Welcome to the Theydon Bois Preschool Group. We are a community-led charity Preschool in Theydon Bois, seeking to provide education to the children who live in Theydon Bois and the surrounding areas. We are a registered charity ( charity number 1000272) and registered with Ofsted ( number 404638) for childcare on non-domestic premises. We are also a member of The Early Years Learning Alliance. Our address is The Scout Hut Headquarters, Loughton Lane, Theydon Bois, CM16 7JY.
This document sets out the terms and conditions of the Preschool. Please review these carefully so that you understand what you can expect from us and what we ask of you. References in these Terms and Conditions to “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the Preschool, and references to “you” and “your” refer to parents/carers to whom we provide childcare services.
1. POLICIES AND FURTHER INFORMATION
Our policies setting out how the Preschool operates are published on our website (together with further Preschool information). All of our policies contain important information and may be updated from time to time, so please familiarise yourself with them. By accepting these Terms and Conditions, you agree to abide by these policies.
We also refer you to our Registration Form (which we will ask you to complete and bring with you to your initial visit – see section 3 below).
2. APPLYING FOR A PLACE AT PRESCHOOL Application process
Please complete and sign an Application Form and return it to the Preschool (during term-time) at least a term before your child is due to start. The more notice we have, the easier it is for the Preschool to try an accommodate any preferences you have regarding which sessions your child will attend.
Subject to availability, and in accordance with our admissions criteria (see below) your child will be offered a place once they are 2.5 years old, unless you have specified a later start date on your Application Form. When your child is offered a place, please confirm within two weeks whether you still wish to accept or not, This will enable us to offer the place to an another applicant if necessary.
During the summer term, we will then ask you to tell us which sessions you wish to request for the next academic year.
Please note that the Preschool gets very full during the year and so (both on first registration and when requesting sessions for subsequent academic years) we are not always able to offer the exact selection of sessions that parents would like. At the end of the school year in July, the older pupils leave to go Primary School, so the Preschool is quieter and a greater selection of sessions usually becomes available. Mornings are very popular, throughout the year; therefore we request that you specify no more than 3 morning sessions for your child.
Once your child has started at Preschool, some additional sessions may be available from time to time. Sometimes these additional sessions will only be available on a temporary basis – please contact us if you would be interested in any additional sessions for your child.
Admissions criteria
We refer you to our website for details of our admissions criteria in the event that the Preschool is over-subscribed. In order to assist with applying our admissions criteria, please provide proof of address (by way of a copy of a recent utility bill or council tax bill) when submitting your Application Form to us. If you are unable to provide proof of address, please contact us.
3. STARTING PRESCHOOL
Prospective parent visits
If you would like to pop in to visit our preschool and meet the staff you are welcome to do so at any time. Please call us on 07443 642959 or 01992 815164 to make an appointment.
Settling in
Once you have accepted a place, you and your child will be invited to an initial visit the session before your child officially starts. We recognise that starting anything new can be daunting and that is why we aim to provide sensitive care to support each child as they settle into Preschool. The initial visit is a chance for you to stay with your child. You will not be charged for this visit.
If a child is finding it difficult separating after this initial visit, we encourage parents to stay for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences.
Registration Form
Prior to your initial visit, we will ask you to complete a Registration Form that we will email to you. This is to ensure that we have on record the key information we need to support your child, including your emergency contact details, any relevant information about your child’s health (e.g. allergies), your child’s likes/dislikes, basic details of their development etc. The Registration Form also deals with parental consents (such as permission for your child to participate in short trips/general outings). We ask that you bring your completed Registration Form with you to your initial visit.
It is very important that we are informed about any medical and non-medical condition, health problem, allergy or suspected learning difficulty (and any family circumstances or court order or any other matter) that may affect your child whilst in our care. Please ensure that such information is appropriately disclosed on your child’s Registration Form.
