Small World: Free hours information

Required reading...

The council require that you have access to the following Privacy Notice from the County Council

Free Early Education funded hours: we claim for you, you must complete a declaration each term

Small World only offers the 15 universal hours per week, not the extended 30 hours.  The free hours are offered in the afternoon. 

Early Education funded hours are available to all 3 and 4 year-old children and we automatically claim them on your behalf.  The claim will be for up to 15 hours of your child's normal weekly attendance pattern, term time only (38 weeks in the year).  These hours will be totally free.  Any other hours that your child attends will be charged, specifically for the hours that are not free, at the rates published.  (See also Current fees)  

A child is eligible from the term after their third birthday.  Free hours are taken into account your standing order calculation, but only from when your child is eligible. 
Note that the reduction in fees may be less than expected.  For example a three day attendance pattern (30 hours per week) will typically result in a saving of approximately 30% when 15 hours are free. 
Note also that no discounts are applicable with free sessions.

Oxfordshire County Council require a parental declaration form to be filled in and signed every term for every child that benefits from free funded hours and these forms are mandatory. 
We request the completion of such when we receive it from the council and according to their prescribed deadline.  Please make sure you return the form promptly, since we cannot claim without it. 
The form for the latest term (Autumn 2020) is published here or as a Word document copy here . 

Other information...

Oxfordshire's Information for parents: Free early education for 3 - 4 year olds,  

Oxfordshire's Information for parents: Free early education for 2 year olds,  

Timeline for Autumn 2020

Small World comment: Only when we receive the provider statement will we know if you have free sessions and how many

The timeline for Spring 2021 is likely to be given to Small World in December

Amount funded

The hourly funding rate from April 2020 will be £4.04 for 3 and 4 year olds and £5.52 for eligible 2 year olds.

A maximum of six (6) hours can be claimed for any one day. The minimum is two and a half (2.5) hours. So, to be able to claim the maximum of fifteen (15) per week, a child must attend over three days.

Parental Declaration

You [Small World] will receive one copy of this form to be given to all parents/caregivers. You [Small World] cannot make a claim without having a parent/caregiver complete this form each term.