Childcare Vouchers and Tax-free Childcare

You may pay for Tree Tops sessions using Childcare Vouchers or Tax-free Childcare (TFC) payments.

Payment using Childcare Vouchers or Tax-free Childcare (TFC) payments is only available by prior arrangement and must be requested in advance of booking by contacting the Finance team via email at: finance@fernhillprimary.org to let us know as soon as possible.

You can find out more about Tax-free Childcare here. 

Childcare Vouchers and TFC payments are non-refundable and may only be used for Tree Tops sessions — they may not be used to pay for other items on ParentPay, e.g. after school clubs, lunches or educational visits.

How to pay by Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments

1. Arrange for the transfers of Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments to Fern Hill Primary School — OFSTED reference: 148798.

2. Contact the Tree Tops team to confirm that you have made a transfer and tell us:

• Your name;
• Your child’s name;
• Your child’s class; 
• Whether you are using Childcare Vouchers or Tax-free Childcare (TFC) payments - please provide the transaction ID and date of the transfer and, if you are using Childcare Vouchers, the name of your provider;
• The amount you have transferred and the Tree Tops sessions you wish to allocate the funds to e.g. £100 to Breakfast Club and £100 to After School Club;
• Whether the transfer will be recurring or a one-off payment, and if recurring, the frequency.

Without the above information, we will not be able to process your transfer.

3. Once we have received the Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments, we will allocate the funds as requested as a credit to your ParentPay Tree Tops account. You may then continue to book Tree Tops sessions in the usual way. 

Please be aware that once allocated, Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments are only transferable between session types on request - if we have allocated a sum to After School Club sessions, you will need to contact us to ask us to transfer a sum to pay for Breakfast Club sessions. 

The transfer and processing of Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments can take up to two weeks during term time (and longer during the holidays).

Please note that it is parent or carer’s responsibility to keep track of the balance in their ParentPay Tree Tops account. It is school policy that any balance remaining when a child leaves Fern Hill Primary School can only be transferred to another child attending the school — we will not be able to process a refund of Childcare Vouchers or TFC payments.