Osbourne Lodge Nursery, Osborne Road, Pontypool NP4 6LT
Terms and Conditions
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
- children will be considered for entry to the nursery when the registration & contract form has been completed and returned to us and a non-refundable retainer fee paid. The retainer will then be paid off the first months invoice.
welfare of the child
- we will do all that is reasonable to safeguard and promote your child’s welfare. Our nursery will work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.
- parents of children who are not potty trained must provide sufficient nappies for each day and spare clothes while potty training. These will only be used on your child.
- parents must provide bottle fed babies with formula or breast milk for the day. Bottles will then be rinsed and returned to parents. The nursery will provide healthy pureed or mashed meals whilst babies are weaning.
- parents are requested to provide a toothbrush and toothpaste for their child which will be labelled and used daily
- the nursery will provide wet wipes, parents are required to supply any items or brands which they particularly wish to use such as sudocreme.
health and medical matters
- 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.
- if your child is suffering from a communicable illness your child should not be brought to nursery until such time as the infection has cleared. A full copy of the nurseries infection control policy is available from the officer in charge. Parents / carers are asked to refer to the illness / communicable disease list supplied for your information on minimum periods of exclusion from the nursery.
- parents/carers are required to notify the nursery manager if your child is absent from the nursery through sickness.
- 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 nursery manager or key worker and to sign the necessary form of consent prior to any medication being given.
- 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. The nursery will contact parents / carers immediately to meet them at the hospital.
food and dietary requirements
- 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. The nursery will take all reasonable care to ensure that a child does not come into contact with certain foods.
- menus are displayed for inspection and updated regularly to reflect seasonal changes and to provide variety for the children.
concerns/complaints
- any question, concern or complaint about the care or safety of a child must be made in the first instance to the nursery manager. If the matter cannot be resolved at this level the matter should be referred to the proprietor, Nikola Masters and should follow the settings complaints and compliments policy.
- families will not use social media or other platforms to discuss complaints or the nursery team. To do so will render this contract void and the nursery space cancelled. The use of the proper channels of complaint or concern will be respected to allow the setting to deal with or reply to your concern effectively.
disclosures
- 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
- all fees are charged monthly in advance and must be paid by the first day of the month to which they relate. 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. The nursery will be closed on the annual bank holidays & special extra holidays as declared by WG.
- fees are due for 50 weeks of the year which will be calculated on a pro rata basis. Fees can be calculated on a weekly/ monthly basis for changes made in the middle of a month, term time only or on arrangement
- no fees are charged for Christmas shut down for two weeks unless extra days are booked in Christmas holiday club prior to the shut down period
- no fees are charged for the statutory bank holidays. Any extra/special bank holidays will be charged at the usual rate.
- fees will be subject to annual increase on notice from the proprietor.
- prices quoted are per child for a core day and include £6 for food. A core day is 10 hours 8am – 6pm or 5 hours per session 8am – 1pm / 1pm – 6pm. The Nursery uses the Famly App to invoice and provide an individual account for parents to access. Log in details will be emailed after starting at Nursery.
- once a place at the nursery is confirmed the first weeks fees become payable to secure the place.
- one month’s notice, written, emailed or messaged on Famly, 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 notice time.
- 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.
- working families tax credits are informed of a child leaving nursery and given fee information at their request, including non payment details
- ad hoc days will be invoiced and must be cleared prior to the booked day
late collection of child
- a fee of £20.00 will be applied for late collections after 1pm or 6pm.
unpaid fees
- the nursery reserves the right to charge interest on late fees at the rate of 8% above the bank base rate calculated on a daily basis according to Government legislation 8/8/2002
- a charge of £20 will be applied on invoices not paid by the due date, and recharged for each month outstanding
- invoices sent for debt recovery will incur a £40 late collection fee according to Government legislation 8/8/2002 and will be liable for any debt collection fees incurred
- NDNA Network of local Nurseries will be informed of any parents leaving a debt at the Nursery to protect other settings financial positions
exclusion for non-payment
- children may be excluded from the nursery if fees remain outstanding more than 10 working days beyond the due date and the registration terminated.
- accounts will be sent immediately for debt collection as above.
childcare support fees
- families agree to regularly bring children along to any sessions funded and booked under the 30 hour offer, Flying Start or Childcare Support.
- agree to pay on time for any additional fees due for hours not covered under the schemes
- understand that attendance figures will be shared with the funding authorities
- funding may be withdrawn for irregular attendance.
- it is parents responsibility to adhere to the conditions of funded childcare support and remain liable for fees incurred. If funding is cancelled due to default of conditions parents will be liable for full fees and one month notice period.
belongings
- the nursery does not accept responsibility for accidental damage or loss of property.
- parents are requested to keep personal items to a minimum and label clearly all belongings including shoes and clothes.
- parents are requested to send the children to nursery in clothes and shoes suitable for messy play and painting.
- jewellery, heels and flip flops etc, restrict a child’s movement and can present a risk of injury. Parents are strongly advised against these items and must take responsibility for accidents caused by belongings or clothes which the children have been sent to nursery with.
insurance
- the nursery undertakes to maintain those insurances required by law. Details of these are available from the Manager. Copies of the current employer’s liability and public liability insurance policies are displayed in the entrance hall at the nursery.
general
- you should be aware that the nursery occasionally takes photographs within the nursery, which may be used, in training, social media or promotional material. Parental preference is adhered to and permission will be sought via the settings permission form which is completed at enrolment.
safeguarding children
- it is understood that the nursery is under a legal obligation to report to the relevant authorities any incident where we consider a child may have been abused or neglected. This may be done with or without informing the parent/carer.
- 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 relating to the nursery, its employees, children 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 summary dismissal from employment for staff or cancellation of a nursery place.
- any details regarding the nursery or your child will not be discussed out of nursery time and in nursery only with relevant staff. Staff will not discuss their job or children on any social networking site or in social environments so parents are requested to respect this and not ask a staff member to deviate from this rule.
security
- parents/carers are welcome to visit the nursery, however we will not admit anyone without prior notification.
- it is the parent/carers responsibility to ensure that staff are aware of who will be collecting your child. No child will be allowed to leave the building with anyone, known or not, without prior notification.
data protection
- 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 cabinet and not shared except when legally obliged to do so. See GDPR policy
- we will process the personal information we hold about you fairly and lawfully. We will only ask for information where it is necessary for us to carry out our role safely in providing quality care and education to your child.
- we will securely store and protect your information with regard to data protection laws and GDPR for up to 22 years.
- the nursery adheres to the Information Commissioner’s guidance on the use of CCTV equipment and hold a policy regarding its use.
legal contract
- the offer of a place and its acceptance by the parents gives rise to a legally binding contract on the terms of these terms and conditions and the policies and procedures of the nursery.