Martin Bradley, chair of the MSA, told Nursery World, 'We're seeking to identify people's problems and provide them with advice on how to deal with the new Code. At the moment the main problem is that many nurseries are not up to speed with the funding issues.'
He said the Code fails to provide clear guidance on what happens if settings opt out, and that he was concerned that local authorities were often requiring nurseries to give a term's notice to opt out, so many could end up with a deficit in the autumn term.
For some nurseries, access to training for staff who are part way through Early Years Professional Status or other training is an incentive to stay in the funding, he said, but Montessori pre-schools tend to employ staff with higher level qualifications, resulting in higher staff wage costs, making them more likely to have funding gaps.
Mr Bradley has written a paper examining the issues, which highlights how some local authorities are attempting to help nurseries meet funding shortfalls. Barnet council has suggested that if there is a shortfall of £2, based on costs of £6 and entitlement funding of £4, extra hours outside the 15 hours should be charged at £8.
Mr Bradley said that another factor was the 'significant proportion of nurseries' unable to open for 15 hours because they are in rented premises.
He said there was a misconception that Montessori only caters for affluent families.
'People may be able to pay a top-up fee but not the full fee if the nursery opts out. We have the case of parents wanting to pay (the top-up fee) but not being allowed to pay.'
Further information
The helpline is 0207 493 8300 or e-mail caroline@montessori.org.uk