Parent guide to funding
At a Glance: 15 hours or 30 hours depending on eligibility, tax-free childcare, universal credit, working tax credit
Entitlement Breakdown:
30 Hours Funded Childcare (Working Parents)
Eligible working families with children aged 9 months to 4 years can access up to 30 hours per week (38 weeks a year during term time).
Work & Minimum Earnings Requirements:
• Single Parents: Must be working and earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the
National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage over the next 3 months.
• Couples: Both partners must individually meet the 16-hour minimum earnings threshold.
• Zero-Hours / Variable Income: You meet the requirement if your total average earnings
over 3 months reach the minimum threshold.
• Parental Leave & Sick Pay: You are still considered "working" if you are currently on
statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, or sick leave.
Maximum Income Limit:
• Under £100,000: Neither parent can have an individual adjusted net income exceeding £100,000 per tax year. (If one parent earns £101,000 and the other earns £20,000, the family is not eligible).
Exceptions & Disability Support:
• If one parent works (meeting the minimum earnings) and the other has limited capability for work, receives Carer’s Allowance, or is entitled to specific disability/incapacity benefits, the household can still qualify.
15 Hours Early Learning for 2 Year Olds
The 15-hour scheme for 2-year-olds on low incomes or benefits is known as Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds (or targeted/disadvantage support). Unlike the working parents scheme, it does not require you to be working, and you do not need to reconfirm your details every 3 months.
Qualifying Benefits & Household Income
You qualify if you receive any of the following:
• Universal Credit – provided your household net earned income is £15,400 or less per year (after tax, excluding benefit payments).
• Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit – with a household income of £16,190 or less per year (before tax).
• Income Support.
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
• Guaranteed element of Pension Credit.
Child-Specific & Additional Criteria
A 2-year-old is automatically eligible regardless of family income if:
• They get Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
• They have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
• They are looked after by the local council (in care).
• They have left care via an adoption order, special guardianship order, or child arrangements order.
• No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF): Families with immigration restrictions can qualify if their household income stays under set caps (e.g., £26,500 for outside London with 1 child). Key Differences from Working Parent Funding
Key Rules & Application Dates
• When it Starts: Funding always begins from the start of the term after your child reaches
the age threshold - 9 months for 30 hours working parents, 2 years for 15 hours, 3 years
for universal 15 hours (Terms start: 1 September, 1 January, and 1 April).
• Application Deadlines: You must obtain your 11-digit eligibility code via the GOV.UK
portal before the start of the term:
◦ For Spring term (Jan start): Apply by 31 December
◦ For Summer term (Apr start): Apply by 31 March
◦ For Autumn term (Sept start): Apply by 31 August
• Reconfirmation: Working parents must reconfirm their details online every 3 months to keep their 30-hour code active.
Fees & Charging Policies
• What is Covered: Private hours only (no fee for funded hours).
• Additional Costs: Meals, snacks, trips, extra activities, and extended hours, you are able to opt in or out of these on a termly basis.
• Invoicing: Invoices are sent on a termly basis, broken down into monthly payments, to be paid in advance, late payments may incur additional charges
• Occasional holidays and absences are to be paid for, in line with our terms and conditions
• We require 4 weeks paid notice of leaving and 2 weeks notice for reducing days,
Exploring Your Childcare Options
• We use a stretched funding model providing childcare year round as we are open 51 weeks of the year with 1 week closure at Christmas, if you have alternative requirements please speak to the nursery manager and we will accommodate requests where possible.
Complaints & Raising Concerns
Step 1: Informal Resolution
• First Contact: Speak directly to your child’s Key Person, Room Leader, or Nursery
Manager.
• Goal: Most day-to-day concerns (e.g., forgotten items, minor routine queries, dietary
adjustments) are resolved quickly through open discussion.
Step 2: Formal Written Complaint
If an informal discussion does not resolve the issue, or if the matter is more serious, submit a formal written complaint (via email or letter) to the Nursery Manager or Provider Directors.
• Statutory Investigation Period: By law, early years providers must investigate written complaints and provide the complainant with a written account of the findings and any action taken within 28 days of receiving the complaint.
• Record Keeping: The setting is legally required to keep a written record of all formal complaints, outcomes, and action plans for inspection purposes.
Step 3: Escalation Outside the Nursery
If you remain unsatisfied after receiving the formal response, or if the issue relates to serious safety or statutory breaches, you can escalate further:
A. Local Authority / Early Years Team
• When to Contact: If your complaint involves funded childcare places, fee billing disputes
regarding state funding, or special educational needs (SEN) provision.
• Role: Local councils manage the local delivery of early years funding and can intervene if a
provider is breaching its funding agreement with the council.
B. Ofsted (The Regulator)
• When to Contact: If you believe the setting is failing to meet EYFS registration requirements, or if children’s safety/welfare is at risk.
• What Ofsted Does: Ofsted does not mediate personal or contractual disputes (such as billing disagreements). Instead, they evaluate whether the nursery is complying with safety and care regulations. They can trigger an unannounced inspection or order safety actions.
• Contact:
◦ Phone: 0300 123 4666
◦ Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
C. Safeguarding / Police
• If you have immediate child protection or safeguarding concerns, report them directly to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or Local Children’s Social Care team.
Contact the Police immediately if a child is in immediate danger.
Data Protection & Privacy
Core Uses of Data in Nursery
• Child Development & Learning Tracking:
Observations, milestone tracking, learning journals, and photos/videos are recorded to monitor progress under early learning guidelines (such as the Early Years Foundation Stage/EYFS) and tailor activities to each child's needs.
• Safeguarding & Health:
Medical histories, emergency contacts, allergy lists, dietary preferences, and accident or injury reports are maintained to protect physical health and meet safeguarding duties.
• Funding & Local Authority Reporting:
Dates of birth, addresses, National Insurance numbers, and funding codes (e.g., for 15 or 30 funded hours) are processed to claim state entitlements via local council returns and national early years censuses.
• Administration & Billing:
Parent contact details, payment info, invoicing logs, and attendance records are used for scheduling staff-to-child ratios, processing fees, and day-to-day operations.
• Regulatory Compliance & Ofsted:
Nurseries are legally required to maintain attendance registers, personnel records, and incident logs to demonstrate statutory compliance during inspections.
The nursery is GDPR compliant in line with the 7 core principles:
Lawfulness, Fairness & Transparency: You must have a valid legal reason to collect data, process it ethically, and clearly inform individuals about how it is used.
Purpose Limitation: Data can only be collected for specified, explicit purposes and cannot be reused for unrelated reasons without permission.
Data Minimisation: Collect only the absolute minimum amount of data required to fulfil your stated purpose.
Accuracy: Keep personal data accurate and up to date; erase or correct inaccuracies immediately.
Storage Limitation: Do not keep data longer than necessary; delete or anonymise it once it serves its purpose.
Integrity & Confidentiality (Security): Protect data against unauthorised access, theft, or accidental loss using strong cybersecurity measures.
Accountability: Organisations must maintain records and active policies to actively prove compliance.
Useful Websites and Resources
https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/get-childcare
https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare/apply-for-tax-free-childcare
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/09/how-to-apply-for-30-hours-free-childcare-and-find-
out-if-youre-eligible/