Tag Archive for: Tooting Common

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The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme – A Complete Guide

The Tax-Free Childcare scheme: a complete guide for parents

Back in February, we published our ‘Rough Guide to Free Childcare Funding in England‘. This proved very useful to eligible parents and guardians who wanted to understand more about the free childcare funding that was available from the Government. For any parent or guardian, totally free childcare is a no-brainer and is usually the best source of childcare funding to consider first. However, for those who are not eligible, there’s another scheme to consider, called the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. While you do have to pay for the childcare yourself, a kind of tax ‘rebate’ (of sorts) helps to cushion you from having to pay for the entire cost.

Young boy drawing at pre-schoolThe Tax-Free Childcare Scheme could save you thousands

The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme

Under the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare Scheme, the Government effectively offers up to £2,000 of help per child, per year, for childcare, or up to £4,000 per year if they are disabled. It’s rather like crediting you back some income tax on the (tax-paid) money you’re going to be spending on childcare, which is why the scheme is called the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme.

How it works

If you are eligible, you simply open a Tax-Free Childcare Account on the Government website. For every 80p you pay in, the Government will put in an additional 20p (this is the part that’s akin to getting the Income Tax back on the money you’re going to spend on childcare). Using this approach, you can save up to £10,000 for childcare, per child, in your Tax-Free Childcare account. As mentioned above, you get even more back from the Government if the child in question is disabled.

Rules for eligibility:

  • Nursery table with play clay and wooden letters The Tax-Free Childcare Scheme is available to parents of children up to the age of 11 inclusive, or 16 inclusive if they’re disabled.
  • You, and your partner, if you have one, need to be working. (If you are a single parent, that’s OK).
  • If one of you is not working but is in receipt of specific benefits, the other can still be eligible. Those received benefits include various disablement and incapacity allowances, Carer’s Allowance, contribution-based employment & support allowance and National Insurance credits awards for incapacity/limited capacity to work.
  • If you have not yet begun working, but will begin working within the next 31 days, you can still apply.
  • Being on sick leave does not stop you from being eligible.
  • Each partner in the household, if there is more than one, needs to earn £140 or more per week (this is tied to the National Minimum Wage i.e. the equivalent of working 16 hours per week, if over 25, at time of writing). Those who have been self-employed for less than a year are not subject to the minimum above. Those who have been self-employed for more than a year will need to use an average of income for the next 3 months or entire current tax year to see if they’re eligible on the above basis.
  • Each parent must earn less than £100k per annum.
  • Those on maternity, paternity or adoption leave are still eligible on the above basis, but can only claim for children they are not on parental leave for.
  • Your chosen childcare provider must be registered with the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme along with at least one of the following regulators: Ofsted, the Early Years Register or the Childcare Register.

Under-five girl painting rainbowAlong with helping to fund nursery places at places like Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, Tax-Free Childcare can also be used to fund the costs of other kinds of childcare service, so long as they’re registered as outlined above. Examples include play groups, breakfast clubs, some holiday activities like sports and even summer camps.

Is Eligibility affected if I’m working less due to coronavirus measures?

The short answer is no, i.e. if you’re temporarily working less because your work has been limited by the measures put in place to fight coronavirus, you can still claim.

How to apply for Tax-Free Childcare

To apply, sign up for Tax-Free Childcare at the Government site. It only takes 20 minutes or so. You’ll need your National Insurance number and your UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference) if you’re self-employed. If you have a partner that you are making a joint claim with, the same two things are required for them, but you only need one account for the both of you.

Once your application has been accepted (it’s usually pretty fast), the Government’s 20% contribution usually goes into your account within just a few hours of you crediting the account with your 80%. Please note that there is a maximum credit of £500 per quarter from the Government. For this reason, it’s wise to credit your account with your contributions all year round if you have particularly high childcare costs that come in one shorter period within the year.

Young girl with mermaid drawingTIP: If you want the Government’s contribution to go into your account faster, your payment needs to be paid by Bank Transfer (rather than, say, via a debit card or standing order, although those still work fine if you don’t mind waiting a while longer for the Government’s corresponding contribution).

How to pay your childcare provider

Once your Tax-Free Childcare account is showing available funds, these can be sent directly to your childcare provider by selecting them from within the account and then transferring the appropriate amount to them. As above, they will usually receive the payment very fast although obviously it takes a little longer if you make a payment over a weekend or Bank Holiday. Allow up to 3 working days, in a worst case scenario.

Looking for childcare services in Streatham or south west London?

Little Cedars Day Nursery is based in Streatham, London, SW16. If you’re in that area, we’d love to be your chosen childcare provider. We’re conveniently close to Streatham high street, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham. We’re well-established and offer the very best childcare services at our nursery/pre-school in Aldrington Road (SW16 1TU). Our qualified staff and facilities for children are excellent, whether they’re a 3 month old baby or a five year old child. Call 020 8677 9675 or contact our Streatham nursery team here and we’d be delighted to tell you more about our nursery, or to arrange a visit so you can see the setting for yourself.

