New funding arrangements

[Guest]

Hi, I'm not sure if anyone will have the answer to this yet, but worth an ask.

 

In the past we could only claim funding for a full week, so if a funded child was there for a part week the setting either had to swallow the cost or the parent had to pay.

 

As of this year they have changed to funding children for a certain number of days each term, rather than weeks, so does this mean that we can now claim for part weeks?

 

 

[AnonyMouse_22106]

This could be unique to your County

The minimum we cab claim is per hour - so if a child used 13 hours at one setting we can claim the other 2 hours then charge for the rest.

[AnonyMouse_11396]

Out of interest which county are you in kiddywink.

[AnonyMouse_23964]

We claim per hour. Min 2.5 hours a day max 10 hours per day. Can be spread across two providers up to 15 hours a week.

[AnonyMouse_665]

sounds very strange. Gloucestershire is the same as above.

 

Buttercup

[Guest]

Out of interest which county are you in kiddywink.

We are in Surrey Fredbear

[Guest]

sounds very strange. Gloucestershire is the same as above.

 

Buttercup

Sorry, I don't think I explained myself very well! What I meant that if someone had for instance signed up for 3 days a week - Mon, Wed & Friday, but there first day was on a Thursday, in the past, Early Years wouldn't have paid us for any of that week, they would only have paid if they had started on the Monday as that would be considered a part week for that child.

 

I assume that now they have changed the way they pay to the number of days in a term rather than number of weeks, that this will no longer apply as the term may not necessarily start on a Monday.

[AnonyMouse_23964]

I am sessional and open 9 to 3pm. This type of term with odd days at the beginning and end of the term and children coming in for 2 1/2 days can be a pain with working out hours. We used to just give any extra hours 'free' if the child was not doing more than 15 hours a week. Now we don't!

I calculate how many hours the child is due in over the whole term then deduct the number of funded hours entitlement. Several children are over by 3 or 6 hours this term. I then offer parents the option of paying for those hours or not coming in (normally during the first week back). Most choose to drop the hours. They still get their full entitlement.

[AnonyMouse_8885]

We have always claimed with a start date, so have been paid in full. County is going to change the way we claim soon, which is going to be a really tighter squeeze as we will only be able to claim at the end of the term - or half term, (we've not been told yet) for days attended. So those days Mum decides they are visiting Granny (even though they know they shouldn't) we will lose out. I wonder if we could charge the parents for money lost? We will still have the correct staff ratios and pay rent etc. They are just making it harder and harder for sessional groups to be sustainable.

[AnonyMouse_22106]

We have always claimed with a start date, so have been paid in full. County is going to change the way we claim soon, which is going to be a really tighter squeeze as we will only be able to claim at the end of the term - or half term, (we've not been told yet) for days attended. So those days Mum decides they are visiting Granny (even though they know they shouldn't) we will lose out. I wonder if we could charge the parents for money lost? We will still have the correct staff ratios and pay rent etc. They are just making it harder and harder for sessional groups to be sustainable.

My goodness I've not heard of that before/yet - it's not our fault if children are off, will they do the same to school nursery?

Where abouts are you Megamum?

[AnonyMouse_23964]

That is ridiculous. I can see more and more people pulling out of providing the funding! You cannot have a sustainable business on those terms. Some are already losing money on those funded hours without the threat of not being paid for providing a place for children who are off for the day - especially when attendance is not compulsory (or is that the next step???).

[AnonyMouse_7120]

This sounds worrying, at the moment we just get asked to put in how many weeks open in the term, but I know things are changing from Apr as we won't have to redo parent forms every term so they will probably use this to slip in other changes to how our funding works :-(

Edited December 31, 2015 by Mouseketeer

[AnonyMouse_8885]

We are in Leicestershire. County rolled out filling in parent forms only once a year unless there are any changes, well over a year ago here. They have sent out a few details and a questionnaire regarding the funding, but not heard anything concrete yet. I challenged this way of funding, but I know it is coming. They say .... It's to make it easier for us, so we only submit once a term instead of having to do adjustments. It was suggested medical appointments or holidays would still be allowed. If this comes into force, I'm going to have a lot of 'poorly' children for those 'unauthourised' days off!

[AnonyMouse_7120]

this beggars belief..how can they expect anyone to manage like that,even having to wait half a term to get funding will be devastating for some settings let alone deducting for absent children :angry:

[AnonyMouse_22029]

Kiddie ink I'm in Surrey and they do pay for the number of hours the children do. Not sure where you have got you info from.

The part week thing is that you as a provider have to do full weeks in order to be able to claim the funding. This term for instance we are going back on Wednesday 6 Jan but term finishes on Tues something in March to make the full week.

check the funding with the free entitlement team.

[Guest]

I'm Surrey too and have been on the pilot scheme for last term, doing all the paperwork on line.

 

They have switched to "payment periods" rather than "terms" on the basis that this will make it easier for settings offering the stretched entitlement, i.e. spreading hours over more than 38 weeks per year. To fit in with the payment period, we had to "lose" a week for this term as we are not do a stretched offer. This means our funded sessions start again on Wednesday 6th January, in line with most of the local schools, and our term finishes on Tuesday 22nd March, so that the children can still get the full amount of funding for this "term". We decided to go for split weeks rather than either 3 weeks at Christmas or Easter break for our funded children.

When you enter your term dates on the on-line portal, it will give you the maximum number of days in the payment period that you can claim for, so you can work out term dates accordingly. I think it might mean that in some "terms", if you are term time only, you might end up claiming in two different payment periods for that term, e.g. if Easter break is really early or really late. Don't quote me on that though!