Sutherland Day Nursery

Terms and Conditions

We believe these standard terms and conditions reflect the custom and practice of private nurseries providing full time day care. The rules about notice and payment of fees are designed to promote stability, assist forward planning and the proper resourcing of the nursery. Nothing within these terms and conditions affects the parent's/carer's statutory rights. To enable us to provide and maintain the highest standards of care we require all parents to be aware of, and abide by, the following conditions:

Admission

1. Children will be considered for entry to the nursery when the registration form has been completed and returned to us and a non-refundable administration fee paid.

Welfare of the child

2. We will do all that is reasonable to safeguard and promote your child's welfare and to provide pastoral care to at least the standard required by law and often to a much higher standard. We will respect your child's human rights and freedoms, which must, however, be balanced with the lawful needs and rules of our nursery and rights and freedoms of others.

3. Parents give their consent to such physical contact as may accord with good practice, and be appropriate and proper for teaching and instruction and for providing comfort to a child in distress, or to maintain safety and good order, or in connection with the child's health and welfare.

4. Parents of children who are not potty trained are required to provide their own nappies.

5. The nursery will not provide formula milk for bottle fed babies. All bottles and formula tins must be clearly marked with the child's name using indelible pen.

Health and medical matters

6. If your child becomes ill during a nursery session the nursery manager will contact the parent/carer or the emergency contact indicated on the registration form. Parents must inform the nursery immediately of any changes to these contact details.

7. If your child is suffering from an infectious condition, your child should not be brought to the nursery until such time as the infection has cleared. A full copy of the company's infection control policy is available from the nursery manager. Parents/carers are asked to refer to the illness/communicable disease list supplied for your information on minimum periods of exclusion from the nursery.

8. Parents/carers are required to notify the nursery manager if your child is absent from the nursery through sickness.

9. Any child who has been sent home from the nursery because of ill health will not be re-admitted for at least 24 hours. If a child is prescribed antibiotics they will not be allowed to return to the nursery for 24 hours.

10. The nursery cannot administer any medicine to a child unless prescribed by a doctor. Should the child be on prescribed medication, it is the responsibility of the parent or carer to notify the manager or key worker to sign the necessary form of consent, and to provide a doctor's note.

11. We reserve the right to call an ambulance in an emergency and escort your child to the emergency department of the nearest hospital. Any decisions regarding the child's welfare will then be made by the emergency department at the hospital.

12. It is your responsibility to inform the nursery if your child is not vaccinated in accordance with their age. If it is considered necessary, information regarding children who have been vaccinated may be shared with other parents, however, individual names will not be given.

Food and dietary requirements

13. We will work with parents/carers to provide suitable food for children who have a special dietary requirement as diagnosed by a doctor or dietician. Although all reasonable care will be taken to ensure that a child does not come into contact with certain foods, unless a doctor's note is provided, the nursery cannot guarantee this.

14. Menus will be displayed for inspection.

Concerns/complaints

15. Any question, concern or complaint about the care or safety of a child must be made in the first instance to the supervisor in charge. If the matter cannot be resolved at this level notification should be made in writing to the nursery manager.

Disclosures

16. Parents must, as soon as possible, disclose to the nursery any known medical condition, health problem or allergy affecting the child, or any family circumstances or court order which might affect the child's welfare or happiness, or any concerns about the child's safety.

Fees

17. All fees are charged monthly in advance and must be paid by the 15th of every month preceding the month for which the fees are due. Fees will be invoiced to the person(s) named on the registration form. Fees are payable during periods of absence from the nursery, including sickness, holidays and during public and bank holidays. The nursery is open 51 weeks of the year and is closed on the annual bank holidays.

18. Fees are calculated on the basis of the weekly charge for the sessions/days attended, multiplied by 52 (weeks) and then divided by 12 (months) to create a fixed monthly charge.

19. Fees are normally subject to annual review but may be revised at other times with reasonable notice in writing of a minimum one month.

20. Prices quoted are per child on the basis of a full day or the number of sessions required and include meals served during those times. Extra hours (or parts of an hour) will be charged at the ruling rate and must be booked and paid for 24 hours in advance.

21. The nursery, in line with other nurseries, operates a policy of 'settling-in sessions'. This aids your child settling into the nursery initially and then optimises maximum development during their time in the nursery. Please see the manager for further details on the minimum number of 'settling-in' sessions required.

