Funded hours & Extended funded hours
Funded Hours and Hours at Setting.
Funded hours are the total number of free child care hours that a child receives. All two, three and four year old pupils are eligible for 15 hours funded child care a week.
Hours at Setting include funded hours (as described previously) plus any additional hours funded by other means. The hours collected in this return are for the week in which the census day falls.
Funding hours & Extended funded hours cannot add up to more than the hours at setting.
Extended Funded Hours and 30 Hour Code.
Extended Funded Hours are the number of hours that are in addition to the initial 15 funded hours that a child receives and is applicable to three and four year old pupils only.
Extended Funded hours can double the original 15 hours of free child care to 30 hours a week, provided that the following criteria are met:
- Both parents must be working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family) and live in England.
- Each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
- Each parent must have an annual income of less than the specified amount.
Parents who meet the extended funded hours criteria must obtain a code from the Tax Office (HM Revenue & Customs), then provide it to the school, together with other details, to confirm their eligibility for extended child care hours. The 11 digit 30 Hour Code and the number of extended funded hours are collected in this return for the week in which the census day falls.
Funding hours & Extended funded hours cannot add up to more than the hours at setting.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Values for Funded Hours, Hours at Setting and Extended Funded Hours should be entered using two decimal places. For example, 1 hour 15 minutes must be entered as 1.25. Zero (0) is an accepted value. If the value entered is within the accepted range but higher than expected by the DfE, a validation error is displayed when the return is created and validated. An explanation as to why the value is higher should be recorded on the COLLECT Portal.
