Childcare Terms and Conditions
The following terms and conditions govern the basis on which we agree to provide childcare services to you
1. Our terms and conditions
1.1 We will inform you as soon as we know whether your application has been successful.
1.2 You are required to confirm that you still wish to take up a place within one week of receiving notification from us.
1.3 If you fail to notify us then the offer of a place may be withdrawn.
1.4 We provide agreed childcare facilities for your child during the official opening hours.
1.5 If we change the opening hours, we will give parents as much notice as possible, and, if necessary, will work with you to agree a change to your child’s hours of attendance.
1.6 We will try to accommodate any requests you may make for additional sessions and/or extended hours of childcare.
1.7 We will notify parents as early as possible when the setting will be closed.
1.8 We will provide you with regular verbal updates about your child’s progress.
1.9 We will try to make a place available to any of your other children. However, we cannot guarantee that a place will be available.
2. Your obligation to us
2.1 You are required to complete and return the Childcare Registration Form to us before your child can start.
2.2 You are required to inform us immediately of any changes to your contact details.
2.3 The Childcare Registration Form includes medicine consent and emergency treatment authorisations, which you are required to complete before your child attends.
2.4 You are required to immediately inform us if your child is suffering from any contagious disease, or if a medical practitioner has diagnosed your child with notifiable disease. We need to protect other children at the setting so you cannot bring or allow your child to attend at these times. When your child is contagious they pose a risk to other children during normal daily activities.
2.5 You are required to inform us of the identity of the person/s who will be collecting your child.
2.6 We will require proof of identity if a person collecting your child is not usually responsible. You should let us know in advance about these changes.
2.7 If we are not reasonably satisfied that the person collecting your child is expected, we will not release your child into their care until we have checked with you.
2.8 You are required to inform us immediately if you are not able to collect your child by the official collection time.
2.9 You should make arrangements for another authorised person to collect your child as soon as possible and confirm who they are.
2.10 A late collection charge will be applied. Please, refer to the current fee schedule for details.
2.11 You are required to inform us as far in advance as possible of any dates when your child will not be attending.
2.12 You are required to provide at least one term’s notice of your intention to decrease the number of hours your child attends and similarly, should you decide to withdraw your child completely and end this Agreement.
2.13 If you give insufficient notice, you will still be required to pay full fees for one term from the date of notice.
2.14 If you would like to end this Agreement, you are required to complete our Notification of leaving date form. Please, ask the setting manager who will provide one upon request.
2.15 If your child is the subject of a court order, you are required to inform us and provide a copy of the order on request.
3. Payment terms and conditions
3.1 Our fees are based on a weekly fee.
3.2 Before your child starts, we will notify you of the payment required.
3.3 We may review the fees at any time but will inform you of the revised amount at least one month, before it takes effect.
3.4 If you do not wish to pay the revised fee, you may end the Agreement by giving us one term's notice, by completing the Notification of Leaving Date form. The setting manager can provide this form to you on request.
3.5 Fees are required on a termly basis, paid in advance.
3.6 All payments made under this Agreement should be made by standing order (or direct debit where the facility is available) or by childcare voucher from a recognised childcare voucher provider (accepted at the discretion of the SECRET GARDEN Nursery) or by direct debit / credit card using the setting’s chip and pin machine or by cash where arrangement in advance is made with the setting manager.
3.7 All payment regardless of the method shall be made by the parent / guardian termly, in advance, on the first day of each term (the due date). If the payment is made by cash or debit / credit card, it is your responsibility to obtain a receipt from the setting manager as proof of payment.
3.8 If the payment of fees is outstanding more than 14 days we may terminate the Agreement.
3.9 We will give you 14 days notice in writing.
3.10 Once the contract has been terminated, the child shall cease to be admitted, and the notice of termination shall be regarded as a formal demand for outstanding monies.
3.11 If you required additional sessions or have been unable to collet your child by the official collection time, we will inform you of the extra amount payable and add these additional charges to your regular fees.
3.12 In the event of late collection of your child, we reserve the right to charge for each additional 15 minutes, or part thereof. There will be a late fee payable.
