Terms and conditions
Opening HoursStandard hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, 51 weeks per year. Little Smarties close on bank holidays and for approximately one week over the Christmas period. We are able to provide early arrival and late pick-up, please ask the nursery manager for specific arrangements.
Meal Times
Breakfast 8.00am – 8.45am
Mid-morning refreshments 10.00am – 10.30am
Lunch 12.00 noon
High tea 3.45pm – 4.30pm
Dress
Normal day clothes should be worn and parents are asked to bring a change of clothing, especially for babies. In order to help us identify clothes, Little Smarties request that all garments are labelled, particularly outdoor garments.
Other activities
Occasionally Little Smarties may organise optional activities such as music and gym classes for which you will need to pay extra. Little Smarties will let you know about these in advance.
Optional trips and activities will occasionally be arranged. They are charged for in advance and parental permission is always required.
Sickness
Children should not attend nursery if they are suffering from sickness, diarrhoea, an infectious illness or have any unspecific rashes (until diagnosed by a doctor).
If a child becomes ill while at nursery, a parent will be telephoned to tell them of their child’s illness and be asked to collect the child. If the parents are unavailable other authorised contacts will be called. If necessary, the child’s GP will be called. In the event of an emergency, the child will be taken to the nearest hospital, accompanied by a senior member of staff, who will act ‘in loco parentis’ until a parent arrives.
Medication is only given with parental permission and when prescribed by a doctor. Parents will be telephoned before Calpol is given. However, if a child’s temperature becomes exceptionally high and a parent cannot be contacted, then Calpol will be administered. This will only be after all other methods of relieving the temperature have been attempted e.g. tepid sponging.
If a child has to receive regular, prescribed medication whilst at Little Smarties, full written details must be provided, and the medication clearly marked with the child’s name and dosage instructions.
Health and Safety
Registered under Childcare Act 2006, Little Smarties is legally obliged to follow the national care standards as set by OFSTED. Suspected instances of child abuse or neglect are dealt with firstly by the nursery, then, if necessary, by the area child protection team.
Little Smarties are fully compliant with all the legal obligations requiring policies for child protection, equal opportunities and health and safety. The nursery has nominated personnel responsible for ensuring these requirements are met.
Little Smarties operate high standards of hygiene, particularly in the nappy changing area, when administering first aid and when dealing with body fluids.
Special requirements
Where your child has a severe allergy or medical condition please let our managers know the full details. You must ensure that you advise Little Smarties promptly of any changes to those details or any additional relevant details.
Employing Little Smarties staff
If parents decide to employ Little Smarties staff on a full or part-time basis between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, a recruitment fee based on 20% of the staff member’s salary is payable by the parent to Little Smarties. For three months after leaving Little Smarties, staff are not permitted to work for any parent, unless agreed with Little Smarties in which case a recruitment fee based on 20% of the staff member’s salary is payable by the parent to Little Smarties. These provisions only apply where the staff member works or worked at the nursery when it was attended by the relevant parent’s child.
Lost property
Parents are encouraged to clearly label all their children’s clothing to help avoid items going missing or being misplaced. Unless it has acted negligently, Little Smarties does not accept any responsibility for the loss of property at the nursery.
Nursery Fees
Fee payments and securing your place
Parents can pay by direct debit, by using childcare vouchers or a combination of both. Fees are paid monthly in advance. If the direct debit is not set up in time for the first month’s fees, parents are required to pay the fees by cheque or BACS. Fees for the month paid by direct debit will be collected on the 1st of the month. Little Smarties calculate your monthly fee by taking your weekly charge, multiplying it by 50 (weeks) and dividing by 12 (months). The calculation allows you to pay a regular amount each month, whether there are four or five weeks in the month. The calculation of fees takes into account the fact that Little Smarties are closed on some days during the year, such as bank holidays and the Christmas period.
Fee rates
Nursery fees depend on the age of your child. If the fee rate is due to change as your child is moving to the next age group, the new fee rate will apply from the first month after your child’s birthday.
Collection of children
There is a charge for out of hours care on an hourly basis or pro-rata if it is a regular arrangement this is payable at the end of each month. Out of hours care includes any hours before 8am or after 6pm, or after 1.00pm if a child is attending a morning session and needs an extra hour but not a whole afternoon session. If you need to pick up your child after 6pm, please let us know before 5.30pm at the latest.
If you arrange out of hours care at least 24 hours in advance, it costs £10 per extra hour otherwise it costs £20 per extra hour. Children may not be left after 7pm as this contravenes registration and our insurance. In the event that it occurs, an additional flat fee of £50 will be incurred on top of the hourly rate.