Opening Times
Please note that we are only open during term time. Details of our term dates are set out on our website. We will provide you with reasonable notice of any inset/training days or any other days during term time when the Preschool will also not be open. If we change the opening hours, we will give you as much notice of our decision as possible and, if necessary, will work with you to agree a change to your child’s hours of attendance.
Attendance and sickness
You must inform us (in writing, where possible) as far in advance as reasonably possible of any dates on which your child will not be attending for whatever reason (please also see below in relation to fees).
You must let us know if your child is suffering from any contagious disease or if they have been diagnosed by a medical practitioner with a notifiable disease. We refer you to our ‘Managing children with allergies or who are sick or infectious’ policy in relation to when your child is unable to attend the Preschool due to sickness. We reserve the right in accordance with that policy to (i) refuse to admit your child if they have a temperature, sickness or diarrhoea or a contagious infection or disease on arrival at the Preschool, or (ii) ask you to collect your child if they become unwell whilst in our care. Please also see below in relation to fees.
Dropping off and collecting your child
Drop-off and collection times are published on our website (and may change from time to time).
You must keep us informed of the identity of the person(s) who will be usually collecting your child. However if this changes, we will require proof of identity. If we are not reasonably satisfied that the person collecting your child is who we were expecting, we will not release your child into their care until we have checked with you.
You must make every effort to collect your child by the official collection time. You must inform us immediately if you are going to be delayed or unable to collect at the official time and you should make arrangements for another authorised person to collect your child as soon as possible. We reserve the right to charge you a late collection fee (of £20 per hour) if you or your authorised person is more than 15 minutes late.
Communication
We believe that it is important to the success of the Preschool that there is good communication between the Preschool and parents. In connection with this, we ask that you make yourself available as and when required (at mutually agreed times) to discuss the progress of your child or any factor relating to their place at the Preschool. If you have any concerns regarding the services we provide, please discuss them with your child’s key worker. If these concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, please contact the Preschool manager. We also refer you to our ‘Making a complaint’ policy.
4. FEES
Funded sessions
Like many local settings, the Preschool receives Free Early Education Entitlement funding from the Government (via Essex County Council) for children aged three and four years old. This funding entitles a child to have up to 15 hours of free early years provision a week, for 38 weeks a year (either all taken with one early years provider, or split between two providers). If you are in receipt of income support or benefits, Government funding is sometimes available to 2 year olds. Preschool. More information about this, including eligibility requirements, are set on the Government website https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-and-education-for-2-to-4-year-olds and on our Links page under Essex County Council. We will claim for funding on your behalf.
Parent/Carer Agreement forms are given to parents/carers at the end of each term in respect of the following term – it is important that these forms are returned promptly to ensure that funding can be claimed. If you do not return the form in time, it may be too late to claim funding for your child for the following term. The deadline will be clearly stated on the invoice sent with each term’s form.
Unfunded sessions
Fees apply for any unfunded sessions (e.g. where your child is not eligible for, or otherwise does not receive, funding, or for sessions in excess of the 5 funded sessions). For details about the fees please contact : [email protected] The Preschool is a charity and, while we aim to keep session costs as low as we reasonably can, we also believe it is important to continue to invest in our staff and our resources e.g. educational toys and equipment. We therefore reserve the right to increase session prices at any time. Any price increases will be notified to parents at least 6 weeks in advance of the increase taking effect.
Other charges
We may ask parents/carers for voluntary donations e.g. towards providing snacks for the children. However, these are not compulsory (e.g. parents/carers can if they wish provide their own snack for their child). Similarly, where we offer additional goods or services on an optional basis, we may charge for such goods and services if parents opt to obtain them (e.g. a Preschool uniform is available for purchase, but wearing uniform is not compulsory.)
Payment of fees
Fees for each term must be paid within two weeks of invoice. In the event of late payments, we reserve the right to charge a £25 late payment fee. Should an invoice still not be paid we reserve the right to deny your child access to the pre-school until full payment has been received.
