What are the terms and conditions?

An offered place at St. Patrick’s Nursery is open for seven working days. If the offer is not accepted in writing within that time the place will be offered to another family on the waiting list.

A deposit of £250 shall be paid by the parents/guardians to the Nursery on the acceptance of an offer of a Nursery place. The payment should be returned with a signed copy of this contract within seven days of receipt of this letter. Should the parents/guardians change their minds about taking up the place prior to the starting date the deposit will be refunded only if notice is given in writing to the Nursery Manager at least two calendar months prior to the starting date.

The parents/guardians of an attending child will be refunded the deposit when the child leaves the Nursery provided the final fees have been paid and two calendar months’ notice in writing has been given to the Nursery Manager. In the event of parents/guardians withdrawing the child without notice there shall be due to the Nursery two calendar months’ fees in lieu of notice.

Payment of the first month’s Nursery fees should be made one calendar month before the start date and thereafter shall be made monthly by Direct Debit, in advance, on the first day of each month. You will be required to pay all fees by Direct Debit (unless otherwise agreed with the Nursery Manager).

If, after receiving confirmation of your place at the nursery, you decide not to send you child to the nursery or delay the start date to after the scheduled date, then no additional fee will be payable providing you have given us 2 months’ written notice.

Sickness
Children should not attend the nursery if they are suffering from sickness, diarrhoea, an infections illness, or have any unspecified rashes unless otherwise agreed with the nursery manager. Please refer to Health Protection Agency’s infectious diseases for exclusion periods. If your child is unable to attend the nursery due to illness, please telephone the nursery office as soon as possible. If illness occurs whilst a child is attending nursery, including a high temperature/fever, the parents/carers will be telephoned to inform them and will be asked to collect as soon as possible. Where parents are not contactable, an authorised person will be contacted. Where applicable, a child’s GP will be called. In the event of an emergency, the child will be taken to hospital accompanied by a member of staff, who will act in loco parentis until the parent arrives. Children sent home from nursery with vomiting and diarrhoea shall not be re-admitted for at least 48 hours.

Medication
Medication will only be given to a child where prescribed by a doctor, dentist or homeopathic practitioner.
Where a child is required to receive regular medication whilst at nursery, full written details must be provided along with the medication, clearly marked with instructions (storage instructions, details on the frequency of taking medication and the amount of medication which should be taken) and the child’s full name. Children that have been prescribed with antibiotics must take them at home for the first 48 hours. Children taking medication may be allowed to return to the nursery in consultation with the nursery manager.

Allergies and/or Medical Conditions
Where your child has an allergy or medical condition, please ask the nursery manager for a special requirements form and complete this before starting nursery. Once your child has started the nursery, you must keep the staff up to date with any changes to the allergy and/or condition and hand a completed special requirements form to the nursery manager as soon as possible.

Fee Payments
Fees are payable monthly in advance. Fees are paid by direct debit and will be collected on the 1st working day of the month. Childcare voucher payments should be set up to be paid before the 14th of the preceding month. Monthly fees payable are dependent on your child’s age and are set out on the fee sheet. When your child moves into a new fee bracket a new rate of fees will apply from the day after their birthday.

Collection of Children
Our operating hours are 8am-6pm. Children may not be left before or after this time as this contravenes our registration and insurance. Where this does occur you will be required to pay the nursery a Late Collection Fee of £12 per every 10 minutes.
For security and safety of your child, only authorised persons aged 18 years old and over are able to collect your child. We must be informed if there is going to be a different person collecting your child, who must provide ID and a password when arriving. Children will not be allowed to leave the nursery unaccompanied or with an unauthorised person.

Sessions
The Standard Day is from 9:00am-5:00pm and the Extended Day is from 8:00am-6:00pm. The number of sessions your child attends can be reduced (provided two months’ notice is given). There is a minimum number of sessions, which is two days per week per child. Sessions booked are not permitted to be swapped for other days.

Terminations
A minimum of two months’ notice is required in writing to the nursery manager if you wish your child to stop using the nursery. We reserve the right to terminate a child’s place if a serious breach of the terms and conditions has taken place or it is deemed necessary in the best interests of other children and the nursery.

Late Payments
We reserve the right to withdraw your child’s place at the nursery with immediate effect if payments are outstanding by more than 30 days from the date of the invoice. If you fail to make payments by the due date we may contact a debt collection agency or other organisation to help us get payment from you.

Refund for Non-Attendance
If your child is ill, on holiday, or if the nursery closes due to Acts of God or environmental factors beyond our reasonable control, we are unable to offer a refund for sessions purchased in advance.

Other
Fees are reviewed annually, with parents given eight weeks’ written notice of any changes. We reserve the right to change terms and conditions and we will provide you with two month’s written notice.