Common use of The free entitlements Clause in Contracts

The free entitlements. 7.1. This section refers to the use of the Provider Portal to validate and process free entitlement claims. Guidance on signing up to and using the Provider Portal can be found on the Bracknell Forest website4. 7.2. The free entitlements, also known as ‘free places’ or ‘free hours’ are:  the 15 hour entitlement for the most disadvantaged 2 year olds, a total of 570 hours per year  the 15 hour entitlement for parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the universal entitlement), a total of 570 hours per year  the 30 hour entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the extended entitlement), a total of 1,140 hours per year 4 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxx.xxx.xx/children-and-family-services/childcare/information-early- years-providers/funding-information-early-years-providers/provider-portal 7.3. The DfE sets the dates of birth for the start of eligibility for the free entitlements, as set out in the table below. School term dates are not taken into account when determining eligibility. 1 April and 31 August 1 September (autumn term) 1 September and 31 December 1 January (spring term) 1 January and 31 March 1 April (summer term) 7.4. The provider should check original copies of documentation to confirm a child has reached the eligible age on initial registration. The provider can retain paper or digital copies of documentation to enable the local authority to carry out audits and fraud investigations. Where a provider retains a copy of documentation this must be stored securely and deleted when there is no longer a good reason to keep the data. 7.5. The local authority must ensure that a child has a free entitlement place no later than the beginning of the term following the child and the parent meeting the eligibility criteria for the free entitlements. 7.6. Children who have been admitted to primary school and are attending a state- funded or independent school reception class are not entitled to any additional free hours outside their school reception class place as local authorities can meet their duty to secure the universal entitlement through reception class provision. 7.7. A child who takes up their free entitlement part way through the year will be entitled to a pro-rata number of hours adjusted to reflect the portion of the year remaining. 7.8. Providers must not invoice parents for free entitlement hours. 7.9. Free entitlement places must be delivered by the provider free of charge with no “top up fees” to the parents. See Section 16 for guidance on optional additional charges. 7.10. The free entitlements are an entitlement to free hours of childcare must not be represented to parents as a monetary subsidy and used to discount fees (where funding received from the Local Authority is deducted from the standard hourly rate). 7.11. A child will be entitled to the free hours from the term after both of the following conditions are satisfied:  the child has attained the age of 2; and,  the child or parent meets the eligibility criteria. 7.12. Eligible 2 year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year. The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. Providers are advised to communicate this information in writing to the parents to aid open transparency. 7.13. If a child is entitled to free hours a code will be issued to the parent which they can share with their chosen childcare provider. Childcare providers should verify the 2-year-old eligibility code before confirming the availability of a funded place and/or the child starts attending. 7.14. Providers should offer places to eligible 2 year olds on the understanding that the child remains entitled to 2 year old funding until they become eligible for the universal entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds.

The free entitlements. ‌ 7.1. This section refers to the use of the Provider Portal to validate and process free entitlement claims. Guidance on signing up to and using the Provider Portal can be found on the Bracknell Forest website4. 7.2. The free entitlements, also known as ‘free places’ or ‘free hours’ are:  the 15 hour entitlement for the most disadvantaged 2 year olds, a total of 570 hours per year  the 15 hour entitlement for parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the universal entitlement), a total of 570 hours per year  the 30 hour entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the extended entitlement), a total of 1,140 hours per year 4 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxx.xxx.xx/children-and-family-services/childcare/information-early- years-providers/funding-information-early-years-providers/provider-portalEligibility‌ 7.37.2. The DfE sets the dates of birth for the start of eligibility for the free entitlements, as set out in the table below. School term dates are not taken into account when determining eligibility. 1 April and 31 August 1 September (autumn term) ) 1 September and 31 December 1 January (spring term) ) 1 January and 31 March 1 April (summer term) 7.47.3. The provider should check original copies of documentation to confirm a child has reached the eligible age on initial registration. The provider can retain paper or digital copies of documentation to enable the local authority to carry out audits and fraud investigations. Where a provider retains a copy of documentation this must be stored securely and deleted when there is no longer a good reason to keep the data.data.‌ 7.57.4. The local authority must ensure that a child has a free entitlement place no later than the beginning of the term following the child and the parent meeting the eligibility criteria for the free entitlements.entitlements.‌‌ 7.67.5. Children who have been admitted to primary school and are attending a state- funded or independent school reception class are not entitled to any additional free hours outside their school reception class place as local authorities can meet their duty to secure the universal entitlement through reception class provision. 