As per the provider agreement for funding free places for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, providers should be clear and communicate to parents details about the days, times and weeks they offer free places, along with their services and charges.
For providers claiming funding over 38 weeks (often referred to as term time only offer), the council suggests the following weeks per term. Usually there are 195 days/39 weeks per academic year with 5 inset days/1 week (not funded).
Term dates | Estimated number of weeks per term |
|---|---|
Summer term | Usually 12 weeks |
Autumn term | Usually 14 weeks |
Spring term | Usually 12 weeks |
Providers offering term time only provision must make allowance for INSET days during school term dates to make sure they do not exceed the maximum allocation.
For providers offering a stretched offer, where fewer funded hours per week are delivered across more than 38 weeks of the year, the total annual allocation of 570 universal hours and 570 hours extended hours (if eligible), is divided by the providers operating week.
Weeks when providers are closed cannot be used to calculate a stretched free entitlement offer.
For providers offering a stretched offer, the number of funded weeks per term will be dependent on when your setting is open. You will need to calculate the number of weeks you are open in each term. An example is listed below:
Term dates | Maximum number of weeks |
|---|---|
Summer - 1 April to 31 August | Usually 22 |
Autumn - 1 September to 31 December | Usually 17 |
Spring - 1 January to 31 March | Usually 13 |
Total | 52 weeks |
Early Years Team
