These terms and conditions describe the relationship between Pippa’s House Nursery and the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child named on the Registration Form.
“PHN” is Sweetmile Ltd T/A Pippa’s House Nursery. “The child” is the child named on the Registration Form and “you” is the parent(s) or guardian(s) of the child named on the Registration Form.
To register your child for a place:
A signed a fully completed registration form, specifying your session requirements, must be submitted to Pippa’s House Nursery together with payment of a non-returnable registration fee of £150.00 (for Reigate Nursery) or £100.00 (for Claygate, Guildford, and Weybridge Nursery).
A minimum of 2 full days attendance per week is required.
More information surrounding the requirements of children in receipt of funding can be found on the Early Years Funding at Pippa’s House Nursery sheet.
Wherever possible, the nursery will accommodate children with special needs provided there are staff members trained and available to support them.
Nursery Admission
Once we have received the completed registration form and registration fee, your child’s details will be added to our system. Places are offered according to the date of your application.
We will offer a place to your child as close to the date you select as your required start date as possible. Once a place has been offered you must confirm your acceptance within 3 days of receiving it.
If the setting does not have availability on the days you have selected you will be placed on a waiting list and will be offered the first available and suitable place closest to the start date you require.
Once a place has been accepted you will receive confirmation of your child’s place along with details of your child’s settling in sessions. Please bring your child’s Full Birth Certificate to your first settling in session.
An invoice for £250.00 will be sent in advance of your child starting, this is called the Childcare Deposit and is to hold the sessions you have confirmed from the start date of your choice.
This will be deducted from your first month’s invoice.
Should you no longer require a place at Pippa’s House Nursery, you must provide 8 weeks’ notice in writing to accounts@pippashousenursery.com Failure to do so will result in your £250.00 payment being non- returnable.
Changes to a child’s start date must be made, in writing, 8 weeks in advance of the child’s confirmed start date to accounts@pippashousenursery.com. Any requests made less than 8 weeks prior to the child’s confirmed start date will incur a charge of £25.00 which will be payable within 7 days of making the change.
Pippa’s House Nursery gives priority to siblings (providing an application has been made) and to those wanting a permanent, full time place for their child. In this instance, we consider a permanent basis to be a period of no less than six months.
Pippa’s House Nursery allocates places on a full day (8.00am to 6.00pm) basis only. We do not offer any permanent half day sessions unless otherwise specified by nursery management. Subject to availability, we may be able to offer half day sessions throughout the week to our existing customers on an ad-hoc basis only. This is to help continuity and consistency throughout the week for both children and staff.
Settling in Sessions
We offer parents 6 hours of settling in sessions, free of charge, beforehand to help settle children into nursery.
Opening Times
Pippa’s House Nursery is open from 7.00am to 7.00pm Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year, closing at Christmas and for Bank Holidays. At Christmas we close at 4.00pm on Christmas Eve and reopen the first working day in January. These dates are charged in the normal way. You will be notified of the Christmas closure dates in advance.
Updating Information on your Child
Parents are requested to inform the nursery of any medically diagnosed or religious food exclusions, medicines or any other circumstances that are of importance during your child’s day with us. Parents must provide details in writing and must continue to inform the setting of any changes/progress in any condition. Parents must inform the setting of any changes to information kept in nursery relevant to their child.
Fees and Invoices
Fees are payable monthly in advance. Invoices are issued on or around the 20th of each month and payment is due as cleared funds by the 28th of the month.
Payment can be made by Bank Transfer, Childcare Vouchers, Credit or Debit Card and via Tax Free Childcare (www.childcarechoices.gov.uk). Direct bank payments can be made to the following account: Sort Code 30- 90-44 Account Number 23394660.
When a child reaches 3 years old the fees reduce, as shown on the fee sheet. Invoices will be raised at the reduced rate from the month after your child’s 3rd birthday.
It is the parental responsibility to ensure that voucher payments are made the nursery. If these are not received as cleared funds by the invoice due date of the 28th of each month a late payment charge of £20.00 will be applied to the following months invoice.
If payment of fees becomes overdue Pippa’s House Nursery shall be entitled to recover the consequent administrative and legal costs. The Nursery shall be entitled to charge interest (8% above the Bank of England base rate) on any late Nursery fees. We may also charge for all other associated costs related to non- payment or recovery of any Nursery fees.
If payments are cancelled or returned by the Bank, a fee of £35.00 will be charged to cover costs incurred by us. This fee will be reviewed as and when banks adjust their fees structure.
PHN reserves the right to refuse admission to the child if fees are overdue.
Fees are reviewed annually and any changes to the fees will be published at least one month in advance.
An administrative charge of £35.00 per month will be made to parents who fail to stop childcare vouchers being paid to Pippa’s House Nursery after their child has ceased attending the nursery. It is the parental responsibility to cancel vouchers.
