Over how many weeks of the year can funding be offered?
Providers can choose to offer funded hours as:
- 38 weeks of the year - often aligned to school term times, but it does not have to be. For example - in summer term (April to August) this could mean a provider who supplies funding as 38 weeks could take on a late starter from late May or early June and the child could still get the full 13 weeks that are allocated in summer under the 38 weeks offer.
- 'stretch' offer - this is funding supplied over more (than 38) weeks of the year of the year but for fewer funded hours per week as hours are 'stretched' out. Parent do not lose funded hours they are supplied over a longer period of time.
- a mixture of both 38 weeks and stretch - providers can be flexible depending on the requirements of their families i.e. one child may have funding over 38 weeks, whereas another child could have funding as stretched.
Please note: A single child cannot be claimed a both 38 weeks and stretch, at the same setting/site.
How many weeks are funded each term?
| Term | No of weeks for 38 week over | 38 week total in hours | No of weeks as Stretched | Stretched total hours (48 week example) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 11 | 330 hours | 12 | 285 hours |
| Summer | 13 | 390 hours | 20 | 475 hours |
| Autumn | 14 | 420 hours | 16 | 380 hours |
Additional guidance on flexibility
- Parents can only change from 38 week / term time offer to stretch (or vice versa) at the beginning of a new term.
- Providers must supply funded hours in the same manner as they claim it. For example: if funding is claimed for a child as 38 weeks, this is how the funded hours must be given to the family. Similarly, providers who claim funding a stretched must give funding to families as stretched.
Important - Providers should keep track of funding used up by a child when changing from stretch to term time funding or when a child has moved from another setting as there could be occasions when a child used up their entitlement before the end of the third term in a 12 month period. This can occur when a child has changed from stretched to a 38 week offer or vice versa or leaves the provider. Parents have still had access to their entitlements but depending how a child accesses funded hours.
