Coventry Schools' Early Education Funding Entitlement

Fee information checklist for schools delivering early education entitlement funding

Does the school's fee information:

• Include the school's name, address, telephone, and email contact details?
• State opening hours?
• Make clear to parents that funded entitlement hours are completely free of charge during specified hours/sessions/days?
• Include details of the specific models of delivery offered for 15 or 30 hours,for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds, including the number of standalone places,times, days and sessions.
• Tell parents about the maximum number of funded weeks/hours in each term and academic year, and which weeks/dates are covered in each funding period?
• Highlight to parents that all children in receipt of 3- and 4-year-old funding must have taken up a place before the termly census/headcount date?
• Make clear to parents, the policy the school will follow, where parents choose to relocate their child to a new provision/school, following the school’s submission of termly census/headcount data to Coventry City Council.
• Highlight to parents who are in receipt of a 30-hour funded place, that they must re-confirm their eligibility every 3 months, as prompted by HMRC and the consequences, should the parent fail to do so.
• Set out contractual expectations relating to specific models which combine ‘privately paid for’ and funded hours? E.g., 7:45am 12:00pm.
• Include charges for ‘privately paid for’ hours for 2-, 3 - and 4-year-olds?
• Clearly outline each of the funding entitlements offered for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds and tell parents how they can apply?
• Highlight to parents that the provision of consumables will be provided at an additional, voluntary cost to the parent, during the days/sessions a child is accessing a funded place. Cost should be stated.
• Highlight to parents the school’s policy on how they will respond if parents are unwilling or unable to opt into any voluntary charges.
• State the terms, conditions and costs involved, for any parent wishingto purchase additional hours and any fees which will be incurred for late collection?
• Enable parents to easily reconcile fee information against their invoice, so that they can clearly identify what they have been charged for and why?
• State how parent can apply for and use a Tax-Free childcare account?
• Inform parents about additional funding payments such as Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) and Disability Access Funding (DAF)?

Invoices and receipts

Schools should ensure they have clear invoice/receipt structures in place which enable parents to easily reconcile invoices with charges detailed in the school’s fee information. Invoices should be fully itemised to show a breakdown of all aspects of the fee including funded hours, additional ‘paid for’ hours, and items.

Please note, funded entitlement hours must not be presented as a monetary value and therefore must be shown as zero cost. This is to ensure that parents can see that their children have received funded hours completely free of charge at the point of delivery.
Invoices will not be required where parent access funded hours only and do not pay for any additional voluntary charges.

Checklist for invoices and receipts

Is the following information clearly detailed on the invoice/receipt issued to parents?

• Provider name
• Provider address
• Provider contact
• Invoice number
• Invoice date
• Nursery tel/email
• Parent name and contact details
• Child’s name
• Itemised pricing information which is clearly reconcilable with the information you have provided on the fee information
• The total number of funded hours and weeks allocated for the term
• The total number of hours contracted to attend in this invoice period (both privately paid for and funded hours)
• The total number of funded hours claimed. These must be shown as hours and are not represented as a monetary value. E.g. 60 funded entitlement hours = £0.00
• Additionally purchased ‘privately paid for’ hours are clearly itemised E.g. 10 hours @ £? (School rate)
• Charges for consumable items are clearly listed

Early Education Funding Delivery - Compliant Invoice Examples

Please see examples of invoices that would be considered compliant with government and Coventry City Council requirements. Schools should use these examples to ensure compliance against the requirements.