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Free child care - poop!

4K views 46 replies 13 participants last post by  ♡ C ♡ 
#1 ·
I've just been investigating the free childcare that Amy will get when she is 3.
My understanding is that as she was born on 11th April, she won't get funding until September first because the cut off is 1st April. That seems incredibly stinky and could mean the difference between me going or not going back to work!

Anyone else come up against this problem? Are there any ways round it?

Deb
 
#2 ·
I've also come across a whole load of problems around these so called free places!  Alex born in September but won't get them until the following January - as far as I know the rules are very strict and not open for negotiation....  ^bigbad^
 
#3 ·
Children born between 1 April and 31 August (inclusive) will be eligible to a free place from 1 September following their third birthday.

Children born between 1 September and 31 December (inclusive) will be eligible to a free place 1 January following their third birthday.

Children born between 1 January and 31 March (inclusive) will be eligible to a free place 1 April following their third birthday.


hope that helps ;)
 
#4 ·
Bev - K's birthday is early September and he doesnt get his until January either!  ::)

x
 
#6 ·
Very , especially as we are sending him to prep school and have to pay ^roflmao^
 
#7 ·
I'm setting up a petition on the parliamentary pages - will let you know when its live. It seems stupid to have these cuts offs in place. :mad: just worked out its going to cost us £2500 (after I plough all my wages in) if I go back to work  after LB is born until Amy's free  childcare .... Not exactly encouraging is it!
 
#8 ·
I was in a good mood til I read this thread  :mad:

It has always been described to us that "they get their free nursery place at the beginning of the term after their third birthday".

F's birthday was Dec 07 so he got his place in Jan 08.

Easter Sunday next year is 12th April ... after E's first birthday, so we assumed she would get her place late April after the Easter holidays.  (And believe me she is ready for it now .. copying her brother and all that!)

However, going on Suzie's post (which is right looking at directgov) - E will have to wait until the following September as her birthday is 1st April.  :mad:  If she had been born less than 12 hours earlier than she was, then she would get the place in April ....... madness!!!!!!

Am not happy now  :mad:
 
#9 ·
Dee it is SO frustrating my ds is in paid private nursery at the moment but he won't get moved up to pre-school until his free places kick in which is madness, he had moved up his classes earlier (in months) than his peers because he's ready yet because of this government stipulation he will be kept back!  I am going speak to the nursery manager about it nearer the time but share your frustration.
 
#10 ·
Dee ^hugme^ Its sooooo not right. I am thinking about campaigning - I might do banners and all sorts!!
 
#11 ·
Hiya,

Also, check with your private day care nurseries about their own policies. We've just moved H & L for other reasons but (and i've since found out they are NOT meant to do it like this) we had to pay the normal fees upfront and then the nursery owner would give us a rebate of the 'free' sessions every few months (works out about £9 per 2.5 hr 'free' session) - in that we still had to fully fund Henry up front  :mad:

So, it was a very pleasant surprise when we went to the new nursery that they deduct the £9 from the rates. H does 2.5 days a week at nursery and they allow us to use all 5 'free' sessions in those 2.5 days - again, worth checking with your nursery if they will allow this or whether they'll only let you use one 'free' session per day. So we now pay only £14 per day instead of £32 (was £34.50 upfront at old nursery!)

Both the old nursery and the new one move little ones up when they turn 3 regardless of when the birthday is - seems a bit mean Bev - esp if A is going to be more than ready.

S xxx
 
#12 ·
What I want to know (and will eventually get around to contacting the pre-school to ask) is that as places are all allocated in September, does that mean that whilst M will be eligible for funding from the January, I won't actually be able to get her place until the following September once some have left to go to school??

Chux xx
 
#13 ·
They usually have intakes in January also Chux :)

x
 
#15 ·
This is the reason why the dates are the way they are:

"These dates are consistent with those used for determining the commencement of compulsory education and are  designed to ensure that every child is able to access two years of free part-time early education before reaching compulsory school age. However, actual starting dates may vary in line with locally determined term dates. In practice,
depending on local arrangements for admission to school, many children start full-time education in school reception classes before reaching compulsory school age." (from the Code of Practice - you'd never guess I look at legislation for a living would you....)

If your LEA has a three term entry to primary school you are in luck. Here we have only one so some children miss out on some of their nursery free entitlement.  But hey its free so I'm not complaining. Saves me a couple of hundred quid a term off L's pre school fees.

Betty
 
#19 ·
But I have it on good authority that its changing from 12.5 hours to 15 hours per week next year sometime! SO by the time Amy (finally :mad: ) gets her free childcare she will get 15 hours :)
 
#22 ·
Well, I might be ok with E after all ::)

Our local education authority website says "From April 2004 all three year olds are entitled to free part-time early education the term after their 3rd Birthday. Your child is entitled to early education for at least two and half hours per day, 5 days per week, 33 weeks per year."
That is slightly, yet significantly, different to what direct.gov says, so maybe it is up to each local education authority as to how they apply the "rules"?

Interestingly direct.gov doesn't state that the sessions have to be 2 and a half hours?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Preschooldevelopmentandlearning/NurseriesPlaygroupsReceptionClasses/DG_10016103

Isn't this all just so so simple ... NOT!! ;D

Dee
xxx

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#23 ·
OMG I thought the nursery place thing was easy, no idea it was so complicated!
 
#24 ·
I'm STILL waiting for the petition to be oked. Funny how they can rush through one that tries to ban Diamond car insurance (apparently its sexist!) but not get one oked thats actually about something real) ::)
 
#25 ·
Charlies-Mum said:
I'm STILL waiting for the petition to be oked. Funny how they can rush through one that tries to ban Diamond car insurance (apparently its sexist!) but not get one oked thats actually about something real) ::)
Diamond, I am not bothered about but hope it doesn't set a precedent ... if Shiela's Wheels was to be banned, F would be gutted .... he loves that advert! ;D

On a serious note, that's not good BUT sadly I think it is a true reflection of the overly PC world that we live in, with politicans that just band-waggon jump on to the flavour of the moment :-\ Here endeth my rant before I get started :-X
 
#26 ·
Dee as you say I think it must depend on your local council as this is what ours is :

All children are eligible for a free early education place from the beginning of the term following their third birthday (subject to their date of birth).  Children are entitled to five sessions of 2.5 hrs per week for a minimum of 38 weeks a year, spread over three terms.
 
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