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Terms & Conditions of Service – Wise Owls Childcare Day Nurseries 

For the purposes of this document Wise Owls Day Nursery shall hereinafter be called ‘The Nursery’ and those wishing to use the services of Wise Owls Day Nursery, shall hereinafter be called ‘The Client’. 

The Nursery will only undertake business on these following Terms and Conditions, each of which shall be incorporated or implied in any agreements between The Nursery and The Client. No variations of these Terms and Conditions shall be binding unless expressly confirmed by The Nursery in writing and signed by the Director of The Nursery. The Client is bound by these Terms and Conditions once they commence using the services of The Nursery. The Nursery reserves the right to vary these Terms and Conditions and the latest version is available on The Nursery’s Website. The Client shall be bound by these Terms and Conditions on acceptance of a childcare place. You will be informed via email if these Terms and Conditions are updated and it is your responsibility to view them. 

Operating Hours 

  • The Nursery acts as a registered childcare facility for children from Monday to Friday, during 51 weeks of the year and between the hours published on the Opening Hours page on the Nursery website at www.wiseowlschildcare.co.uk.

Registration 

  • On registering for a childcare place with The Nursery you are required to pay a registration fee of £95.00 which is non-refundable. This covers administration and the cost of settling in sessions. You will also be required to pay a deposit of £250 which will be refunded when you give notice to leave The Nursery when your final invoice has been settled. 
  • Once your booking has been confirmed it is for the booked time only. To change this we require 3 months’ notice and we cannot guarantee your childcare place if you reduce the number of days from your original booking request. You must contact our head office directly to make any booking change requests. The Nursery will then determine if we are able to keep your child’s place or if we will issue it to another child. 
  • The Client may have preferences for the sessions/ days their child attends, however, it is not always possible to allocate places on this basis. If the days offered are not satisfactory, then The Client may request to be removed from the waiting list. 

Cancelling All or Part of Your Booking for Children currently attending 

  • If you plan to withdraw your child from the nursery completely, or reduce the number of sessions in your booking, two (2) months’ written notice is required. This applies to both partial and full cancellations of your booking, including any upcoming changes that have been confirmed by Head Office. Once submitted, our office will acknowledge the notice. If you do not receive confirmation within 5 working days please contact the office directly. Our office email is info@wiseowlschildcare.co.uk for this process. If this process is not followed, you will be invoiced for the originally booked sessions.  

Cancelling All or Part of Your Booking for Children starting in the future  

  • When The Client makes a booking for The Nursery, the child must attend the agreed booking, any changes to this must be agreed via our office 
  • Once your booking has been confirmed it is for the booked time only. To change this, we require three (3) months’ notice in writing and we cannot guarantee your childcare place if you reduce the number of days from your original booking request. You must contact our head office directly to make any booking change requests. The Nursery will then determine if we are able to keep your child’s place or if we will issue it to another child. If you plan to withdraw your child from the nursery or reduce the number of sessions in your booking before your child starts, three (3) months’ written notice is required. This applies to both partial and full cancellations of your booking. Once submitted, our office will acknowledge the notice. If you do not receive confirmation within 5 working days, please contact the office directly. Our office email is info@wiseowlschildcare.co.uk for this process. If this process is not followed, you will be invoiced for the originally booked sessions.   

Childcare Fees 

  • Nursery fees are paid in full for one month in advance of care. The Nursery must receive full payment by 1st of each month. The Client is to set up a Standing Order for the fees due on the 1st of the month using the billing reference number shown in your Famly account.  
  • Fees are payable for the entire month. Payment, including voucher payments, should be set up as a Standing Order for 1st of each month to cover the entire invoice. 
  • Fees are charged for full periods, including bank holidays and inset days if they fall in the week. We do exclude the week over the Christmas break from our charges. The fees are calculated by the daily rate x 51 weeks / 12 months. 
  • If your child is absent due to illness or holidays, full fees are payable, and under no circumstances do we offer payment breaks.  
  • If your child’s care starts after the 1st of the month, or your child’s booking is amended mid-month, your invoice will be recalculated to reflect this. Your bill in the following month will be annualised. If your child is in receipt of childcare funding, this may be the full amount excluding funding if it is too late in the funding period to obtain it. 
  • If The Nursery closes due to circumstances outside The Nursery’s control (for example, bad weather, diseases, health and safety issues, an Act of God etc.), The Nursery may not be able to operate and will contact The Client by e-mail in the first instance. Under no circumstances will The Nursery operate if by doing so, the health and safety of children or staff within the care of The Nursery are at risk. No refund of the fee will be given under these circumstances 
  • The Nursery fees are reviewed twice a year based on operational cost. The Nursery undertakes to advise The Client of revised fees two (2) months in advance. 
  • If you have any questions about your invoice, The Client should email info@wiseowlschildcare.co.uk 

 

Paying by Childcare Vouchers 

  • The Nursery accepts payment via all Childcare vouchers. We will need to know which voucher you are using. If paying by Childcare vouchers/Tax Free Childcare it is important to set these up the month before attending to ensure the funds are available to you to pay your invoice directly to the nursery by the 1st of the month using the billing reference number shown in your Famly account.  For the government tax-free childcare scheme please advise us of your reference as these are not changeable.  
  • If fees are not paid on time, a late payment fee of £5.00 per week will be added to the next invoice. If The Client has difficulty paying on time, The Client must contact Head Office to info@wiseowlschildcare.co.uk before 1st of the month. Failure to do this could result in a ‘money claim online’ in order to retrieve the payment due and/or the child not being accepted at The Nursery, and no prior notice will be given. 

