Children's
& Young People's Services
Extended Services In and Around Schools
Funding for 3 & 4 Year Olds
Bexley's Extended Services In and Around Schools team working with the London Borough of Bexley is pleased to advise that children in Bexley are now eligible for a funded part-time pre-school or nursery place from the beginning of the term after their third birthday. Currently, this comprises five sessions per week of 2.5 hours per session.
Providers registered to receive the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) are not allowed to charge a top-up fee for the 2.5 hours, though they may make a charge for additional time and provision. The provider must make their charging policy clear when parents apply for a place.
A parent may choose to take up a place for up to five sessions per week. However, most parents of three year olds only take up one or two, the choice is up to you as a parent to state how many sessions you want for your child and advise your childcare provider accordingly.
This means that:
- children aged three on or before 31 August are eligible from the autumn term
- children aged three on or before 31 December are eligible from the spring term
- children aged three on or before 31 March are eligible from the summer term
This entitlement is based on the childcare provider being registered with Bexley’s Extended Services In and Around Schools Department to receive Nursery Education Grant Funding.
The funded places are available in nurseries or pre-school playgroups run by private, voluntary or independent organisations (known as providers) and also with accredited childminders who belong to the Childminding Network.
To be registered with Extended Services In and Around Schools and to be able to offer a funded part-time place, all providers must meet the following conditions:
- They need to be able to offer five free sessions a week for at least eleven weeks per term - each session being a minimum of 2.5 hours. *(For exceptions see below).
- They must be registered with Ofsted and be inspected to demonstrate satisfactory adherence to the Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage for care and educational provision.
- They must provide a programme of play and learning experiences based on the DCSF recommended curriculum Early Years Foundation Stage.
- They must make arrangements to meet the special educational needs of any child placed with them.
*The only exceptions to being able to offer the full five sessions is where it is not feasible to offer more because the provider is only open for part of the week or is over subscribed.
Where a parent is unable to obtain the full five sessions with one provider, they can claim the balance of the sessions with another provider and the grant can be apportioned accordingly.
All registered providers are subject to regular Ofsted Inspection, current Ofsted inspection reports are publicly available on  www.ofsted.gov.uk and parents are advised to look at the report before deciding where to place their child.
Grant paid for three and four year olds is based on a single headcount, normally taken the second week into each school term. The grant will be paid to the provider where the child is registered on this date and is not transferable. Any child moving to a different provider after this date will have to wait until the following term before another claim can be made on his or her behalf. If a child has a Local Authority school place and attends a private provider as well then the school place will take precedence since the Council cannot charge for its provision. In this instance no funding will be paid to the private provider.
Cross border arrangements
If you are a Bexley resident but choose to send your child to a provider in another borough, your child will still be eligible to a free place from the borough in which the provision is situated as long as the provider meets the eligibility criteria of registration with Ofsted and that Local Authority.
How do I apply for a place?
To apply for a place parents will need to contact the group(s) directly. Once a place has been offered the provider will apply for the grant on behalf of the child and no further action is necessary by the parent. The setting will then contact the Education & Community Services Finance Team at Hill View who will make the necessary arrangements for funding after confirmation of eligibility of the provider has been obtained.
If you would like further information please call Bexley FIS by phoning our help line. Our information officers will be happy to assist you.
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