3yr old funding (what's it worth?

Zziggi

Hello

Can anyone tell me what the 3 year old funding is "worth" in pounds and pence?

I have the possibility of sending my DD to a private nursery (attached to a private school - although there is NO CHANCE she will go there at reception class age). The private school will accept the 3 year old funding. So i wanna know exactly how much it is going to cost me over and above the nursery funding.

P.S. I guess i am right in thinking that schools/nurserys etc etc can charge more than the 3 year old funding is worth. it isn't that they have to provide 2 &1/2 hours "free" ( i know this is probably an obvious question but it is worth asking anyway...)

ruthyjo

The only person I know currently in this situation gets the two and a half hours "free", but has to pay to make the session upto the minimum 4 hours (9-1) i.e. for 1.5 hours on top. The only way to be sure is to contact the school you're considering and ask exactly what the terms would be at that school.

I remember the thread about your dd you posted a few days ago. I do think you're right to investigate this solution as it might be the best thing for your little girl. I don't think you've got anything to lose by asking the school about this up front. You'd have to look round anyway to make sure it suited her needs.

BTW I wouldn't mention to them she'll be leaving before reception at this stage as that'll make her a less attractive and lucrative applicant than someone who might stay all the way through. Good luck!

Zziggi

ruthyjo wrote:

The only person I know currently in this situation gets the two and a half hours "free", but has to pay to make the session upto the minimum 4 hours (9-1) i.e. for 1.5 hours on top. The only way to be sure is to contact the school you're considering and ask exactly what the terms would be at that school.

I remember the thread about your dd you posted a few days ago. I do think you're right to investigate this solution as it might be the best thing for your little girl. I don't think you've got anything to lose by asking the school about this up front. You'd have to look round anyway to make sure it suited her needs.

BTW I wouldn't mention to them she'll be leaving before reception at this stage as that'll make her a less attractive and lucrative applicant than someone who might stay all the way through. Good luck!

Thanks ruthyjo. You guessed right, i am looking round for other options. The big thing being that this private place will take her as soon as we want but nursery places at other schools don't want her until she is practically 4 (sept 2007). Obviously we need to check it is suitable and what she needs, but i am trying to figure out the finances bit first.

Obviously I am not going to mention that she is leaving once she gets to reception. I asked the school about how much the nursery funding was "worth" and they said that hardly any parents bother to fill in the paperwork and so they just pay full fees :rolleyes: The finance officer said that parents can't be bothered with all that paperwork in claiming the 3 year old funding. My recollection was that it was a small A4 form that required only a little more than a signature :rolleyes: (BTW they want £2k per term for a child once they are of compulsory school age. Gosh that gave me a laugh.) However the school DOES accept the nursery funding so I just need to find out how much it is worth and then do a couple of sums. I have an idea of how much the voucher is worth but i need confirmation. I suspect that actually i will have to find very little extra money to top it up.

BFJ

My son is in nursery and recieves the five 'subsidised' sessions. Each nursery will have its own way of allowing and incorporating the sessions, all the monetary value will be the same wherever it is used.

Unless a childcare provider actually has a session that is only 2.5 hours long (very few have that I have found), then essentially what happens is that each the session is part funded by the Government money, up to a total of five a week. I believe the funding works out at around £8.60 per session? So how much you have to pay depends on each individual care provider's fees. For each session you require just subtract £8.60 from the fees and that is the total cost to you.

Another thing to note is that not all providers will allow you to use two sessions in the same day, e.g. if you wanted child in all day through using subsidised morning and afternoon session.

Zziggi

BFJ wrote:

Unless a childcare provider actually has a session that is only 2.5 hours long (very few have that I have found), then essentially what happens is that each the session is part funded by the Government money, up to a total of five a week. I believe the funding works out at around £8.60 per session? So how much you have to pay depends on each individual care provider's fees. For each session you require just subtract £8.60 from the fees and that is the total cost to you.

Thanks, I was working on it being around £7.10/£7.20 per session as i thought this is what i had read. Could the value of the funding vary depending on which county you live in?

BernadetteN

As from April 2006, parents are not supposed to know how much money the provider receives. In England it worked out at £7.98 a session before April 2006 so £8.60 sounds right for April 2006 onwards.

Funding is now for up to 38 weeks a year so you could get up to £1600 off fees over a year (that depends on how much the care provider charges for a 2 1/2 hour session though and how many weeks a year you have to pay for).

missk_ensington

My son is 3 in January and currently goes 3 sessions a week anyway, and I was told yesterday that the Nursery is paid directly for 3 sessions. So for me it will be free from next year, my understanding is you only pay if you require more than 3 sessions (A day and a half).

BernadetteN

missk_ensington wrote:

My son is 3 in January and currently goes 3 sessions a week anyway, and I was told yesterday that the Nursery is paid directly for 3 sessions. So for me it will be free from next year, my understanding is you only pay if you require more than 3 sessions (A day and a half).

I doubt this is correct. 3 year funding is for up to 5 2 1/2 hour sessions (12 1/2 hours) per week. It covers up to 38 weeks a year and this depends entirely upon the LEA nominal term dates. It depends on how many weeks in a year the care setting is open. It depends on how many hours a day the care setting is open for. It depends on how the care setting divides its day - by the hour, by the session? It depends on how much the parent pays per session, or per hour. If you don't take up the full 12 1/2 hours a week, you get no refund.

BernadetteN

I must add that in certain parts of England, and in Scotland, there is already funding for 2 year olds, but it's not for the full 12 1/2 hours that 3 year olds get. Maybe someone whose child gets 2 year funding can confirm?

full-time-mum

If your daughter won't be attending the private reception class then you might be better considering sending her somewhere where she will mix with children who are likely to join the same reception class. It makes the transition from nursery to school so much easier if there is the odd familiar face.

I would guess that most of the children at the private nursery will be going to the private reception class so think of the cost of keeping up with the jones when it comes to birthdays:D

Sultana

missk_ensington wrote:

My son is 3 in January ...

Funding for 3 year olds starts the term after the 3rd birthday. You will not get the full amount until after Easter