of the deadline for registration. She will start nursery in early October and my official return to work date is 10th September.

any advice much appreciated! Will be financially terrible for thousands of parents if this is the case….

@tori1301 correct you can’t use the funded hours until January. Eligibility is aged 9months before 1st September for the term.

Are you eligible for UC?