A 10% sibling discount is applied to the eldest child’s fees after any funding allowance has been made, where two children are registered at the nursery. Families with 3 or more children attending the setting will receive a 15% sibling discount on their eldest child’s fees. Any sibling discount will cease when there is no longer 2 or more children attending the setting.
Discounts do not apply to funded sessions, extra sessions, extra hours/wrap around hours, meal charges and other miscellaneous charges.
No reduction in fees will be given if any child is absent due to illness or holidays taken whilst Pippa’s House Nursery is open. All bank holidays during the year are fully chargeable by the nursery. In addition, the Nursery will not refund any Fees or be in breach of these Terms and Conditions or otherwise liable to you by reason of any delay in performance or non-performance of its obligations to you due to any event outside its reasonable control. Such events include without limitation ‘acts of God’, fire, war, acts of terrorism, strikes or other industrial action, infectious diseases, epidemics, pandemics, inclement weather (such as snow or flooding), unforeseeable repairs or any failure of public or utility services, (such as highway and public transport delays or failures). In the event the Nursery applies any discretionary discount to Nursery fees, this discount will be solely as a gesture of goodwill and will not constitute any variation of these Terms and Conditions.
We do not permit parents to swap days or sessions.
Any outstanding amounts will be returned to you within 28 days and by bank transfer.
Staff Employment
If a member of PHN staff are employed by you to care for your child within 6 months of leaving a PHN setting within the hours of 7.00am and 7.00pm, Monday to Friday, a recruitment fee of 20% of the employee’s salary at the time their employment at PHN was terminated will be charged.
Extra Sessions
Extra sessions can be booked up to 24 hours in advance via our website. Upon booking the extra session you will receive an invoice, if the session is available, and payment is required immediately.
Should you wish to cancel a booked extra session after an initial grace period of 24 hours, an admin fee up to £25.00 is chargeable.
Payment of extra sessions can be made via credit/debit card or bank transfer. Childcare vouchers cannot be used for payment of extra sessions. Any extra sessions that remain unpaid by the date the session is due to take place will not be honoured. Any extra session invoice that remains unpaid by the invoice due date will incur a late payment charge of £20.00.
Early Years Free Entitlement (Funding)
Funding is applied during Term Time only.
Demand is high for places to include the funding entitlement and priority is given to existing parents and those already registered with a confirmed place at Pippa’s House Nursery.
The government funding only goes towards paying for ‘free education’ and does not cover the cost of add-on items such as meals, snacks, drinks, and fruit. Parents agree to make payment of a reduced funded session cost per funded session at the rate shown on the fee sheet.
Parents also agree to make voluntary payments for additional charges that may arise for items such as higher than required staff ratios and extracurricular activities which are included in the normal fee rate (outings, visits, trips, visiting experts etc.).
Uniform is required to be worn by children attending Pre School, this can be purchased directly from the nursery at the rate displayed at the time of graduation.
Parents will be advised in advance of any potential charges.
Should a child at any time become ineligible for the free entitlement or if the funding is awaiting transfer from another setting and is for any reason not paid by the local authority the parent agrees to pay for the reserved sessions at the current rate shown on the fee sheet.
Termination, Cancellation or Change of Sessions
Pippa’s House Nursery requires 4 weeks’ notice in writing to terminate your child’s place. Parents remain liable for fees throughout the notice period. If a parent withdraws their child during this notice period, the fees shall remain payable.
We reserve the right, that if any of the terms and conditions are breached, or in the opinion of the management team, it is considered that the attendance of the child is harmful to the health, safety or wellbeing or themselves or other children within the nursery, or any member of staff employed by Pippa’s House Nursery, notice may be given to you, or in some cases a request for the child to be removed immediately, in which case the normal notice requirements will not apply.
This also applies should a parent or appropriate adult display abusive, threatening or otherwise inappropriate behaviour towards a staff member.
If a parent wishes to reduce the number of sessions or change the days their child attends nursery, 4 weeks’ notice is required in writing. If a parent wishes to increase the number of sessions their child attends, we will do our best to accommodate this dependant on availability. The change of sessions must be on a permanent basis to be a period a no less than 6 months. 4 weeks’ notice must be given should you wish to revert to your original sessions assuming these are still available.
Liability
Pippa’s House Nursery accept no responsibility for any loss suffered by parents, arising directly or indirectly, as a result of the setting being temporarily closed or the non-admittance of your child for any reason; this applies to absence due to sickness, holidays and bank holidays.
We accept no responsibility for children in their parents care on our premises i.e. before arrival / after picking up. We will not be liable to parents and / or children for any economic loss of any kind, for damage to
the child’s or parents’ property, for any loss resulting from a claim made by any third party or for any special, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind. Buggies, scooters, bikes, and other personal items stored in the buggy park are left at parents’ discretion and are not covered on the nursery insurance. We will make reasonable endeavours to keep parents and / or children’s property in good order. Liability for damage of such property is excluded, except where caused by our negligence.
