Tax Free Childcare and Funding
Tax Free Childcare
Working parents can apply for a tax-free childcare account which applies from birth. For every £8 you pay into the account, the government pays an additional £2, up to £2000 per child. You can check the childcare choices website to confirm eligibility and apply for an account.
N.E.F - Nursery Education Funding
2-Year-Olds: Some two-year olds are eligible for 15 hours per week funded hours depending on situation. Please check the government website where there is advice and a calculator to see if you are eligible for these hours. We offer both term time only hours (15 per week) or stretched hours (11 per week through the whole year).
3- & 4-Year-Olds: All 3- & 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours per week funded hours, and some are entitled to an additional 15 hours (totalling 30) per week again depending on circumstance. We can offer these hours as either term time only (30 hours per week) or stretched hours (22 per week). The universal 15 hours is automatically given to your child and will be in place from the term following their third birthday. Please check the childcare choices website to see if you are eligible for the additional hours - if you are then you will be given a code which you will need to provide us with in order to claim your payments.
We run our funding in set sessions, offered from 8am to 2pm every day - any hours booked around these will be charged at the normal rate.
Resources and Consumables Contribution
Now that every child is eligible for 3 & 4-year-old funding, like every other setting, we are feeling the effects. Whilst the government markets the funded hours as 'free hours', to the nursery offering these hours is actually costing us money. Our current price is £7 per hour- £4 of which contributes to staffing, and £3 contributes towards resources, materials and consumables. This price per hour barely covers our costs. The government funded hours currently pay us £4.61 per hour. As you can imagine this shortfall has been devastating to a lot of settings, with many being forced to either stop offering funded places, or to close their doors altogether.
We fully support the concept of the free hours and their benefit to the child, but there is no way for any setting to continue to front this huge loss and survive. Because of this we have implemented a 'Resources and Consumables Contribution' or £3 per hour, which will continue to be put towards materials. In accordance with Ofsted and government guidelines, this is a completely optional contribution, and if you choose not to pay then your child's place, hours, and quality of care and education will not be affected. This contribution just means we can continue to offer the same excellent standard of resources, and maintain our under-ratio staffing levels, to provide the very best care and education possible for your child.