22. Upon registration, a non-refundable administrative fee of £50 is required. Prior to entry, (pending availability of places) a deposit of £250 for a full-time place (a minimum of 2 full days) and £150 for a part-time place is payable to secure a place; it will subsequently be deducted from the final payment, providing one month's written notice has been given.

23. Once a place at the nursery is confirmed the first month's fees become payable to secure the place. One month's written notice is required if you no longer require the place or wish to withdraw your child from the nursery. Fees are payable during the whole of this time, fees are also payable if there is any delay in taking up the place once accepted.

24. Once you have accepted a place, you will be committed to paying for the contracted period. The nursery notice period is one month (which does not include settling-in period).

25. A place is deemed accepted on receipt of a deposit and an offer of a place in writing has been made. Once a child has been offered a place and you decide not to take up the place (whether the settling-in week has been completed or not), deposit will be retained and one month's fees will be payable to the nursery.

26. If you register your child for a full time place (i.e. a minimum of 2 full days per week) and such a place is confirmed by the nursery, you will not be permitted to reduce the number of sessions attended within four weeks, as four weeks' written notice is required to reduce the sessions.

27. Fees will not be refunded or waived for absence through sickness or any other reason. This rule is necessary so that the nursery can properly budget for its own expenditure and to ensure that the cost of individual default does not fall on other parents. No compensation will be paid or refund given if the nursery has to be closed due to any reason beyond the control of the nursery, such as power failures or weather conditions.

28. Childcare vouchers are accepted and the nursery staff can join the Salary Sacrifice Scheme, whereby fees are deducted from their salary at the end of the month.

29. Days cannot be swapped; however, extra sessions/days can be taken up pending availability.

30. Whenever a child turns two or three, a lower rate of fees will apply from the beginning of the month following their birthday and no refund or discount will be due on the fees of the birthday month.

31. The rates for deposit and weekly/monthly fees are correct at the time of printing, and are subject to change. Parents are requested to check current rates at the time of registration and then at admission (should there be more than one calendar month apart from each other) to ensure that correct fees are paid.

Unpaid fees

32. The nursery reserves the right to charge interest on late fees at the rate of 5% over the English bank base rate. For dishonoured cheques/payments a charge of £20 per occasion will be applied.

Exclusion for non-payment

33. The nursery is operated on a self-financing basis. It is regrettable, but a nursery place may be withdrawn if nursery fees remained unpaid more than 10 working days beyond the due date.

Late collection

34. Parents/carers collecting children late from the nursery will be subject to a surcharge. Charges of £10.00 are made every 15 minutes or part thereof. Parents/carers should be aware that the nursery has to be vacated by the designated closing time.

Belongings

35. The nursery does not accept responsibility for accidental damage or loss of property.

Insurance

36. The nursery undertakes to maintain those insurances required by law. Details of these are available from the nursery manager. Copies of the current employer's liability and public liability insurance policies are displayed on the notice board at the nursery.

General

37. Where a member of staff, within six months of leaving the employment of the nursery, is employed by a parent/carer to care for their child, who was previously registered at the nursery, then the parent/carer will be liable to pay the nursery a sum equivalent to six months' salary for the employee at the time their employment was terminated.

38. Parents should be aware that the nursery occasionally takes photographs within the nursery, which may be used in training or promotional material. Should parents have any objections to their children's photos being used in any publicity materials, they should make their concerns known in writing to the nursery manager.

Child protection

39. It is understood that the nursery is under an obligation to report to the relevant authorities any incident where we consider a child may have been abused or neglected. This may be done without informing the parent/carer.

40. Any information given by a parent regarding their child will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, except in cases where abuse towards a child is suspected. The divulging of confidential information by parents relating to the nursery, its employees or customers to any third party is considered a breach of confidence and as such is regarded as constituting gross misconduct which could lead to a cancellation of a nursery place.

Security

41. Parents/carers are welcome to visit the nursery; however we will not admit anyone without prior notification. It is the parent/carer's responsibility to ensure that staff are aware as to who will be collecting your child. No child should be allowed to leave the building other than with a person specified in the registration form or with prior notification in writing by the registered parent or carer.

Data protection

42. It is a legal requirement on the nursery to hold information about children using the nursery and its staff. Basic information is used for registers, invoices and for emergency contacts; however, all records will be stored in a locked room.