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?
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....
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. 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!
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. If she had been born less than 12 hours earlier than she was, then she would get the place in April ....... madness!!!!!!
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.
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
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.
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??
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.
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 ) gets her free childcare she will get 15 hours
Yup, I heard they are planning to increase it to 3 hour sessions too, but some pre-schools already have session of 3 hours and you can't pick them up after 2.5 hours, you have to pay for the last half hour.
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?
This post contains an unconfirmed link/information and readers are reminded that FertilityFriends.co.UK or its owners are not responsible for the content of external internet sites
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)
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!
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
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.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Fertility Friends Support Forum
6.2M posts
105.8K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to infertility and fertility support. Come join the discussion about ovulation, donors, surrogacy, spirituality, therapy, medication, self help, treatment, and more!