Statutory Guidance Changes on Consumables Charging
Statutory Guidance Changes on Consumables Charging
The government has released updated guidance to enhance transparency around the allocation of funded hours, as well as charges for top-up fees and consumables. The guidance emphasises that these charges cannot be a condition for parents accessing their funded hours. Childcare providers will now be required to offer a clearer breakdown of any fees passed on to parents. However, it's worth noting that childminders and providers caring for 10 or fewer children at a time may be exempt from point A1.35, but the other changes may still apply.
Some of the changes include:
• Providers should publish information on their websites detailing the costs of any chargeable extras and the available patterns of hours for parents using their funded entitlements.
• Invoices must clearly break down charges, specifying free entitlement hours, top-up fees, and consumables.
• Guidance will clarify what does not qualify as a consumable and therefore cannot be charged for.
• While providers are allowed to charge top-up fees, these must be specific and transparent, not labelled under vague terms like “consumables” or “lunches.”
• Top-up fees must remain optional and cannot be a requirement for parents to access their funded entitlement hours.
Invoices and receipts should be itemised, and local authorities should work with providers to ensure their invoices break down separately into:
1. Free entitlement hours
2. Additional private paid hours
3. Food charges
4. Non-food consumables charges
5. Activities charges.
Local authorities should ensure these itemised invoices are in place by January 2026. The guidance makes clear that early years providers should ensure parents are aware of any additional charges before taking up their child’s funded place, and that charges must not be included as a condition for parents accessing their hours.
The updated Early Education and Childcare statutory guidance for local authorities can be found here.
Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2
https://www.pacey.org.uk/update-from-pacey-funding-and-additional-charges-in-england/
https://www.pacey.org.uk/changes-to-consumables-charging-and-details-of-the-75-million-expansion-grant/