Nursery Education Funding:

Free places for 3 and 4 year olds

Worcestershire County Council provides free early education places for all three and four year old children within Worcestershire.

Parents can find out more about free early education places by reading the Frequently asked questions (FAQs) below or contacting us on 01905 822 666.

Changes were made to nursery education funding from 1st April 2011. All the information on this page is up-to-date and correct from 1st April 2011.

Would you rather download, print off and read? You can download a printable version of the FAQs if you find this easier and more helpful.

Looking for free places? Settings (such as day nurseries and pre-schools) and childminders offering free early education places can be found through our childcare search. Would you prefer it if we search for you? If you are looking for childcare and would like us to search for you, you can fill in our enquiry form.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) for parents

To help parents, we have put together a list of frequently asked questions about free early education places below. Just click on the question(s) and it will take you directly to the answer.

FAQs: The questions...

1. What is my child entitled to?
2. Are there any restrictions on how I use the hours?
3. When can a child have a free place?
4. Where can I take up the free places?
5. What happens to the funding if my child attends more than one nursery?
6. How do I claim the free place?
7. Why does the childcare provider need a copy of my child's birth certificate?
8. Do all childcare providers offer free early education places?
9. Can childminders offer free early education places?
10. What if the childcare provider I want to use has no spaces?
11. Can I still receive the free place if I do not live in Worcestershire?
12. My child will soon be old enough to start in the Reception class at school, do they have to go or can I leave them with my childcare provider?
13. Do I have to pay for the free place?
14. Can lunchtime be classed as part of the free entitlement?
15. Is there any additional funding for a child with Special Educational Needs?
16. Can I be charged a registration fee if I only want to use the free place?
17. Can I be charged during holiday periods?
18. My child attends a childcare provider all year. Can my childcare costs be spread over 12 months in equal payments?
19. If my child is unwell, is the free place affected?
20. If I take a short holiday, how does this affect my child’s free place?
21. How much does my childcare provider receive per hour from Worcestershire County Council?
22. Does the free place affect the claim that I make for the childcare element of the working tax credit?
23. I am not sure that my child is receiving all of their free hours – what should I do?

FAQs: The answers...

• 1. What is my child entitled to?

Your child is entitled to 15 hours of early education per week for 38 weeks of the year – free of charge.

The 38 weeks are divided into:

• Spring Term:   11 weeks at 15 hours per week  (165 Hours per term)
• Summer Term: 13 weeks at 15 hours per week (195 hours per term)
• Autumn Term: 14 weeks at 15 hours per week (210 hours per term)

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• 2. Are there any restrictions on how I use the hours?

To receive the full 15 hours of free early education, your child must attend for a minimum of three days each week. You do not have to take up the full 15 hours.

You can use:

• A minimum of 2.5 hours in one day
• A maximum of 10 hours in one day
• A maximum of 12.5 hours over two days
• A maximum of 15 hours over one week

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• 3. When can a child have a free place?

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• 4. Where can I take up the free places?

A child can take a total of 15 hours with one or two childcare providers. These must be registered with Worcestershire County Council to offer free places and include:

• Pre-Schools
• Playgroups
• Day nurseries
• Independent (private) schools
• Childminders who are part of an approved network and are accredited

There are a limited number of free places at local authority nurseries. You can apply for a place by contacting the Head teacher of the school. It is advisable to contact the school as soon as possible after your child’s second birthday. If places are oversubscribed, check the school policy to see how places are allocated.

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• 5. What happens to the funding if my child attends more than one nursery?

If your child attends two private, voluntary or independent settings, you must fill out a parent claim form at both settings and the funding will be split proportionately. Currently, if a child attends a maintained school setting and a private, voluntary or independent setting, all funding will be allocated to the maintained setting.

Please note, from September 2011, funding will be split proportionately across ANY two providers, including maintained school provision.

For example, if a child attends setting A for 20 hours a week and setting B for 10 hours a week, setting A will receive two thirds of the funding and setting B the remaining third. Therefore, 10 hours will be allocated to setting A and 5 hours at setting B.

This can be worked out using the following formula:

Hours at your setting ÷ total hours child attends funded childcare providers x 15 = funded hours.

Applied to the example above, it can be worked out like this:

20 hours (at setting A) ÷ 30 hours (total hours) x 15 = 10 funded hours at setting A

10 hours (at setting B) ÷ 30 (total hours) x 15 = 5 funded hours at setting B

Total funded hours = 10 + 5 = 15 hours

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• 6. How do I claim the free place?

You will need to complete a Parent Claim Form, which will be given to you by the childcare provider, confirming the total number of hours that your child is attending.

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• 7. Why does the childcare provider need a copy of my child's birth certificate?

The childcare provider needs to confirm your child's date of birth to ensure that they are eligible. If you do not have a copy of your child's birth certificate you can order one from http://www.gro.gov.uk/.