Missed sessions
We are unable to refund any fees in respect of a session which your child was due to attend but which (in whole or in part) they do not attend, whether due to sickness or otherwise.
If in accordance with our sickness policy we require a child to be collected from a session early and/or to miss certain sessions, the Preschool does not accept any liability for alternative childcare costs or any other financial costs or losses arising from those curtailed/missed sessions.
Temporary closure
On occasion there may be circumstances beyond our control (for instance weather conditions, flooding, medical emergencies) that means the decision has to be taken to close the Preschool temporarily. We do not accept any liability for alternative childcare costs or any other financial costs or losses arising from such temporary closure.
In the event of temporary closure for circumstances beyond our control, we reserve the right to charge for any unfunded session which your child would have attended if the Preschool had not been closed due to such circumstances.
5. CHANGES TO INFORMATION
You must inform the Preschool promptly in writing of any material changes to the information you supply to us in connection with your child (whether on the Application Form, the Registration Form or otherwise).
6. LEAVING PRESCHOOL
Withdrawal of child by parents
We ask that you give us as much prior notice as possible, and a minimum of four weeks’ notice, if you wish to permanently withdraw your child from Preschool or reduce the number of sessions your child attends. If you give less than four weeks’ notice, we reserve the right to charge you the full cost of all sessions your child would have been due to attend during the remainder of the four-week period (e.g. if you give only two weeks’ notice we may charge you for all sessions your child would have been due to attend during the remaining two weeks of the four-week period).
Please note that, in the event of you withdrawing your child or reducing their sessions, for whatever reason, we are unable to refund any fees paid in advance or make any changes to the funding we may have already claimed for your child. Any unpaid fees due from you in respect of your child, for the term during which you withdraw your child or reduce your sessions, will also remain payable by you.
Withdrawal or suspension of child’s place
We reserve the right to terminate a child’s place at the Preschool with immediate effect if:
there is a material breach by you of the terms and conditions; or
if you behave unacceptably towards any staff or officers, or the parents/carers of any other children attending Preschool (including, without limitation, physical or verbal abuse or threats).
It may become apparent that the support we are able to offer your child is not sufficient to meet his/her needs and in these circumstances, we will work with you and the appropriate authorities/agencies as per our policies to identify appropriate support, at which point we may end this agreement.
We do not support the exclusion of any child on the grounds of behaviour. 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 the provision of childcare whilst we try to address these issues with you and external agencies as appropriate.
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.
In the event of suspension on the above basis, we will credit you for any fees you have already paid for sessions which would fall during the suspension period, calculated on a pro rata basis. This sum may be offset against any sums payable by you to us.
The Preschool does not accept any liability for alternative childcare costs or any other financial costs or losses arising from terminating a child’s Preschool place, or requiring their withdrawal, in any circumstances.
7. GENERAL
Property and belongings
We cannot be held responsible for the loss of damage to children’s property and belongings whilst attending Preschool premises (or on Preschool outings/trips) unless and to the extent that such loss or damage is caused due to the wilful action or negligence of our staff. However, the staff will make reasonable efforts to ensure that children’s property and belongings are not lost or damaged.
Data protection This section relates to how we will use the information (including any personal data about you, your child and others) provided to us via the Application Form, Registration Form or otherwise in connection with your child attending the Preschool. We will only use such information in the course of operating the Preschool and in accordance with its policies. As outlined in those policies, there may be circumstances in which it is necessary for us to share information with other bodies, such as the local authority (Essex County Council).
Cessation of childcare services
We may immediately end this agreement if we take the decision to cease providing childcare services and permanently close the Preschool, although we will give you as much notice as we reasonably can in the event of such decision.
Status of Terms and Conditions
In the event of any conflict between these Terms and Conditions and any other information (written or oral) provided by the Preschool, these Terms and Conditions (which are governed by English law) take precedence. We reserve the right to vary these Terms and Conditions from time to time.