Same with free school meals, they cover like £1.20 per child but our school supplier is £1.50 so the deficit comes from the school budget
Not remotely surprised. The free hours at 3+ have always been massively underfunded relative to the actual cost of providing childcare, so nurseries had to resort to all sorts of extra fees to make up the difference.
Without radically improving the funding, it was always going to be the same when 2+ funding kicked in.
I know educational budgeting has its own issues, but it’s mad that they’ll take your kid for free from 5-18, but not before that.
How much tax revenue is lost from people (usually women too) who no longer work because it’s cheaper than paying for nursery?
3 comments
Same with free school meals, they cover like £1.20 per child but our school supplier is £1.50 so the deficit comes from the school budget
Not remotely surprised. The free hours at 3+ have always been massively underfunded relative to the actual cost of providing childcare, so nurseries had to resort to all sorts of extra fees to make up the difference.
Without radically improving the funding, it was always going to be the same when 2+ funding kicked in.
I know educational budgeting has its own issues, but it’s mad that they’ll take your kid for free from 5-18, but not before that.
How much tax revenue is lost from people (usually women too) who no longer work because it’s cheaper than paying for nursery?