I spent £850 getting my son’s nursery place sorted

A pair have been left £850 out of pocket after securing a nursery place for his or her then unborn son in 2021, however having to cancel when plans modified. 

On common, dad and mom spend a £71 to get their youngster on a ready record for a nursery as they battle it out for spots on the most sought-after spots, in line with new analysis. 

The fees additionally typically take the type of non-refundable registration charges. Other charges, like acceptance deposit fees, may apply. In many instances, charges will be far increased. 

Self-employed Kate Chisnall, 34, lives in Somerset along with her husband, 35, and their son, who’s two-years-old. 

Kate Chisnall, who runs the Happy Birth Coach firm, forked out upfront nursery charges

In whole, the pair spent £850 to safe a spot for his or her son at a non-public nursery in Somerset. The acceptance payment got here in at a hefty £750 and was solely refundable if sure standards are met.

Kate, who runs the Happy Birth Coach firm, began looking for nurseries for her unborn son along with her husband in September 2021. 

The couple discovered an acceptable non-public nursey in Somerset and stumped up a non-refundable registration payment of £100 in October 2021. 

On high of that, in December 2021, and as soon as their utility was accepted, the couple paid an acceptance payment of £750. 

Kate has no challenge paying the £100 non-refundable registration payment, however thinks the £750 acceptance payment was excessive, significantly as plans for her son’s training modified. 

Kate advised This is Money: ‘As the nursery is a part of a non-public faculty, the £750 is refundable if our son stays there up till 12 months three of faculty. 

‘However, this isn’t our plan and we have chosen a state faculty for him to go to when the time comes. This means the £750 payment we paid won’t be refunded.  

‘I really feel the payment is unfair as it’s not clear what that is paying for. 

‘However, we did know in regards to the acceptance payment earlier than becoming a member of the nursery so it wasn’t a shock, and the nursery suited us greatest for plenty of causes so we now have come to just accept it.

She added: ‘I really feel the registration payment is honest, however the acceptance payment is on the excessive aspect and I’m not conscious of different nurseries who cost each charges.’

She added: ‘A single payment throughout all areas would make it extra accessible for all to entry childcare throughout the geographical space.’

This is Money has seen the phrases and circumstances the place the charges are clearly outlines – however many dad and mom really feel underneath stress to pay up to be able to not miss out on a spot. 

It is now believed 70 per cent of nurseries in Britain are asking dad and mom to pay a non-refundable upfront payment earlier than their youngster has began, the information from Direct Line revealed this week.

With a 3rd of nurseries imposing a non-refundable ready record payment, the common charges imposed vary from £5 to £199, in line with the findings.

Childcare and parenting organisations have criticised the apply for putting additional monetary stress on dad and mom already coping with spiralling residing prices.

Parents of two or extra kids may very well be spending a three-figure sum simply to put their kids on a ready record for a nursery spot that will not exist.

In London, common non-refundable upfront charges are £103, with 89 per cent of nurseries within the capital charging such charges. 

> Have you seen outrageous nursery registration charges? Get in contact: [email protected]