Medical Information
Children cannot attend Nursery if they are suffering from sickness, diarrhoea, an infectious illness or have any non-specific rashes until they are symptom free or cleared to return to Nursery by a doctor.
In the event of your child being injured or becoming ill while at Nursery, we may administer first aid, arrange for your child to obtain medical assistance, or require an early collection. If we are unable to reach you then we will call an authorised contact as the Nursery deems appropriate. This complies with the best practice set by the health protection agency to stop the spread of infection.
Any child who returns to the nursery after any such illness must be fully recovered and able to maintain a normal healthy diet.
It is the policy of Pippa’s House Nursery that any child needing Calpol, or similar medication not prescribed by a doctor, or not thought well enough to go outside, is not a well child and should therefore not be attending the nursery until they have made a full recovery. The only exception is for teething pain relief.
If your child’s temperature reaches 38.5°c or over, and permission is on file, Calpol or an equivalent will be administered. In these circumstances you or an emergency contact person must collect your child. If your child’s temperature reaches 40°c+, we may call the emergency services based on other accompanying symptoms. In the event of this happening, a senior member of staff or your child’s key worker will stay with your child at all times until you arrive. Pippa’s House Nursery takes these necessary precautions as high temperature usually indicates an infection or start of illness.
Should a child require prescribed medication of any kind, it will only be administered with prior written consent from the parents/guardians. Children who are taking prescribed medication may not be allowed to attend unless they have been taking the medicine for a few days. For example, for a course of antibiotics they must stay at home for the first 48 hours.
We may require parents to withdraw or remove their child from nursery if the parent is not completely honest about the child condition or withholds or is found to have withheld important information.
Uniform
Children in Pre School are expected to wear Pippa’s House Nursery polo shirts and sweatshirts.
Uniform can be purchased directly from the nursery by using the order form HERE.
All items of clothing must be clearly labelled with your child’s name and should be easily manageable by children. Pippa’s House Nursery is not liable for the loss of clothing.
Insurance
Pippa’s House Nursery is fully insured at all times. Details of our insurance cover are available on request from the Nursery Manager on duty.
Security
CCTV is in operation 24 hours a day at the nursery and covers all our boundaries. Parents / carers / relatives dropping off a child must advise the nursery of someone else will be collecting them, you must have completed an Authorisation To Collect form HERE for the person collecting your child prior to them arriving.
It is your responsibility to keep us updated with any changes. Pippa’s House Nursery operates a ‘Password’ system. If the person collecting your child is not recognised by a member of management and does not know the password chosen at the time of completing the Authorisation To Collect form the child will remain at nursery until the parents can be contacted.
In emergency situations whereby a parent has made an arrangement over the phone for their child to be collected, the nursery will require the name, address, telephone number and a password to be given to the nursery of the person permitted to collect. Photographic proof of identity will be required upon arrival at nursery.
Parking
The use of Pippa’s House Nursery car parks is down to each individual own risk. Parking is restricted to 20 minutes and is for drop off and pick up purposes only. Vehicles parked on PHN land over 20 minutes will be liable for charges. Please be considerate when parking.
Late Collection
In the event of a child not being collected by 7.00pm, the child will be kept at the nursery and phone calls made to the child’s parents, career, relatives, or friends with authorisation to collect the child. If we are unable to contact any of the above persons by 8.00pm, the Local Authority’s Children’s Services will be contacted, and their advice will be followed.
First 15 minutes or part thereof - £25.00 Up to 30 minutes or part thereof - £35.00 Up to 45 minutes or part thereof - £45.00 Up to 1 hour or part thereof - £60.00
These charges are at the discretion of the Nursery Manager on duty and will be applied to your next monthly fees invoice. Charges are applied to allow us to meet safeguarding requirements that at least 2 staff members stay on site until all children have been collected and these staff members would need to be paid.
Late collection charges will be applied when children are collected after their session end time at the rate of £10.00 per 10 minutes or part thereof.
Complaints Procedure
Parents are encouraged to communicate with the appropriate room’s leader on a day to day basis so that any concerns or issues can be resolved immediately. Most problems can be solved informally. When issues cannot be resolved in this way, the complaints policy will be followed. In the first instance, your complaint should be referred to the Nursery Manager on duty in writing. This will be acknowledged immediately, and the matter investigated. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, the matter will be referred to the Managing Directors.
The Agreement of these Terms and Conditions
These Terms and Conditions represent the entire agreement and understanding between the parents and the Nursery. Any other understandings, agreements, warranties, conditions, terms or representations, whether verbal or written, expressed or implied and excluded to the fullest extent, permitted by law.
We reserve the right to update / amend these Terms and Conditions at any time. One months’ notice will be given of any changes made.
I have been made aware of the policies and procedures in place at Pippa’s House Nursery and I have been made aware that copies are available from the Nursery Manager if required.
I have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
