Questions about Nursery Education Fund

What are the benefits of free early education?

Children learn lots of new skills in a group setting, or with an accredited childminder, building on the skills they learn at home and from their families. Good quality early education is a great start for your child. The Early Years Foundation Stage is what your child will be following in this time. 

The benefit can also extend to you and your family. Early learning or childcare increases your opportunities to get involved with your child’s learning, meet other parents or gives more freedom to manage your work and family life in the best way possible, whatever your circumstances.

What will my child do?

At an early education setting, such as a playgroup, nursery or childminder, your child will have the chance to:

• play with other children
• develop their social skills
• learn through play
• experience new activities and have fun  

Children qualify for 15 hours of free nursery education funding in the term following their third birthday. 

How do I apply for a free place?

Contact your preferred childcare setting (childminder, pre-school, nursery). Ask if  they offer the free early education entitlement and if a place is available. You can then check their  admission and fee criteria and decide which days and times your child will attend. The free entitlement may not be available every day of the week. You will need to sign the parental declaration form, and some settings have an additional contract that they require you to sign.

If you are unsure about which setting to choose, contact the Family Information Service on 08452 26 26 36.

What is free early education entitlement offer?

The offer is 570 hours per year accessed over 38 weeks of the year i.e. 15 hours per week.

It may not be possible to have the full amount of free early education at the setting you choose. You may choose to access less than the entitlement. You may not always be able to take up the full entitlement at the times you want at the provider of your choice. The free entitlement is a guarantee of a free place, but not a voucher, nor a monetry subsidy.

Some settings are not open for 38 weeks and may not be able to offer the full entitlement. 

Places can be for a minimum 2½ hours and maximum of 6 hours in any one day between the hours of 8am and 6pm.

How do I find out about early education providers in my area?

A number of providers are registered with us for nursery education funding, including accredited childminders. For more information about what is available in your area:

• contact Oxfordshire Family Information Service on 08452 26 26 36
• complete an online request form

or

Enter a postcode or the name of the place where you live:

Then use the "Narrow by Category" for 3 - 4 year old funded places.

Can I take my child’s free early education sessions with my childminder?

Yes. They need to be 'accredited' which means they have been approved to provide the free early education entitlement and will have a certificate to demonstrate this. The number of childminders offering this is limited. Contact the Family Information Service for a list of childminders registered to offer the entitlement.

When does my child need to be registered for a free place?

It is advisable to register your child at your preferred setting as soon as you have chosen one because most settings offer  places on a first come first served basis - with exceptions for siblings and children with additional needs and disabilities.

Will I be expected to make a financial contribution towards my child’s free early education place?

No. You cannot be required to contribute to the cost of the basic free entitlement. Settings are not allowed to charge parents fees in advance for the free entitlement to be refunded at a later date, nor require that extra services are purchased as a condition of taking up the free place.  

How is the free place funding paid?

The funding is paid directly to the early years education setting by the local authority.

My nursery is asking for a deposit - can they do so for a funded place?

No, not for a free early years place, but they can ask for a deposit if you are taking up any place which is not part of the free entitlement.

My provider wants to charge for snacks and lunch - can they do that?

A compulsory charge for lunch and snacks is not allowed as part of the free entitlement. You should be able to give your child a packed lunch if they are staying at the setting for lunch, and snacks for snack-time. However, if parents choose to take up lunch or snacks provided, the charges must be agreed in advance.  

I pay for extra hours but I am not sure that I am being correctly credited with the free entitlement?

The rates settings charge for additional hours or services is a private matter between the setting and the parent. Your setting should tell you beforehand about any additional charges if your children have more than the free entitlement per week. The statement you receive from your childcare/nursery education setting should clearly show which hours are funded from this free entitlement and which are chargeable to you. You should not be obliged to buy additional hours or pay lunch time charges in order to secure the free entitlement.

Am I able to split our funded sessions over two settings?

To ensure the best outcomes for the child we strongly recommend accessing your entitlement at one provider only. However, we recognise there may be instances where this is not possible, where this is the case you may choose to split your entitlement across a maximum of two providers registered to deliver the entitlement. You will be handed a Parental Declaration form for the term you wish to claim funding for, please indicate your intent to split funding if you wish to do so on this form and hand it back to your provider/s by their specified deadline.

In general most maintained nursery schools and classes will expect the full 15 hours to be taken with them, as this fits with our nursery admissions policy. No provider is obliged to agree split entitlement.

I want childcare for longer than 3 hours per day but the preschool my child goes to only runs for this period - what options do I have?

Contact the Family Information Service for a list of alternative providers. Consider using a childminder who is registered to receive nursery education funding who may be able to collect your child from pre-school.

If I take up a funded place within a school catchment area, does this guarantee a place at the school when they reach school age?

No, a place at a childcare provision does not entitle your child a place at a school even if the provider is on a school site or managed by a school. Every parent has to apply for their child's school place through the schools' admissions system. 

I work full time; can my child take a funded place for two full days per week?

The maximum entitlement you may have in any one day is six hours, so over two days it is 12 hours. Funded hours must be taken between 8am and 6pm. Funded places can be for a minimum 2½ hours and maximum of 6 hours in one day. 

Can the free early education entitlement cover more than 38 weeks?

No, not at the moment. 

My child's setting has asked me to make a voluntary contribution and I am worried I may lose my place if I don’t pay it. What can I do?

Settings may raise funds but voluntary contributions must be voluntary and not a requirement of a place. If you have any concerns discuss them with your setting, or contact us directly. 

My child's setting has asked me to sign a contract relating to the free early education funded place – can they insist on this?

Yes. The contract is an agreement that secures your child’s free place for a minimum period of 1 term (or longer if required) and confirms your child’s eligibility to the free place. The setting will be funded by the local authority for this period which allows the setting to employ sufficient staff and manage their business costs. The contract requires you to keep your child at this setting until the end of each term - unless there are exceptional circumstances such as moving house.