7.77.6. A child who takes up their free entitlement part way through the year will be entitled to a pro-rata rata’d number of hours adjusted to reflect the portion of the year remaining. 7.87.7. Providers must not invoice parents for free entitlement hours. 7.9hours with the intention of refunding these costs once funding for the free entitlements has been received from BFC. Free entitlement places must be delivered by the provider free of charge with no “top up fees” to the parents. See Section 16 for guidance on optional additional charges.2-year olds‌ 7.10. The free entitlements are an entitlement to free hours of childcare must not be represented to parents as a monetary subsidy and used to discount fees (where funding received from the Local Authority is deducted from the standard hourly rate). 7.117.8. A child will be entitled to the free hours from the term after both of the following conditions are satisfied:  the child has attained the age of 2; and,  the child or parent meets the eligibility criteria.: 7.127.9. Eligible 2 2-year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year. The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. Providers are advised to communicate this information in writing to the parents to aid open transparency.year.‌‌ 7.137.10. If a child is entitled to free hours a code will be issued to the parent which they can share with their chosen childcare provider. Childcare providers should verify the 2-year-old eligibility code before confirming the availability of a funded place and/or the child starts attending. 7.147.11. Providers should offer places to eligible 2 year olds on the understanding that the child remains entitled to 2 year old funding until they become eligible for the universal entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds. 15 hours universal entitlement for all 3 and 4 year olds‌ 7.12. A child is eligible to the free hours from the term after their third birthday. 7.13. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year.‌‌ 7.14. All three and four year olds living in England are entitled to the universal entitlement from the term after their 3rd birthday irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s).‌‌‌‌ 30 hours extended entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds of working parents‌ 7.15. A child will be entitled to the extended entitlement from the term after both the following conditions are satisfied: 7.16. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to an additional 570 hours, making a total of 1,140 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year.‌‌‌ 7.17. The child’s parent must apply for the extended entitlement through the Government’s online service – Childcare Choices. Eligibility for the extended entitlement is determined by HMRC through this online application. The only exception to this is children in xxxxxx care.‌‌ 7.18. Parents who are unable to access the HMRC website or are experiencing difficulties completing the application should call the HMRC Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097 who will provide support using information supplied by the applicant over the phone. 7.19. Prior to checking an eligibility code or applying for 30 hours funding a provider must have: 7.20. Once a provider has received written consent from the parent, they should verify the 30 hours eligibility code on the BFC provider portal which has the Eligibility Checking Service built into it and enables providers to verify the 30 hours eligibility code swiftly and efficiently‌‌ 7.21. The provider portal will confirm the validity of 30 hours eligibility codes to allow providers to offer 30 hours places for eligible 3 and 4 year olds. Providers should confirm the validity of eligibility codes and the date from which funding can be claimed before offering a 30 hours funded place. 7.22. The provider portal reviews the validity of eligibility codes on an ongoing basis and meets the requirement to complete audit checks at 6 fixed points in a year, both at half term and at the end of term across the year (in line with the dates as listed at table A below). The expiration dashboard of the provider portal will notify providers where a parent has fallen out of eligibility and informs them of the grace period end date. Table A: Date Parent receives ineligible decision on reconfirmation: Audit Date Grace Period End date: 1 Jan – 10 Feb 11 February 31 March 11 Feb – 31 March 1 April 31 August 1 April – 26 May 27 May 31 August 27 May – 31 August 1 September 31 December 1 September – 21 October 22 October 31 December 22 October – 31 December 1 January 31 March 7.23. It is the provider’s responsibility to check the expiration dashboard regularly and contact parents where the eligibility code is nearing its end date to remind them to renew the eligibility code (reminders will have been sent to parents by the HMRC website). It is a parent’s responsibility to renew the eligibility code every three months.‌

The free entitlements. ‌ 7.1. This section refers to the use of the Provider Portal to validate and process free entitlement claims. Guidance on signing up to and using the Provider Portal can be found on the Bracknell Forest website4. 7.2. The free entitlements, also known as ‘free places’ or ‘free hours’ are:  • the 15 hour entitlement for the most disadvantaged 2 year olds, a total of 570 hours per year  • the 15 hour entitlement for parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the universal entitlement), a total of 570 hours per year  • the 30 hour entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the extended entitlement), a total of 1,140 hours per year 4 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxx.xxx.xx/children-and-family-services/childcare/information-early- years-providers/funding-information-early-years-providers/provider-portalyear 7.37.2. The DfE sets the dates of birth for the start of eligibility for the free entitlements, as set out in the table below. School term dates are not taken into account when determining eligibility. 