mrsbat Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Sorry I am completely new to all the politics of funding, I've just successfully done all the funding forms for pre-school for the first time though - woooo lol anyway, I've read on here a few times about funded sessions going from 2.5 up to 3 hours. Is this right? if so does anyone know when it will be happening please? Just leading on from another thread I started really, asking if people charge when the session is longer than 2.5 hours? I don't want to bring in a charge if the funded sessions will be soon paid for 3 hours as that is what our sessions are? gawd, reading that back I hope someoen can make sense of it....it's been a very long day
korkycat Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Funding is paid at an hourly rate so when your LEA starts offering 15 hours flexible entitlement you will be able to claim the additional funding if you increase session times. Our LEA is already funding 15 hours but at the moment we are still only doing and claiming 2.5 hour sessions. We are waiting to see if it becomes compulsory as we would have children arriving over the first half hour in the morning as we serve at least 3 schools and at end of afternoons children will be leaving over last half hour - nightmare to manage! korkycat
Guest Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Hi, this is our second year providing the 15 hour entitlement. (we were a pilot county I think!) The forms I use now offer a chance to claim for 12.5 or 15 hours per week. I thought the 15 hours was statutory now..... maybe not everywhere???!!! Anyway the forms you use to claim will change when your area offers up 15 hours as the enitlement! If you offer 15 hours you cannot charge extra to the funding, I believe as each child is entitled to 15 free hours. Not sure if this makes sense or answers your question!!
Inge Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Ring your LEA and they will tell you when it will be available to you....it is really the only way you will find out..... but I would assume you would have been told by now if it is imminent..ours is sept 09... But then even if it is soon you would benefit from the extra income from charging for what has been a free service even for a short while... Inge
Guest Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Funding in our area of kent is only at min is for 12.5 hours will go upto 15, eventually it is going to be piloted in our area but only for a very select few who match the criteria laid down by KCC
Guest Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 I thought the 15 hours was statutory now..... maybe not everywhere???!!! We are on compulsary 15 hours now. I do believe that in 2010 are area we will be having to offer 4 hour sessions
Cait Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 goodness! So how are you planning to do that? Is it 4 hours, or a 20 hour weekly entitlement?
Lyanne Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 In Suffolk, it's currently still 12.5, rising to 15 for some areas from Sept 2009. Your LEA should have told you by now if that would apply to you! (It will be all Suffolk from Sept 2010.) Suffolk are applying the early 15 hours to the 25% most disadvantaged children by the area the school/preschool is located in, so all children attending that setting will be eligible for it - if the setting are offering it. We were told, when we offer the 15 hours, to let parents have the flexibility of using the full session times each day or not as they choose, but to claim the full 15 hours as otherwise, how would we make staff costs? Like korkycat, we can see tricky starts & finshes as we serve more than one school, but I guess we'll manage - afterall, most weeks there's someone who comes late or goes early. In terms of charging, Mrsbat, do you take non-funded children or offer extra sessions over the funded sessions? We do, so charge for them. We currently charge for 2.5 hour sessions, so will need to increase the fees to cover 3 hour sessions as that's what we're going to offer.
mrsbat Posted February 1, 2009 Author Posted February 1, 2009 In Suffolk, it's currently still 12.5, rising to 15 for some areas from Sept 2009. Your LEA should have told you by now if that would apply to you! (It will be all Suffolk from Sept 2010.) Suffolk are applying the early 15 hours to the 25% most disadvantaged children by the area the school/preschool is located in, so all children attending that setting will be eligible for it - if the setting are offering it. We were told, when we offer the 15 hours, to let parents have the flexibility of using the full session times each day or not as they choose, but to claim the full 15 hours as otherwise, how would we make staff costs? Like korkycat, we can see tricky starts & finshes as we serve more than one school, but I guess we'll manage - afterall, most weeks there's someone who comes late or goes early. In terms of charging, Mrsbat, do you take non-funded children or offer extra sessions over the funded sessions? We do, so charge for them. We currently charge for 2.5 hour sessions, so will need to increase the fees to cover 3 hour sessions as that's what we're going to offer. Hi, Yes we take non funded children as well we do have 6 sessions a week - 2 on a thursday as well. Our sessions have always been 3 hours long but never charged over the 2.5 hours, I'm just worried that if I start charging for the extra time they attend then the parents will get uppity. So long as the funding we receive will go up once we "have to" offer the 3 hours funded sessions then I think we'll be ok - as long as they do it quick i guess lol. I'll ting me lea this week to enquire when it will be coming in to force here. Thanks again
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 We are still receiving funding for 12.5 hours per week, I have read this it to change in Sept 2009 for 25% of nurserys in West Sussex area that are considered 'deprived areas' and then compulsary for everyone else in WS from Sept 2010.
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 As far as I am aware everyone not already involved in a pilot will allocate the 25% most deprived with 15 hours from September 2009 and the rest of the LA will move to 15 hours from September 2010. However there seems to be some flexibility in how the 25% is determined. Some authorities are using those settings in the most deprived areas while others have looked at the actual children in each setting and determined those settings which serve the 25% most deprived children. (That made more sense when I explained it to my manager the other day).
HappyMaz Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 (That made more sense when I explained it to my manager the other day). Makes perfect sense, Holly - our LA is doing it on a postcode basis of the setting so that no family will need to be 'means tested'. Those groups who have or will be selected will be informed, but I'm not sure when. So it might already have been put in motion... Maz
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 In our LA the settings have been identified but when they will bother to tell them is anyone's guess! They used the individual children but then used where they currently attend to give the setting a score rather than pointing out that certain children had a greater need. I know that the decision has been made as I have the piece of paper which says who is doing it this year but I also know that at least the PVI settings have not been told yet! We have no plans to make of course, can just chop and change at the drop of a hat.....
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 I have just been to a meeting on this in our area. The 15 hrs will be coming in from sept 2010 for everyone in our area, we have been told that we can offer the 15hrs anyway we like over the week, for example we can have 5hrs on a tues and thurs then a couple of shorter sessions, as long as the parents can access 15 hours, we have been told we will recieve £8.34 per hr and they are offering enhancements in the shape of one off payments over the year, one will be going on flexibility and the other on qualifications of the staff..... still not sure how we are going to do it!!!!!
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 Wow £8.34 an hour! that is more than we get now for the full funded session. I am very jealous.
HappyMaz Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 I am very jealous. Me too - although we will get enhancement for having an EYP (note the confidence I don't feel!). We await to see what our Borough will offer us as an hourly rate... Maz
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 OOh an enhancement for EYPs! Don't think we are getting that at ours and that's not me being pessimistic either! I know they have said there will be enhancements for those offering the hours flexibly which seems quite discriminatory to me as our setting for example cannot offer flexibility due to building usage but they won't give us any money to get our own building.
Cait Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 It would be great if it was a level playing field, wouldn't it
HappyMaz Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 OOh an enhancement for EYPs! Don't think we are getting that at ours and that's not me being pessimistic either! Its a quality enhancement, Holly - you're sure there isn't one in your area? I thought the enhancement criteria were pretty standard...
Guest Posted February 1, 2009 Posted February 1, 2009 Well we get some from the GLF but I assume that isn't what you are talking about! The whole thing is yet to be fully determined as far as I am aware and it would not be unusual for our LA to not know about something but they certainly did not mention it at all at the meetings I've been to nor at the EYP network meetings either. I might give them a call - I could do with upping the number of responses they haven't made for the year so far!
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