P.S. You may also be interested in our separate Guide to Childcare Funding Available Through Universal Credit.

 

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The Importance of Parental Involvement in Education

The importance of parental involvement in education

It has long been accepted that the involvement of parents in a child’s education and development is incredibly important, with many benefits for the child. It’s even more beneficial when involvement begins in the child’s early years. Helping children right from nursery means that they’re more likely to get their education foundations set up well. For example, a good foundation in reading and writing will help improve just about every other topic of learning going forwards. That’s why, at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham, we encourage parents to involve themselves in their children’s learning, right from the start.

Parental involvement in education is shown to lead to a more rounded education and better grades overall. An improved comprehension of topics in turn leads to improved outcomes for the children involved. For example, the pupil may end up with a wider choice when it comes to choosing a university. It’s the same for their career path too, like a domino effect, increasing chances of a more successful career. The importance of parental involvement in a child’s education can therefore not be overstated.

“Parental effort is consistently associated with higher levels of achievement, and the magnitude of the effect of parental effort is substantial.” (Conway & Houtenville study, 2008)

“Students with […] parents operating in supportive roles are 52% more likely to enjoy school and get straight A’s than students whose parents are disengaged with what’s going on at school. This is especially the case during the earliest years of schooling, […] when students with active parents are almost twice as likely to succeed.” (Pinantoan, 2013)

Benefits of Parental involvement in education

The benefits of parental involvement in education include:

Improved focus on school work; Better social skills;
Greater comprehension of topics;Improved self-esteem;
Better grades;A more positive, optimistic attitude;
Enhanced organisation skills;The child becoming a more confident and rounded individual;
A higher level of responsibility in the child;A stronger bond between parent and child;
Lower truancy rates;Better communication skills;
Improved behaviour;A wider choice of topics being available e.g. when it comes to further education;
A greater capacity in the child to keep trying;Acceptance, potentially, at better university courses;
Moral support, making learning more pleasant for the child;A wider skill set for the child;
Encouragement when it’s tough e.g. when tests are near;Ultimately all of the above can lead to more opportunities for success, for example a better career with higher pay.

Studies have shown that parental involvement in a child’s education results in benefits regardless of parents’ education levels, their socioeconomic status or ethnic/racial background¹.

“Parental involvement in children’s learning improves children’s morale, attitude, academic achievement in all subjects and promotes better behaviour and social adjustment. It also helps children to be productive, responsible members of society.” (Centre for Child Well-Being, 2010)

How can parents involve themselves in their child’s education?

Parents can involve themselves in their child’s education in a number of ways. Discussing the child’s strengths and weaknesses with teachers and nursery staff is important. Actively engaging with educational settings at parent evenings and by joining school boards is also beneficial. A collaboration between parents and educational settings can lead to measurable improvements in a child’s academic and physical performance.

The educational involvement of parents while at home with their child has an immense, long-term, positive impact.

Parents can help their children educationally in a number of ways. This can include something as simple as proactively listening to their child reading at home. Similarly, helping the child understand and improve in areas where they are struggling at school is of huge benefit. Helping children with homework and encouraging them with sports activities are other great ways to support them.

Educational support from parents can come in many forms. This includes teaching directly, of course, but also mentoring, to support, encourage and inspire the child. Importantly too, parents must ensure that the child has a home environment that facilitates and encourages learning. They should also express high, but realistic, expectations for their child in terms of possible achievements and career paths.

Helping children throughout their school years works best when it’s approached in a natural, caring kind of way rather than enforcing it as a strict ‘discipline’. It could even be thought of as a kind of teamwork, in practice. This approach means that the child is encouraged, not forced. They will genuinely feel helped and given moral support. Home educational help then motivates the child in question, rather than being made to feel like a chore. And, of course, overall comprehension of topics is greatly enhanced when a parent takes their time to explain things in a relaxed home setting.

“When parents come to school regularly, it reinforces the view in the child’s mind that school and home are connected and that school is an integral part of the whole family’s life.” (Mapp K. and Henderson, A., 2002)

Contact Little Cedars Day Nursery to learn more

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support your child through nursery, pre-school and beyond, we’d be delighted to discuss it with you. Your support can hugely improve your child’s potential outcomes. Call us on 020 8677 9675 or come in and see us when the coronavirus crisis is over (arrange an appointment online here) and we can chat it through. We are a nursery and pre-school based at 27 Aldrington Road in Streatham, London SW16 1TU (click the link above to see a location map). We’re ideal for parents looking for nurseries and childcare services near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham.

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