Childcare Funding 

  • For business and financial sustainability, we set a quota at management discretion, on the number of 30 hours a week extended entitlement and 15 hours universal entitlement we allocate, so we reach capacity and also meet the needs of our children. To obtain funding you would need to attend a minimum of 2 full days for 15 hours and 3 full days for 30 hours funding. Funded only sessions must be discussed solely with head office, we would engage if we had availability, and we also hold a waiting list process. 9-month and 2-year-old funding follows the same process. 

Booking an extra session 

  • If The Client wishes to book an extra day/ session for the child to attend The Nursery as well as the days already booked, they are to make the request via Famly, this will only be available if there are spaces on the day requested. The Client may not exchange sessions/ day and once booked, no refund will be given for non-attendance. We will confirm the extra session 14 days prior to the attendance. Any extra days/ sessions booked, will be added to The Client’s next invoice. The Nursery requires seven (7) days’ notice to cancel the booked extra day. 

Collecting your child 

  • The Client must collect the child by the end of the booked session but should The Client be unable to do so in unforeseen circumstances, The Nursery must be notified of the revised collection time. There is then an additional late fee charge of £5.00 within the first 15 minutes after the nursery closing time.  After this time,  you will be charged the additional fee of the cost of 2 staff members at full rates.  Staff must be kept advised as to The Client’s expected arrival time. These terms have been devised in recognition of the fact that The Nursery’s staff have other commitments after their working day. 

Reporting Absence 

  • If The Client’s child is unable to attend a session due to illness or other activities, The Nursery should be notified by phone or email. You must ensure to follow our policy and exclusion policy with regard to infectious diseases and sickness. Full fees are payable if your child is absent due to illness. 

Safeguarding 

  • By registering my child, I accept that emergency services may be contacted (as required) and staff are authorised to sign consent forms required by hospital authorities if my child’s life is in danger. I accept that my child may receive first aid treatment by a First Aid trained member of staff if required. I consent to a First Aid trained member of staff to administer medication i.e. Calpol, Piriteze, if required in an emergency and if I cannot be contacted. 
  • The Client must adhere to the safeguarding policy and procedures, including the process for informing the Nursery about their child’s allergies, dietary requirements, medical or special education needs. As well as signing accident and incident forms on Famly within 7 days of the accident being reported. 

Liability 

  • The Nursery endeavours to maintain the highest standards of health and safety at all times. We have vigorous checks in place; however, The Nursery cannot be held liable for unforeseen accidents which are out of our control. We accept no responsibility for children whilst in the care of their parents whilst on The Nursery premises i.e. prior to arrival or after pick-up. 
  • It is The Client’s responsibility to ensure the child has all their belongings. The Nursery cannot be responsible for loss or damage to items brought to The Nursery from home. Lost property will be taken to charity shops one (1) week later. You must remove all belongings each day from the nursery. 
  • It is The Client’s responsibility to read all communications from The Nursery sent out via email and Famly. Communication will be sent to Parent/Carer 1 and invoices will be sent to the named Bill Payer. 

Provisions 

  • The Nursery operates in accordance with current Government regulation on ratios in the early years. Should the Client’s child require a 1:1 ratio, the child may attend The Nursery in the normal way accompanied by his/her carer (which may be arranged through the resources of the Local Authority). 
  • We will provide a breakfast, morning snack, lunch and tea for your child during The Nursery day, along with other consumables such as nappies, baby wipes, nappy cream and suncream. 

Photographs 

  • It is The Nursery’s practice to use photographs of children attending The Nursery for advertising, displays, social media, website and other promotional purposes, The Client should indicate appropriately on Famly if permission for their child to appear in such images is withheld. The images will remain after the child has left The Nursery. 
  • I accept that it is a requirement of this booking that photos of my child will appear in my child’s Learning Journey and on the Famly app, and that photos of my child may appear in the Learning Journey of other children where they have participated in a group activity. 
  • I understand that by law, I am not permitted to share photos in the public domain of other children, without express consent from the parent/guardian of that child. 

Supervised Outings 

  • As part of my child’s outdoor learning, I accept that my child may attend supervised outings beyond the nursery. 

Withdrawing childcare services 

  • The Nursery reserves the right to withdraw its services if The Client’s child is disruptive and/or aggressive in such a manner as to pose a safety risk to the other children/ staff at The Nursery. A verbal warning will be given to the Client and if matters do not improve, The Nursery will demand the immediate removal of the child. The deposit will not be refunded. 
  • Equally if a parent is aggressive or rude to our staff at The Nursery or a child within our care, this behaviour will not be tolerated, and The Nursery reserves the right to withdraw its service. No refund of care or deposits will be received. If a parent is rude or aggressive towards our office team during a phone call, we will end the call as it is not tolerated. 

Personal information 

  • The Client takes full responsibility to maintain up to date personal contact details and their child’s details stored in the Famly App in order to protect the safety of the child. Failure to do this could result in The Nursery not being able to contact The Client in an emergency. Social Services maybe contacted in these circumstances. 
  • The Nursery may contact the Client by address both Parent 1 & 2 on Famly and it is therefore vital that this information is correct at all times and that email communication from The Nursery is read without delay. 
  • The Client undertakes to read the Wise Owls Privacy Policy https://www.wiseowlschildcare.co.uk/privacy-policy/ 

Recruitment 

  • Clients are not able to employ any staff member of Wise Owls Childcare unless they have left our employment a minimum of 3 months prior. If you do so a fee of 20% of their salary will be payable which is the cost to employ a new member of our team. 

Any questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.