Ofsted Registration Fee's

[Rea]

I have just read about this in the Under 5 contact magazine from the PLA.

Its about proposed increases to Ofsted reg. fee's and to a decrease in subsidies for the CRB checks.

Consultation ends on Feb 20th 2008

Childcare Act 2006: Fuure approach to fees and subsidies

 

The proposed increases are by 2010...Full day care from £155 to £450

Sessional increases from £20 to £400

Sessional providers extending to full day care £450.

[Guest]

That is a massive increase for sessional care. It goes up to £25 in 2008, £30 in 2009 and then a massive leap in 2010 to £400.

 

I thought the government were trying to get more people into childcare, not try and price us out of the market. That in addition to having to offer more hours over the next few years.

 

I think the time will soon come when I say THATS ENOUGH, i've had it and am going to give it all up. I do this job as a part time thing, however it takes up all of my days and MY LIFE!!!!!

[Guest]

Thanks for that link some one told me about the other day and I couldn't find it. Its a ridiculous increase, I'm a pre-school but open for more than four hours so come under the Day care section and to go from £155 to £400 is just another nail in the coffin. I have a meeting next week with our Borough Sub group committee about the funding we will bring it up there to see what they say. If they increased the funding by that percentage we wouldn't mind.

Will be what others think

Steph

[Inge]

They give with one hand and take it back with the other......

 

And the CRB check subsidy ... I like the comment about

 

Quote form 3.13 "the potential for providers’ to either pass the cost on to customers, or alternatively to require potential employees to obtain and pay for the checks themselves."

 

Particularly with settings like ours which tend to have 99% funded children attending and rules state we cannot charge for anything! So how can we pass the cost on to customers without breaking their rules?

But hey us underpaid employees can pay for it ourselves can't we?

 

Don't think I will be in this job much longer at this rate, we will end up closing because we cannot afford to stay open.

 

Inge

[Guest]

just had a read of the consultation document. It seems that because we don't open for 45 weeks we will be classed as sessional again and will have to pay the £400. If I've understood it correctly that is the response online is very simple do you agree NO!!!!!!

We have obviously been having our fees subsidised which I didn't realise. I thought £150 was paying for our registration but obviously not.

Maybe its late and I'm past understanding it all.

[Annie-pops]

I think the truth is that the majority of us subsidise the childcare system by virtue of accepting wages which are, in general, less than merited by the job we do and by also doing a lot of unpaid work behind the scenes. I can't see that there is any flex in the system for extra costs to be piled on top for settings which have no - or limited- scope to recoup these costs. We'll all be stacking shelves at Sainsburys if it carries on!!

[belle06]

Have added my comments to the consultation hopefully they will take notice if enough people respond in the negative

[Guest]

Totally disgraceful - it has to be passed onto the parents. We are struggling enough with not getting any help for quality high trained staff and cannot increase fees any furthar without losing people and has anyone read about the NEG again in Nursery World how we are not getting the same. How long can we survive until this government do something instrad of wasting billions on centres no one wants or needs. Keep the maintained sector, the private and voluntary providers back the way it was 10 years ago and this mess would never have happened. I know I am on the soap box again but I could cry the money that is being wasted on a duplication of our services.

[Rea]

My personal feeling is that the government want only state run settings for under 5's, be it in childrens centres or schools.

The EYFS requires all settings to have outdoor access, not all settings can, no matter how they try. State settings appear, from what I've seen , to have a huge advantage when it comes to funding, best equipment, best layouts etc.

Registration fee's might increase by over 1000%. Again a finacial burden only state settings could afford.

Subsidies for CRB checks might go.

NEG isnt sufficient in some areas, but no top ups are allowed. Well the council run settings I know, which are now called CC's dont appear to have any funding issues at all.

You can see from the amount of waste that goes on and the lack of ingenuity used when seeing a bag of rags or a box of empty bottles, that these people dont have to worry about budgets in quite the same way as a playgroup or private DN.

Childrens centres are springing up without public consultation, in areas where there is already good provision, usually private or voluntary, and they are either being forced to close or are taken within the CC, only to be swallowed up.

 

If my worries are shown to be wrong, I will be hugely relieved and thankful, but it's a fear I have that 10 years from now its where we'll be.

[Lou]

It's daylight robbery. I would not want to pass on any costs to my families.

[Guest]

I'm a childminder and the proposal is to increase the fee for registering on the compulsory Ofsted register for 5-7 year olds from £15 to £103 from sept 2008 AND to introduce staged increases for the compulsory birth to 5 year register from £20 in 2007 to £100 in 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great! as the average fees for a full time place in this area are £120 a week that's quite a financial blow. The NCMA website (www.ncma.org.uk) has a sample letter which can be used to submit a response to the consultation.

I know what my response is but I can't possibly say it here!

[Guest]

Oh my goodness I can't believe you have to pay registration fee's.

 

Once again, I'm fortunate living in Wales as once settings are up and running we have no ongoing registration fee's to pay. We just have to worry about the usual ongoing insurances, overheads and expenses.

 

I do feel for you all and it would be such a loss if any of your settings had no alternative than to close

I tend to agree with Rea and her thoughts that the Government only want State settings for the under 5's, they do appear to easily acquire funding for the best equipment etc.