DfE orders councils to take action on free childcare charging

Currently, parents of three-and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, which will be extended to 30 hours a week from September 2017.  

But a nursery chain with 17 settings across Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset has started asking parents to pay for “additional extras”, claiming the funding it receives from central government, via local authorities, is not enough to cover the basic cost of provision.

Tops Day Nurseries is charging parents who claim 15 hours a week of free childcare for "additional extras". The charge, according to the chain, pays for activities including yoga, meditation, messy play, internet access and snacks.

The Department for Education has said that they cannot do this and has called on councils aware of nurseries charging additional fees to take action.

“Parents cannot be made to pay additional fees to access the free hours of childcare they are entitled to, and where it is found that providers are charging such fees, we are clear that councils should intervene,” a spokeswoman said.

The nursery has defended the charge, claiming that the local authorities it receives funding for the free 15 hours from are not increasing, and in some cases are reducing, the amount of money they provide. It added that it charges "additional fees" to all parents who use up to 30 hours a week of provision. Those using more than 30 hours are not charged.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire County Council said it is monitoring the nursery.
 
“We are working with Tops to understand its revised charging policy and to ensure it complies with Hampshire’s funding terms and conditions, which mirror the DfE’s guidance.
 
A spokeswoman for Somerset County Council said it is working with settings to ensure they do not charge extra for free childcare.

“We are working closely with providers, the Department for Education and parents to discuss concerns they have about rising costs and to try to find a solution," she said.

“We continue to work with providers to make sure their policies comply with the code of practice for early years providers in Somerset, which includes not charging extra for standard services.”

In November, the DfE pledged an additional £300m per year in additional funding to increase the average rate paid to childcare providers.