3.13 No refund will be given for periods where the place is unfilled due to illness or holidays. Please not that we are closed on bank holidays and our team has five training days per year. This helps support our team’s continuing professional development, which benefits the children and families. No refunds are given for these closures as they are already taken into account when setting fees.
3.14 Where we offer a reduced fee rate after a child’s birthday, the reduction takes from the first day of the following billing period.
3.15 Fees are payable termly in advance and are based on your weekly fee. If your are entitled to Free early years entitlement or Two year old funding you will not be charged for the cheapest funded hours taken as part of your booking.
4. Suspension of a child
4.1 We may suspend providing childcare to your child at anytime if you fail to pay any fees due.
4.2 If the period of suspension for non-payment of fees exceeds one month, either of us may terminate this Agreement by giving written notice. This takes effect on receipt of the notice.
4.3 We do not support the exclusion of any child on the grounds of behaviour.
4.4 However, if your child’s behaviour is deemed by us to endanger the safety and well-being of your child and / or other children and adults, it may be necessary to suspend childcare while we try to address these issues with you.
4.5 It may also be necessary to share our concerns with other external agencies as appropriate. The decision to suspend your child will be made with the agreement of the Chief Executive Officer at the SECRET GARDEN Nursery.
4.6 During any period of suspension for behaviour – related issues, we will work with the local authority and where appropriate other welfare agencies to identify appropriate provision or services for your child.
4.7 If your child is suspended part way through the month, under the conditions stated above, we will give you a credit for any fees you have already paid for the remaining of part of that month, calculated on a pro rata basis. This sum may be offset against any sums payable by you to us.
5. Termination of the agreement
5.1 You may end this Agreement at any time, giving us at least one term’s notice by completing the Notification of Leaving Date form.
5.2 We may immediately end this Agreement if:
You fail to pay your fees
You breach any of your obligations under the Agreement and you have not or cannot put right that breach within a reasonable period of time
You behave unacceptably; we do not tolerate any physical or verbal abuse or threats towards staff or other parents
We take the decision to close. We will give you as much notice as possible in the event of such a decision
5.3 It may become apparent that the support we can offer your child is not sufficient to meet his or her needs. Under these circumstances we work with you, the local authority and other welfare agencies as per our procedures to identify appropriate support, at which point we may end this Agreement.
5.4 You may end this Agreement if we have breached any of our obligations under this Agreement and we have not or cannot put right that breach in a reasonable period after your draw it to our attention.
6. Further terms and conditions
6.1 If we close or take the decision to close due to events or circumstances beyond our control such as extreme weather conditions, the weekly fee will continue to be payable in full.
6.2 We will be under no obligation to provide alternative childcare to you.
6.3 However, if the closure exceeds there consecutive days in duration (exceeding any days when we would otherwise be closed), we will credit you with an amount that represents the number of days closed in excess of three days.
6.4 If you have any concerns about the childcare we provide, please discuss them with your child’s key person. If your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, please, contact the setting manager.
6.5 Your satisfaction with our service is very important to us and any concerns or complaints will be reported to the appropriate line manager for review.
6.6 From time to time we may take images or video of the children who attend. These images or video may be used by the SECRET GARDEN Nursery for promotional purposes.
6.7 If you do not wish your child to be included in these images or videos, you should record this when you complete the Registration form.
6.8 While food and drink is provided on the premises, we are not a commercial kitchen and may not be able to cater for the individual needs of every child.
6.9 Every effort is made to follow recommended food preparation guidance and to ensure that all setting staff involved in the preparation and serving of food are suitably trained.
6.10 We will always seek your consent where we need to share information about your child with another professional or agency.
6.11 We are required by law to override your refusal to give consent only in specific circumstances where the child or someone in the family may be in danger if we don’t share that information.
6.12 We reserve the right to vary the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement giving at least one month’s notice.
6.13 This Agreement contains the full and complete understanding between the parties and supersedes all prior arrangements and understanding whether written or oral relating to the subject of the Agreement except to the extent that we vary terms from time to time.
6.14 Acceptance of a place will be deemed as acceptance by you of these Terms and Conditions.