What are enhanced provision charges?
EP charges are for items that are not covered by the free hours which are funded by the government. These are broken down into the following items and costs on your invoices:
- Food consumables: £7.00 per week
- Non-food consumables: £11.50 per week
- Trips and extracurricular activities: £10.00 per week
- Enhanced staffing ratios: £14.40 per week
Why do we need to charge enhanced provision charges:
There has been a lot of press around the “free hours” which parents may have seen or been aware of, it is causing a crisis within the childcare sector and the government seem to be unwilling to resolve the issue.
The issue is the government label these hours as “free hours” to all families, however do not fund them well enough to be free.
To break to down to its simplistic form, the hourly rate we receive from the local authority is hugely underfunded, especially the over 3 year rate. We receive as little as £5.63 and it cost us more to deliver these hours.
Therefore to be able to deliver these hours sustainably we need to, unfortunately, charge a small fee to families.
We charge a weekly enhanced provision charge of up to £49.20 for children using their full entitlement (22 hour per week) with us.
What does the Enhanced Provision Charge Cover?
We also want to ensure we provide value to our families for the enhanced provision charges, its not just nappies, wipes, snack and suncream.
The hourly rate provided by the local authority is to only cover the basic requirements for us to deliver the EYFS (Early Year Foundation Stage) this is a bit like our curriculum.
The EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) statutory framework only requires the minimum provision for learning, development, and care. However, we go above and beyond to enrich our children’s early years experiences. The following are not requirements for EYFS delivery, but they significantly enhance the quality of care and education that we can provide for your child. By charging for enhanced provision charge, as part of delivery the funded hours, we are able to deliver the following:
The list below detail all of the things that we provide that are over and above the EYFS that are provided by the enhances provision charge:
- Outdoor Learning & Nature Experiences
- Forest School sessions (fire-building, den-making, nature play)
- Mud kitchens & nature play areas
- Gardening activities & greenhouse growing
- Outdoor climbing frames & adventure play
- Trikes, scooters, and bikes
- Water play areas, sandpits, and refilling sand annually
- Bug hotels & mini-beast exploration kits
- Outdoor learning shelters & covered play areas
- Puddle suits, wellies & waterproofs provided by the setting
- Outdoor craft activities (e.g., bird feeders)
- Planting & maintaining nursery allotments
________________________________________
- Enriched Learning Through Trips & Outings
- Zoo, farm, and aquarium visits
- Museum visits & entrance fees
- Fire station & police station visits
- Library & rhyme time sessions
- Beach & seaside visits with buckets & spades
- Soft play, bowling, and cinema trips
- Sensory centre visits for enriched sensory learning
- Heritage sites and historical experiences
- Picnic trips with provided ice creams
- School transition trips & teacher visits
________________________________________________________________________________
- Creative, Messy & Sensory Play
- High-quality arts & crafts materials (canvas, acrylics, glitter, sequins)
- Sensory play trays (water, foam, kinetic sand, edible play materials)
- Baking, food play & cooking experiences
- Loose parts play & open-ended wooden resources
- Light tables & glow-in-the-dark sensory play
- Hatching chickens & butterfly life cycle experiences
- Themed craft projects (e.g., Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas)
- Enhanced craft activities (e.g., keepsake canvases, clay handprints)
- Home learning resource kits & take-home activities
________________________________________
- Specialist Music, Movement & Cultural Experiences
- Visiting musicians, storytellers, and performers
- Musical instruments & percussion sets
- Weekly Diddi Dance and Press pause yoga sessions
- Drama workshops & interactive role-play sessions
- World music & cultural celebrations
- Enhanced reading book schemes
________________________________________
- Additional Mealtime & Nutrition Support
- kitchen assistant to prepare all meals
- Staff time spent shopping for fresh food, nappies, wipes
- Two healthy snacks per day
- Fresh, organic, or premium food ingredients
- Special dietary catering beyond allergy requirements
- Baking activities & cooking lessons
- Drinks: formula, cow’s milk, fruit juice, water
- Meal times including picnics & meals out
________________________________________
- Seasonal & Celebration Events
- Christmas parties & gifts
- Halloween trails, face painting & party treats
- Easter activities & treats
- Leavers party celebrations & keepsake gifts
- Family parties & social events
- Stay & play sessions for families
________________________________________
- Transport & Accessibility Enhancements
- Pushchairs & buggies for younger children on trips
- Minibus running costs or taxi hire for day trips
- Extra staffing or enhanced ratios for trips to ensure safety
________________________________________
- Specialist Staff Training (Enhancing Quality Beyond EYFS Minimums)
- Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Waldorf training
- Neuroscience & brain development courses
- Outdoor learning & Forest School leader training
- SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) training
- Speech & language development courses
- Emotional coaching & positive behaviour training
- One-to-one or small group interventions (not SEND-related)
- Additional evening & weekend training
________________________________________
Additional Staffing & Enhanced Support
- Additional staffing for activities and experiences beyond the statutory EYFS (e.g. small group work, outdoor learning, enrichment sessions).
- Parent communication apps, enhanced development feedback, and extra observations/assessments beyond statutory EYFS requirements.
- Medication administration (not mandatory within EYFS).
- First aid training for staff that goes beyond the minimum statutory requirement.
- Washing and disposal of nappies, bibs, and flannels.
Do I have to pay these charges?
No, they are optional to families. However by agreeing to these, you will be supporting the nursery to be able to provide a better environment and more experiences for your child.
If parents chose to opt out of these charges. they will be able to access free hours between the hours of 13:30 – 17:30 every afternoon. Parents will be required to provide their own nappies, wipes, suncream, snacks and the children will not take part in any extracurricular activities or trips.
