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Save Nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds: Frequently asked questions
How do I find out about early education providers in my area?
For more information about the services and providers in your area and what you need to do to access your free place please telephone the Children’s Information Service on 080 0096 0296, or visit the ChildcareLink website.
What is the minimum free early education entitlement?
All children are entitled to up to six terms of free early education before reaching statutory school age (the first term following their fifth birthday). Depending on local arrangements for admission to school many children start full-time education in school reception classes before reaching compulsory school age. The free entitlement is a guarantee of a free place. It is not a voucher, nor should it be regarded as a parental subsidy.
With effect from 1 April 2006, in line with the commitments in the ten-year strategy, the minimum free entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds of 12.5 hours a week will be extended from 33 to 38 weeks in all settings.
We recognise that some providers are not open for 38 weeks and may not be able to offer the full entitlement, particularly in the first year. LAs nevertheless secure that there are sufficient 38 week places to meet parental demand. There is nothing to prevent parents from taking up a lesser free entitlement at the provider of their choice and providers should be funded accordingly. In such cases, however the LA and the provider concerned have a responsibility to inform parents about the implications of their decision. In particular, that the LA would not be obliged to fund top-up provision at an alternative provider.
When will my child be eligible for a free early education place?
A child becomes eligible for a free place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April following their third birthday.
Will parents be expected to make a financial contribution towards their child’s free early education place?
No. Parents cannot be required to contribute to the cost of the basic free entitlement but may be charged fees for any services which exceed the minimum entitlement. Parents should be made aware of the charges that will apply in advance of their child taking up a free place. Providers should not levy any fee in respect of the free entitlement nor should they charge parents fees in advance for the free entitlement to be refunded at a later date. Providers that normally charge fees should reduce the fees by the amount that they would normally charge for those sessions if the child was not accessing a free place.
Do parents have a right to a place with a particular provider?
No. The right to or guarantee of a free part time early education place is a right to a free place in your local area, not the right to a free place with a particular provider.
What is the Government doing to support more flexibility in how parent access their free entitlement?
The Code of practice encourages LAs and providers to deliver the free entitlement as flexibly as possible, as part of a wider integrated early education and childcare service, taking into account parental demand and the needs of children.
How is funding for the provision of free places allocated to LAs?
From 2006/07, the funding for under 5 provision, along with all pre-16 provision will be provided through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which will be a ring-fenced grant provided to LAs to fund educational provision, in all types of provider. This will include PVI providers offering free early education. The DSG will be a ring fenced grant for education purposes, although LAs will retain autonomy over how it allocates its spending over the age range. The Government has long taken the view that it is a matter for LAs to determine the most effective use of resources at local level. This includes the balance between under-5s- and over-5s; primary and secondary.
LAs have a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient free places for every 3- and 4-year-old whose parents want one. They are also responsible, in consultation with local delivery partners, for determining the rate at which providers will be funded for delivering the free place and the arrangements for making associated payments.
What is happening to the proposal to extend the under-5s offer from 12.5 to 15 hours from 2007/08?
The government is committed to increasing the free early education entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds to 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year by 2010 and enabling parents to use the entitlement more flexibly. Twenty pathfinder LAs are delivering the extended entitlement of 15 hours a week from April 2007. They are testing the demand for different kinds of flexibility and ways of working that will ensure such demand can be met by a diverse childcare market. Emerging learning from the pathfinder LAs can be found on the Every Child Matters website.
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Last updated on 13/04/2009