For security reasons, children can only be collected by the authorised contacts provided on the registration form; changes must be provided to the nursery and any new contacts introduced to a key member of staff if possible. Children cannot leave the premises unaccompanied or with an unauthorised person.
Securing a place for my child
To request a place, you need to complete a registration form and return it with a £50 non-refundable registration fee. Little Smarties will confirm your booking at your visit to the nursery. In the event that a place is not available Little Smarties will contact you as soon as it can offer you a place.
When you accept a place at Little Smarties, you will need to pay your first months fees by cheque, or BACS if your direct debit is not already set up prior to your child starting at the nursery. Little Smarties will ask you to pay for subsequent months by direct debit in which case a deposit will not be requested.
If you accept a place for your child at Little Smarties, but then decide not to send your child to the nursery, or to delay your child’s start date to after the scheduled start date, then if you give written notice of your decision at least one month prior to your child’s scheduled start date, no additional monies will be payable. However, if you give less than one month’s written notice, you must pay Little Smarties’ fees for the place from your child’s scheduled start date to the earlier of one month after you gave notice or the date that another child commences in that place.
Reduction of sessions
The number of sessions per week can be reduced, subject to one written month’s notice and a minimum of two sessions per week being attended by your child. If you reduce the number of sessions then if you give at least one month’s written notice, you will only pay for the reduced number of sessions. However, if you give less than one month’s written notice, then for your first booked month you will pay for the original number of sessions booked less the amount payable for any sessions for which the nursery has refilled your child’s position.
Notice of termination
A minimum of one month’s written notice is required when you wish to terminate your child’s place at Little Smarties. Little Smarties reserves the right to terminate a child’ place with immediate effect if a serious breach of these terms and conditions occurs, or if termination of a place is considered by Little Smarties to be in the best interests of the nursery and/or the continuing welfare of the other children at the nursery. Examples of this are a parent using foul language or being abusive to staff and serious breaches of the agreement would include a parent frequently arriving late at the nursery without prior notification, or regularly failing to pay fees.
Late payment of accounts
Little Smarties reserves the right to apply a surcharge of £25 each month for late payment of accounts, after 30 days from the date of invoice. Little Smarties reserves the right to refuse any bookings for additional sessions or services, or bookings for siblings, if any accounts are outstanding. Little Smarties also reserves the right to terminate your child’s place with immediate effect, if accounts are outstanding by more than 60 days from the date of the invoice.
Sibling discount
Little Smarties are always happy to accommodate brothers and sisters when places are available. Little Smarties offer siblings priority on the waiting lists in the interests of offering continuity of care to families. When you already have a child at Little Smarties, then for your second child Little Smarties will waive the registration fee. While you have two or more children at the nursery, you will receive a 10% discount on the fees of your eldest child.
Company discount
Little Smarties do offer a discount to employees of some companies. If you are entitled to such a discount, you need to write your company details and payroll/ID number on your registration form or other written notice claiming the discount. If more than one child attends you will receive the company discount for your youngest child and the sibling discount for your eldest child. The discount will apply in accordance with our arrangement with the company. The discount will cease to apply when the arrangement with the company terminates or you cease to be employed by the company. Only one discount can be applied per child.
Notice of eligibility for discounts
The sibling discount and company discount will only apply for accounts prepared after you give written notice that a discount applies and Little Smarties have confirmed your entitlement to the discounts, discounts cannot be backdated. You must give Little Smarties at least one month’s written notice prior to any change in your eligibility for any discount. If you fail or delay to give this notice, you must pay Little Smarties the amount of any discount received by you for the period that you were not entitled to the discount.
Refund for non attendance
If your child is absent due to illness, away on holiday or if the nursery closes due to acts of god or environmental factors beyond our control, Little Smarties cannot offer you a refund. If you take you child away from the nursery for a full calendar month in either July or August, you will receive a 50% discount (as long as your child is over two years old and you let us know in writing at least one month in advance).
Other
Our fees are reviewed annually. Parents will be given at least six week’s notice of any change in fees. Little Smarties may change the terms and conditions where such changes arises from regulatory issues or changes in legislation affecting Little Smarties, proposed changes in invoicing procedures or in the reasonable opinion of Little Smarties it is in the interests of children attending the nursery. Little Smarties will give you at least six week’s written notice of such change.
Little Smarties will not be in breach of these terms or otherwise liable to you by reason of any delay in performance or non-performance of its obligations due to any event outside its reasonable control including ‘acts of god’, fire, flood, lightning, war, act of terrorism, strikes or other industrial action.
Little Smarties may assign this agreement upon written notice to you. Little Smarties may terminate this agreement on reasonable notice to you.