1 April and 31 August 1 September (autumn term) 1 September and 31 December 1 January (spring term) 1 January and 31 March 1 April (summer term) 7.47.3. The provider should check original copies of documentation to confirm a child has reached the eligible age on initial registration. The provider can retain paper or digital copies of documentation to enable the local authority to carry out audits and fraud investigations. Where a provider retains a copy of documentation this must be stored securely and deleted when there is no longer a good reason to keep the data. 7.57.4. The local authority must ensure that a child has a free entitlement place no later than the beginning of the term following the child and the parent meeting the eligibility criteria for the free entitlements. 7.67.5. Children who have been admitted to primary school and are attending a state- funded or independent school reception class are not entitled to any additional free hours outside their school reception class place as local authorities can meet their duty to secure the universal entitlement through reception class provision. 7.77.6. A child who takes up their free entitlement part way through the year will be entitled to a pro-rata number of hours adjusted to reflect the portion of the year remaining. 7.87.7. Providers must not invoice parents for free entitlement hours. 7.9. Free entitlement places must be delivered by the provider free of charge with no “top up fees” to the parents. See Section 16 for guidance on optional additional charges. 7.10. The free entitlements are an entitlement to free hours of childcare must not be represented to parents as a monetary subsidy and used to discount fees (where funding received from the Local Authority is deducted from the standard hourly rate). 7.117.8. A child will be entitled to the free hours from the term after both of the following conditions are satisfied:  • the child has attained the age of 2; and,  • the child or parent meets the eligibility criteria. 7.127.9. Eligible 2 year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year. The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. Providers are advised to communicate this information in writing to the parents to aid open transparency. 7.137.10. If a child is entitled to free hours a code will be issued to the parent which they can share with their chosen childcare provider. Childcare providers should verify the 2-year-old eligibility code before confirming the availability of a funded place and/or the child starts attending. 7.147.11. Providers should offer places to eligible 2 year olds on the understanding that the child remains entitled to 2 year old funding until they become eligible for the universal entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds. 7.12. A child is eligible to the free hours from the term after their third birthday. 7.13. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. 7.14. All three and four year olds living in England are entitled to the universal entitlement from the term after their 3rd birthday irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). 7.15. A child will be entitled to the extended entitlement from the term after both the following conditions are satisfied: • the child has attained the age of 3 • the child’s parent has a current positive determination of eligibility from HMRC i.e. a valid 30 hours free childcare eligibility code. 7.16. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to an additional 570 hours, making a total of 1,140 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 1,140 hours a year. 7.17. The child’s parent must apply for the extended entitlement through the Government’s online service – Childcare Choices. Eligibility for the extended entitlement is determined by HMRC through this online application. The only exception to this is children in xxxxxx care – See section 9 below 7.18. Parents who are unable to access the HMRC website or are experiencing difficulties completing the application should call the HMRC Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097 who will provide support using information supplied by the applicant over the phone. 7.19. Prior to checking an eligibility code or applying for 30 hours funding a provider must have: • The 30 hours eligibility code, the child’s unique 11-digit number • Written consent from the parent to apply for the funding on behalf of their child • Seen original documents which confirm a child has reached the eligible age This is provided in the Parent Declaration Form 7.20. Once a provider has received written consent from the parent, they should verify the 30 hours eligibility code on the BFC provider portal which has the Eligibility Checking Service built into it and enables providers to verify the 30 hours eligibility code swiftly and efficiently 7.21. The provider portal will confirm the validity of 30 hours eligibility codes to allow providers to offer 30 hours places for eligible 3 and 4 year olds. Providers should confirm the validity of eligibility codes and the date from which funding can be claimed before offering a 30 hour funded place. 7.22. The provider portal reviews the validity of eligibility codes on an ongoing basis and meets the requirement to complete audit checks at 6 fixed points in a year, both at half term and at the end of term across the year (in line with the dates as listed at table A below). The expiration dashboard of the provider portal will notify providers where a parent has fallen out of eligibility and informs them of the grace period end date. Table A: Date Parent receives ineligible decision on reconfirmation: Audit Date Grace Period End date: 11 Feb – 31 March 1 April 31 August 1 April – 26 May 27 May 31 August 27 May – 31 August 1 September 31 December 1 September – 21 October 22 October 31 December 22 October – 31 December 1 January 31 March 7.23. It is the provider’s responsibility to check the expiration dashboard regularly and contact parents where the eligibility code is nearing its end date to remind them to renew the eligibility code (reminders will have been sent to parents by the HMRC website). It is a parent’s responsibility to renew the eligibility code every three months.

