Wondering why ‘free’ childcare doesn’t always feel free?
Not quite sure where those extra charges on your nursery bill are coming from?
Let’s make sense of it.
Who gets funding?
Eligibility depends on your child’s age and your family circumstances:
- From nine months+ (working families) – 30 hours if both parents (or a single parent) are working and meet income criteria.
- Two-year-olds (support funding) – 15 hours for families receiving certain benefits or with additional needs.
- Three- and four-year-olds – all children receive 15 hours (universal) some working families can access 30 hours.
How many hours do you actually get?
You’ll often hear the amount of childcare you get expressed as 15 or 30 ‘free’ hours. In reality though, funding is calculated over a year as 570 (15) or 1140 hours (30). You can usually take them in one of two ways:
- Term time (most common) – 30 hours over 38 weeks
- Stretched – roughly 22 hours per week over 52 weeks
Same total hours just spread differently. Funding is calculated across the whole term, not week by week. This does mean that in some weeks, for example when there’s a bank holiday, an INSET day, or a shorter week, you might see fewer than 30 funded hours on your invoice.
Those hours aren’t lost. They’re simply spread across other weeks in the term, so your child still receives their full entitlement overall. This is why your invoice may not look the same every week.
Things to look out for
Funding starts the term after your child becomes eligible, not immediately. There are a few common things that can catch families out:
- If you miss the deadline and don’t apply for your funding code in time, you may have to wait an entire term.
- If you receive your code, mid-term, you usually can’t start using it straight away.
- You could lose your funding if you do not reconfirm every three months.
- If you forget to reconfirm or fall out of eligibility, you may enter a grace period, where funding continues for a short time (usually until the end of the term) while you sort things out. During this time, you won’t be able to start new 30-hour funding or switch providers.
Is it really ‘free’?
This is where expectations and reality don’t always match. The Government has stated funding is designed to cover:
- Core EYFS education
- Standard resources (books, toys, craft materials)
- Minimum staffing ratios
Funding doesn’t cover things like:
- Meals and snacks
- Nappies and wipes
- Trips and outings
- Enrichment (yoga, music, storytelling, sports)
- Enhanced staffing ratios
- Specialist resources and experiences
These are the things that make a setting feel rich, engaging and different, and often, the very reasons families choose one setting over another.
So what are ‘consumables’?
Most settings (including us) offer two options:
Opt out
- No additional charges
- Core funded provision only.
Opt in
- meals and snacks
- enrichment activities
- trips and experiences
- Additional resources.
Such charges must optional, in line with guidance.
One way to look at it, is to think of funding like a budget plane ticket. You will get to your destination, but you may need to pay extra if you want food, hold luggage, to sit together or extra comfort.
Top tips
A few simple things that can make it easier:
- apply early, don’t wait
- set a reminder to reconfirm your code
- ask how your setting spreads funding
- make sure you understand what’s included.
Still have questions?
Funding is not always straightforward, but we’re happy to talk it through. If you’d like help working out what you’re entitled to or works best for your family, just get in touch.
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Play B C offers term-time or 48-week places, with a teacher-led team, high adult ratios, and a play-rich, nurturing environment. Every day is a learning adventure.
What to read next…
Find out about nursery costs in Wallington and Carshalton here.
