News
Please see below our new funding and session model. In operation from April 2025 & September 2025
Dear families,
Last week of term you received an email regarding the upcoming National Insurance Contributions we are facing as a charity-run pre-school. On Friday, 21st February we were delivered yet another blow from our government on funding. Although these funding changes for families are fabulous, this is disastrous news for Honeybees and other early years providers.
You can read these updates here from the Government:
England funding rates 2025-26: won’t factor in National Insurance Contributions - NDNA
Early education and childcare (effective from 1 April 2025) - GOV.UK
From 1st April 2025
In order to tackle the increase in National Insurance Contributions, we have been forced to increase our fees from April 2025. This is a decision we have not taken lightly and unfortunately is on a ‘need’ basis rather than a want. Our new fees will be:
· Late Bee £10 per session.
· Three- and four-year-olds £7.40 per hour.
· Two-year-olds up to three-years £8.00 per hour.
· Under Two-years-olds £12.50 per hour.
· Our termly fee of £60 - will now be voluntary and a monthly amount at £15.*
· Our £25 registration fee - This will now be voluntary and clearly marked on your invoice to reflect this.
· We will now be invoicing monthly, instead of termly. We will be issuing invoices on the 1st of each month which will need to be paid the 1st of the following month.
So that we comply with the new Government requirements, and continue to remain transparent with our families, our changes will be:
Our termly fee of £60 - will now be voluntary and a monthly amount at £15.*
*As the word voluntary suggests, parents are not obliged to pay but we strongly request that you do so to allow us to deliver an outstanding quality provision for our children. This voluntary contribution covers our enhanced provision and extra experiences, such as:
· Day trips such as outings in the community/ train/bus journeys.
· Dance, yoga, forest school equipment, tuff tray resources.
· Extra staff cover for taking children to Plumpton Primary school as part of the ‘Transition to School’ experience.
· Healthy snacks which include fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates and proteins.
· Twice-weekly cooking activities.
If you wish to opt out of this voluntary contribution, we are fine with this but please let us know so that we can itemise the above on your invoice.
· For example, if your child does not take part in yoga, dance or transition to school activities (which Honeybees pay for these services or provides an additional member of staff to supervise) we will obviously not be charging you. However, if your child does take part in these activities there will be a breakdown on your invoice which you will have to pay.
· Another example is that if you do not want your child to have access to the Honeybees snack, this is absolutely fine, and you can choose to bring in your child’s healthy snack in a named container. However, if you forget to do this, you will be charged a small amount to cover the cost of snack, and this will be clearly itemised on your invoice.
· If you do not wish your child to take part in any of the above activities, again this is fine, we will continue to ensure that your child is offered an educational alternative.
Changes to our hours offered from September 2025:
· We will only be offering daily sessions of 8.30am-3.30pm and no sessional hours.
· For working families of children from nine months old and upwards entitled to 30 hours, Honeybees will be offering our families up to the maximum of 28 hours to use here. (For example, four full days).
· Families in receipt of 15 hours we will be offering up to the maximum of 14 hours to use at Honeybees. (For example, two full days).
· Parents can continue to pay for any extra hours on top of their funded hours, if you wish to.
· Parent can still access Late Bee sessions if required. Funded hours cannot be used at Late Bee sessions.
We operate as a community-run, not for profit charity and have served our families for many years. Without monies coming in which help to keep us afloat, we will have no choice but to close. Our new fee model reflecting the most recent Government funding and our additional charges are there to make us sustainable by bridging the gap in the funding rate we receive from the government and what is actually needed to run our setting on an hourly basis.
To put this into perspective, we have done the following calculations:
If you paid for 35 hours of childcare per week, Monday-Friday 8.30am-3.30pm, you would pay the following amounts:
Age
Without funding
With 28-hour funding
Saving
Three- and four-year-olds
£259.00
£51.80
£207.20
Two-year-olds
£280.00
£56.00
£224.00
Under two-year-olds
£437.50
£87.50
£350.00
Monthly voluntary contribution £15
£3.75 a week
Description
Unit
Unit price
Funded entitlement hours –
· 28 hours per week for families in receipt of working 30 hour entitlement.
· 14 hours per week for families in receipt of 15 hour entitlement.
Weekly
Free
Additional hours purchased –
· Three- and four-year-olds.
· Two-year-olds up to three-years.
· Under Two-years-olds per hour.
· Late Bee session – Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday
Daily
Daily
£51.80
£56.00
£87.50
£10.00
Late payment for monthly invoices.
£6 per day late
Morning snack – Fruit, vegetables, carbohydrate.
Daily
75p per child
Voluntary registration fee
One off
£25.00
Additional voluntary services – For example: train/bus trips, forest school equipment, dance, yoga, tuff tray resources, twice weekly cooking sessions.
Monthly voluntary contribution
£15.00
If you do not wish to pay for specific consumables, for example because you wish to provide your own, please can you notify Sam as soon as possible so next steps can be discussed.
*We are expecting a huge rise in families requesting their 30 hours of funding from September 2025. Therefore, please confirm, as soon as you can, which full days you would like your child to attend from September in order to secure your preference*
Honeybees is a registered charity (Registered Charity No. 1022441) you can help support us by shopping with Amazon Smile. Every purchase you make Amazon will donate 0.05% of your total bill in cash to us with no extra cost to you!
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