The free entitlements. ‌ 7.1. This section refers to the use of the Provider Portal to validate and process free entitlement claims. Guidance on signing up to and using the Provider Portal can be found on the Bracknell Forest website4. 7.2. The free entitlements, also known as ‘free places’ or ‘free hours’ are:  • the 15 hour entitlement for the most disadvantaged 2 year olds, a total of 570 hours per year  • the 15 hour entitlement for parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the universal entitlement), a total of 570 hours per year  • the 30 hour entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds (the extended entitlement), a total of 1,140 hours per year 4 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxx.xxx.xx/children-and-family-services/childcare/information-early- years-providers/funding-information-early-years-providers/provider-portalyear 7.37.2. The DfE sets the dates of birth for the start of eligibility for the free entitlements, as set out in the table below. School term dates are not taken into account when determining eligibility. 1 April and 31 August 1 September (autumn term) 1 September and 31 December 1 January (spring term) 1 January and 31 March 1 April (summer term) 7.47.3. The provider should check original copies of documentation to confirm a child has reached the eligible age on initial registration. The provider can retain paper or digital copies of documentation to enable the local authority to carry out audits and fraud investigations. Where a provider retains a copy of documentation this must be stored securely and deleted when there is no longer a good reason to keep the data. 7.57.4. The local authority must ensure that a child has a free entitlement place no later than the beginning of the term following the child and the parent meeting the eligibility criteria for the free entitlements. 7.67.5. Children who have been admitted to primary school and are attending a state- funded or independent school reception class are not entitled to any additional free hours outside their school reception class place as local authorities can meet their duty to secure the universal entitlement through reception class provision. 7.77.6. A child who takes up their free entitlement part way through the year will be entitled to a pro-rata number of hours adjusted to reflect the portion of the year remaining. 7.87.7. Providers must not invoice parents for free entitlement hours. 7.9. Free entitlement places must be delivered by the provider free of charge with no “top up fees” to the parents. See Section 16 for guidance on optional additional charges. 7.10. The free entitlements are an entitlement to free hours of childcare must not be represented to parents as a monetary subsidy and used to discount fees (where funding received from the Local Authority is deducted from the standard hourly rate). 7.117.8. A child will be entitled to the free hours from the term after both of the following conditions are satisfied:  • the child has attained the age of 2; and,  • the child or parent meets the eligibility criteria. 7.127.9. Eligible 2 2-year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year. The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. Providers are advised to communicate this information in writing to the parents to aid open transparency. 7.137.10. If a child is entitled to free hours a code will be issued to the parent which they can share with their chosen childcare provider. Childcare providers should verify the 2-year-old eligibility code before confirming the availability of a funded place and/or the child starts attending. 7.147.11. Providers should offer places to eligible 2 year olds on the understanding that the child remains entitled to 2 year old funding until they become eligible for the universal entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds. 7.12. A child is eligible to the free hours from the term after their third birthday. 7.13. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to a free place offering 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 570 hours a year. Providers are advised to communicate this information in writing to the parents in order to aid open transparency. 7.14. All three and four year olds living in England are entitled to the universal entitlement from the term after their 3rd birthday irrespective of the immigration status of the child or their parent(s). 7.15. A child will be entitled to the extended entitlement from the term after both the following conditions are satisfied: • the child has attained the age of 3 • the child’s parent has a current positive determination of eligibility from HMRC i.e. a valid 30 hours free childcare eligibility code. 7.16. Eligible 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to an additional 570 hours, making a total of 1,140 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year, until the child reaches compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday). The free entitlement may be stretched over more than 38 weeks (and up to 52 weeks). This means taking fewer hours per week, subject to a maximum of 1,140 hours a year. 7.17. The child’s parent must apply for the extended entitlement through the Government’s online service – Childcare Choices. Eligibility for the extended entitlement is determined by HMRC through this online application. The only exception to this is children in xxxxxx care – See section 9 below 7.18. Parents who are unable to access the HMRC website or are experiencing difficulties completing the application should call the HMRC Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097 who will provide support using information supplied by the applicant over the phone. 7.19. Prior to checking an eligibility code or applying for 30 hours funding a provider must have: • The 30 hours eligibility code, the child’s unique 11-digit number • Written consent from the parent to apply for the funding on behalf of their child • Seen original documents which confirm a child has reached the eligible age This is provided in the Parent Declaration Form 7.20. Once a provider has received written consent from the parent, they should verify the 30 hours eligibility code on the BFC provider portal which has the Eligibility Checking Service built into it and enables providers to verify the 30 hours eligibility code swiftly and efficiently 7.21. The provider portal will confirm the validity of 30 hours eligibility codes to allow providers to offer 30 hours places for eligible 3 and 4 year olds. Providers should confirm the validity of eligibility codes and the date from which funding can be claimed before offering a 30 hour funded place. 7.22. The provider portal reviews the validity of eligibility codes on an ongoing basis and meets the requirement to complete audit checks at 6 fixed points in a year, both at half term and at the end of term across the year (in line with the dates as listed at table A below). The expiration dashboard of the provider portal will notify providers where a parent has fallen out of eligibility and informs them of the grace period end date. Table A: Date Parent receives ineligible decision on reconfirmation: Audit Date Grace Period End date: 1 April – 26 May 27 May 31 August 27 May – 31 August 1 September 31 December 1 September – 21 October 22 October 31 December 22 October – 31 December 1 January 31 March 7.23. It is the provider’s responsibility to check the expiration dashboard regularly and contact parents where the eligibility code is nearing its end date to remind them to renew the eligibility code (reminders will have been sent to parents by the HMRC website). It is a parent’s responsibility to renew the eligibility code every three months.