Government Funding

What is an Early Education and Childcare Place?

• Currently, all children in the UK aged 3- 4 years old are entitled to receive 15 hours free childcare from 1st September, 1st January or 1st April following their third birthday.
  

This is known as the Universal Entitlement
The 15 hours per week free childcare is offered over 38 weeks a year, equivalent to school term times. However, at Woodlands we will be stretching the funding over 50 weeks as we are open 51 weeks of the year.

When can my child start claiming the 3 & 4 year funding?
3-year-olds will be able to start a funded nursery place in the September, January or April following their third birthday.
Your child's birthday must be before:

• 31st March to receive the funding in the Summer 2023
  
• 31st August to receive the funding in the Autumn 2023
  
• 31st December to receive the funding in the Spring 2024
  

These are the cut off dates per Wandsworth Borough Council. If your child's birthday is for example on the 1st or 2nd September they will not receive funding for Autumn, however funding will be received for Spring.

Funded Places at Woodlands
Due to the resultant higher costs of our staff, and the external teaching Woodlands offers, we apply an 'Agreed additional service package' to allow us to pass the benefit of the funding to all our parents.

• Food and Snacks (we source our lunches from Zebedees and the food is freshly prepared offsite daily).
  
• Ofsted stipulate that excluding management only 50% of staff must be Level 2 qualified in childcare, instead we have employed more than 50% with a minimum Level 2, and some of the staff are QTS (Qualified Teachers).
  
• At Woodlands we offer external teaching that is not included in the funding we receive; Nano Spanish Classes, Crafty Tales Music and Movement Classes, Sporkiz Mixed Sport Classes.
  

Other Funding Information

• We have opted as a Nursery to apply "stretched funding", this means that we use the 30 hours or 15 hours x the 38 weeks that the government provides, to be stretched over the 50 weeks we are open to spread the benefit and to also ensure that the children can use the facilities as much as possible all year round.
  
• All round care contributes towards maintaining children's routines and development in all 7 areas of the EYFS curriculum which we practice.
  

Am I entitled to 30 hours Funding?
Some parents who are working may be able to claim an additional 15 hours free childcare per week.

To be eligible for the additional hours of free childcare, the household must:

• Be a two-parent working family or a lone parent
  
• Have each working parent earning between:
  

- The equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage (includes income received from Tax Credits or Universal Credit), and
- earning less than £100,000 per year, if one parent's income exceeds £100,000 the household will not be eligible.

• Both parents usually working, but one is temporarily out of work for a particular reason as explained below:
  

- One/both parents is away from work on leave (parental, maternity etc.)
- One/both parents is in receipt of Statutory Sick Pay

• Parents on zero-hours contracts will be eligible, as are those who are registered as self-employed.
  
• One parent is employed and the other parent has either: substantial caring responsibilities and/or disability base on specific benefits received for caring: is a foster carer with their own three and four year old children.
  
• Parents who are in training will not be eligible as they can receive other Government support.
  

Deadlines for 30 hour applications
To ensure that your child can receive the additional 15 hours entitlement, parents must apply and have their codes validated by the Local Authority by the following deadlines:

• 31st March to receive the funding in the Summer 2023
  
• 31st August to receive the funding in the Autumn 2023
  
• 31st December to receive the funding in the Spring 2024
  

30 hours Extended Entitlement Checklist

• Set up an online Government Gateway account
  
• Complete a parent declaration form provided by us with your 11 digit code for each child accessing the additional hours.
  
• Any additional services or hours above entitlement must be agreed for and paid for by you the parent.
  
• Parents need to re-confirm eligibility every 3 months with HMRC.
  
• If you fall out of eligibility, you will enter a grace period which will enable access to the funded place until that grace period ends.
  
• If you are still not eligible after the grace period, then alternative payment for additional 15 hours must be funded by you, the parent.
  
• You can re-apply when you become eligible again and give the code to us.
  
• Entitlement will stop once your child is in Reception or at school age.
  

For more information refer to the Government website
For more information about Early Years Education in Wandsworth refer to the below

Choosing an Early Years Education in Wandsworth