Saving money

Small World: Free hours information

This information is now out-of-date.

Updated 4th December 2020    

Required reading...

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

Free Early Education funded hours

universal 15 hours

Until 31st December 2020 Small World only offers the free universal 15 hours per week, not the extended 30 hours.  The free hours are only available in the afternoon.

Early Education funded hours are awarded 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 are totally free.  Any other (non-free) hours that your child attends will be charged 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 of attendance (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 them from the council.  Please make sure you return the form promptly, since we cannot claim without it. 

30 hours from January 2021

Small World will be able to offer the universal and extended hours from January 2021  Up to 30 hours free per week will be possible from the New Year! 

As per the universal hours, Small World will continue to only offer free sessions in the afternoon.  This means that only attendance patterns that include a full afternoon’s attendance will be eligible – 8am to 6pm and 1pm to 6pm attendances, not 8am to 4pm (school days).  The universal 15 hours per week will remain applicable where “30 hours” is not. 

In practice the following hours will be possible (some examples)

Attendance pattern Attendance hours Free hours per week Likely saving *
(annually)
Likely extra saving *
(over 15 hours)
Full time, all week (5 days) 8am to 6pm 30 £ 3,673.00 £ 2,059.60
Four full days 8am to 6pm 24 £ 3,526.40 £ 1,178.00
Three full days 8am to 6pm 18 £ 2,644.80 £ 296.40
Mornings only 8am to 1pm  0 (zero)
Five School days 8am to 4pm 15 universal hours £ 1,749.90
Four School days 8am to 4pm 12 universal hours £ 1,749.90
Three School days 8am to 4pm  9 universal hours £ 1,749.90
Five afternoons 1pm to 6pm 25 £ 6,764.00 £ 3,515.00
* Estimated annual amounts based on an average year.

IMPORTANT: You must apply for a code in advance to be able to claim more than the 15 Universal hours

It is important that you apply for this code well in advance of the term and provide it to us as soon as possible.  Our understanding is that this is required two months in advance, so November for January! 
Please provide as soon as possible by email to Accounts@SmallWorldMontessori.co.uk Accounts@SmallWorldMontessori.co.uk the following information...     Amended 9th November 2020

We require this For Example Please note
Eligibility reference number/code 70148033276
Parent's National Insurance number ZL527891B No spaces or dashes, please!  We actually don't need to know which parent/guardian
Child's name if different from what we invoice; exactly as you enter for the code
Child's date of birth if not known by Small World; maybe useful to confirm

Instructions and details are published at… www.gov.uk/30-hours-free-childcare

You can apply directly at ... www.gov.uk/apply-30-hours-free-childcare     Apparently it usually takes 20 minutes to apply.

Timeline for Spring 2021

Thursday 21-January Parental Declarations deadline
Monday 1-February Deadline for receipt of all NEF claims to OCC
probably Wednesday 10-March Provider statements are sent (to Small World)

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

The form for the latest term (Spring 2021) is published here or as a Word document copy here . 


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) universal hours per week, a child must attend for three days. 
And to be able to claim the maximum, included extended hours, (30) per week, a child must attend for five days. 

Free hour funding is termly only and the number of weeks each term is...

Term Weeks
Spring 12
Summer 12
Autumn 14
Total (annually) 38

Parental Declaration

A parent declaration form must be completed are returned each term.  The council sets a deadline of Small World's application for free hours, your form must be in before the deadline! 

Changes since October 2020    +   Click to expand