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• 8. Do all childcare providers offer free early education places?

No. Childcare providers must be registered and inspected by Ofsted and work with Worcestershire Early Years and Childcare Service to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. You can find out which childcare providers offer the free places by contacting the Family Information Service on 01905 822 666.

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• 9. Can childminders offer free early education places? 

There are a number of childminders who are able to offer the free places. Please contact the Family Information Service on 01905 822 666 for further information.

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• 10. What if the childcare provider I want to use has no spaces?

If your preferred childcare provider has no suitable vacancies, please contact the Family Information Service on 01905 822 666 for details of other providers in your area.

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• 11. Can I still receive the free place if I do not live in Worcestershire?

If your child attends a childcare provider in Worcestershire, the place will be funded regardless of where you live. If your child attends a childcare provider in another local authority, that local authority will fund your child’s place. The childcare provider will be able to tell you how to claim in their area.

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• 12. My child will soon be old enough to start in the Reception class at school, do they have to go or can I leave them with my childcare provider? 

Legally, your child must start school the term following your child’s fifth (5th) birthday. You can claim the free hours at your childcare provider up until this time if your child has not started school. 

You may be able to delay starting your child in Reception as long as the place is taken up during the same school year. If delaying the date would mean that your child would start in the next school year (Year 1) you should be aware that there might not be a vacancy in Year 1 at that time. If you wish to defer taking up a place allocated to your child, you must discuss the matter first with the school. More information is available from www.worcestershire.gov.uk and search for 'school admissions'.

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• 13. Do I have to pay for the free place?

You should never be charged for the free place. Worcestershire County Council pays the childcare provider directly for your child's free place. The childcare provider will then use this payment to provide early education for your child. If you choose to take up any additional hours or services from your childcare provider, you will be charged accordingly for these.

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• 14. Can lunchtime be classed as part of the free entitlement?

The free place can be taken over a lunch break if this is offered by your childcare provider. Your childcare provider may offer a meal at an additional cost, however you should also have the choice to provide your own packed lunch.

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• 15. Is there any additional funding for a child with Special Educational Needs?

If a child has Special Educational Needs (SEN), their entitlement is still a maximum of 15 free hours. In previous years it has been possible for children to receive up to 30 hours, if a child has attended a specialist provision, alongside a mainstream provision. This will no longer occur. Where a child with SEN attends a specialist provision, funding will be given to that setting as a priority. If a child attends a specialist provision for less than 15 hours, children will be able to receive their remaining entitlement at any other funded setting. This is the only situation in which a child's funding will not be split proportionately.

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• 16. Can I be charged a registration fee if I only want to use the free place?

If you only access the free hours there is no registration fee. If you access additional hours and/or services, a registration fee may be charged. Discuss this with your childcare provider.

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• 17. Can I be charged during holiday periods?

If you are attending a childcare provider that is open for more than 38 weeks, you will be charged for any additional time that your child attends. If you do not wish to attend any additional hours, the childcare provider may not be able to guarantee your child’s place for the following term. You may have the option to pay a retainer, or to re-register your child if there is a place available.

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• 18. My child attends a childcare provider all year. Can my childcare costs be spread over 12 months in equal payments?

Your childcare provider may offer this, however this should be discussed and agreed with you in advance.

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• 19. If my child is unwell, is the free place affected?

You are not able to claim back any free hours that your child has been unable to attend due to illness. If your child is unwell and unable to attend for more than four weeks, please contact the Family Information Service for further advice.

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• 20. If I take a short holiday, how does this affect my child’s free place?

If your child is unable to attend due to a family holiday, their free hours will normally be used to keep their free place open until they return. Alternatively, if you discuss your holiday with your childcare provider, you may be able to pay a retainer to keep your child’s place open. This may mean that your child can receive their free hours later in the term. This would be at the discretion of your childcare provider and they are under no obligation to offer this. 

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• 21. How much does my childcare provider receive per hour from Worcestershire County Council? 

Worcestershire County Council funds childcare providers in Worcestershire in order to ensure that all children can receive a free place. The amount that childcare providers receive from Worcestershire County Council should have no impact on your free place or your bill – you should only ever be charged for additional hours or services that you choose to take up.

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• 22. Does the free place affect the claim that I make for the childcare element of the working tax credit?

For Tax Credit purposes you can only claim for childcare costs that you will be paying for. For further information, please contact the Inland Revenue Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900.

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• 23. I am not sure that my child is receiving all of their free hours – what should I do?

Your childcare provider should provide you with a clear invoice and you should be confident about how your childcare fees have been calculated. If you are concerned, please arrange to speak to your childcare provider who should be able to explain your fees. If you are still concerned, please contact the Family Information Service for further assistance.

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Would you rather download, print off and read the FAQs?

You can also download a .pdf printable version of the FAQs if you find this easier and more helpful.

If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact the team on 01905 822 666.