30 Hours Provision

30 Hours Funding

 

30 hours free childcare for working parents of three and four year olds was made available from September 2017. This can be used alongside tax-free childcare or childcare vouchers.

The government funds the extension of free childcare to support parents who currently work, wish to return to work or to increase their working hours, by making childcare more affordable. The 30 hours extended entitlement is double the pre 2017 provision for working parents of all 3 and 4 year olds and double the standard 15 hours entitlement for families who do not qualify for the extended hours.

Eligibility:

To be able to access 30 hours both parents need to be working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and;

• Each parent earns on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage
• Earns less than £100,000 per year (when one parent in a household has an income of £100,000 or more, that family will not be eligible to take up the extra free hours).

‘Working’ means both employed and self-employed persons may be eligible.

You do not need to actually work 16 hours a week, but your earnings must reflect at least 16 hours of work at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

Families may also be eligible where one parent gets benefits relating to caring responsibilities or a disability and the other parent is working.

The standard entitlement of 15 hours per week for 38 weeks will still be available even if you aren’t eligible for the additional entitlement.

Eligibility checking can be accessed via the HMRC website:

https://www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

At The Links Primary School, our core 30hr offer is as follows:

Monday- Friday: 8:45am-3:30pm (including 45 min lunch club)

Lunch club is an additional service over and above the funded 30hr provision. In the past we have been able to absorb this cost and not pass it onto parents. Unfortunately, from September 2022, this will no longer be able to be provided free of charge to parents. The cost for lunch club will be £2 per day, plus the cost of a school lunch if required (the school lunch is currently priced at £2.50 per day). A packed lunch can be brought from home if preferred. The £2 per day charge will be raised half termly in Arbor and can be paid weekly/monthly or half termly by card, childcare vouchers or tax free childcare.

Parents who are not eligible for the 30hr funding can access the standard 15hr entitlement. 15 hours provision will be offered as 8:45am – 11:45am Mon-Fri or 12:30pm-3:30pm Mon-Fri.

Parents of children who do not already attend 8:45am-3:30pm 5 days per week under the 30 hours funding can buy in additional sessions as and when required (subject to availability) at the usual rate of £4.97 per hour plus lunch club supplement of £2 per day if needed. This could either be for a parent who requires an ad hoc session or a parent who is only eligible for 15 hours but would like to self fund 30 hours attendance by paying the difference on a full time basis.

Both 15 hours or 30 hours provision can also be used in conjunction with our breakfast and after school clubs, which can be booked on a regular or ad hoc basis.

Breakfast Club – 7:30-8:45am (£5.50 per session)

After-School club – 3:30pm-6:00pm (£8.50 per session)

This allows children to access well over 30 hours across the week. This can be paid for through a combination of the 30 hours of free childcare funding, childcare vouchers, a tax-free childcare account or payment by parents.

Examples

• A child entitled to 30 hours, attends 5 days per week 8:45am-3:30pm. Parent pays £10 per week for lunch club.
• A child entitled to 15 hours, attends morning sessions 5 days per week. Parent occasionally needs child to stay all day. This is booked, subject to availability, parent pays £2 for lunch club and £4.97 per hour 12:30pm-3:30pm, total £14.91 one off fee each time.
• A child entitled to 30 hours, attends 8:45am-3:30pm 5 days per week. 2 days per week the child also stays for after school club. Parent pays £10 per week for lunch club and £8.50 per day for Afterschool Club.
• A child is entitled to 15 hours and attends mornings but parent wishes the child to attend all day 5 days per week. Parent pays £10 per week for lunch club and £4.97 x 15 = £74.55 per week for afternoon sessions.