TERMS AND CONDITIONS and DATA PROTECTION & PRIVACY POLICY

Revised September, 08

~ NURSERY TERMS AND CONDITIONS ~

On booking, a deposit equal to 4 sessions or the first week’s sessions (whichever is greater) will be payable. This constitutes normal childcare payment and is therefore taken from the first invoice’s balance, but becomes forfeit should the place not be taken up.

All fees are payable on receipt of the monthly invoice. This will be by post on, or before, the first day of the month. Should the month’s balance not be cleared* by close of business on the 10th day of the month, interest will be accrued on any remaining fees at a rate of £1 per working day**.

* Online payments must show as cleared in Little Fishes account by close of business on, or before, 10th of the month. Please allow 4 working days for your payment to clear. Cheque and Cash payments must be received at the nursery by closing time on 10th of the month. Dishonoured cheques will be subject to a £30 bank charge - this in addition to accrued interest at £1 per working day until balance is cleared.

** Working day is classed as Monday to Friday only. Interest will accrue during Bank Holidays and Christmas closed period.

Payments should be made by online transfer, cash or cheque only. Please ensure that online payments have the child’s first name and initial as reference and that all payments received through the nursery are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Should you require a receipt please ask at time of payment (especially in respect of cash payments) however a payment history, showing invoices and payments made, may be requested for your records.

Opportunity for weekly payment may be agreed, at the owner’s discretion. This will always be due at least 1 week in advance and any installment plan subsequently reneged upon, without prior agreement, will be withdrawn - the full monthly amount becoming due as per conditions above.

Regrettably fees may be subject to increase in response to annual inflation and other legislative changes which may arise, however sufficient notice of at least 1 month will be given of any such change.

Any available place reserved but not taken up immediately may be subject to a 50% retainer.

Charges will be made for the time booked even if not taken in full. Unauthorised delay (more than 5 minutes) in picking up will be fined at £5 per half hour.

Where possible, please inform the nursery prior to your child being absent, however all absences, including those for sickness, will still be payable at the normal rates. If we have been informed of a holiday at least 4 weeks in advance there will only be a 50% retainer payable during that time off.

The nursery facility is not currently available for the Christmas period or for Bank Holidays. Sufficient notice will be given of these closures, however you will not be charged for any sessions normally booked during these times.

Should you wish to terminate your booking we will require at least 4 weeks notice and you will be liable for payment for any sessions booked during this time, whether or not your child attends.

Un-notified absence for more than 8 pre-booked sessions may result in your child’s place being offered to another child. You will, however, be liable for charges for the missed sessions.

Suitable snacks are made available for all children at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and drinks are given as children require, however, we regret that we are unable to provide main meals at this time. If your child attends all day or an afternoon session please send them with a packed lunch. In the interests of parent and child’s individual needs we are happy to heat food where required, provided parent or guardian has signed the reheating agreement form to permit use of microwave and/or to confirm necessary precautions have been taken when cooling and storing at home.

Your payment of nursery charges will be taken as acceptance of the above and all Nursery Policies and Procedures. These are subject to regular reviews, to ensure compliance with current legislation, and you will be notified of any revisions. Whilst we aim to be flexible to accommodate individual circumstances, please be aware that failure to adhere to the above may result in your child’s place being withdrawn.

~ Data protection and privacy policy ~

On registering your child you will be required to complete various forms giving information about your child, including contact details, individual profiles, family and emergency details. The information you provide at registration is essential to enable to provide the best possible care for your child. This information is kept in secure files to which only the relevant staff have access.
Some of the information given on the Registration Form will be entered into our computerised database along with information about sessions booked, starting and leaving dates. This information will be used solely for the purposes of administration (for example to generate daily registers, available session lists, ensure staff:child ratios are met etc) The computer is protected by advanced firewall security and passwords are changed regularly. Access to the database is restricted to the Manager and Assistant Manager only.
In order to tailor our care to the needs of your child your Key Worker will keep records of various observations, photos of activities participated in and samples of their work and achievements in an Individual Development File. This file is the property of and, as such, is available to the parent/carer at any time. The Development File will be compiled throughout your child’s time at Little Fishes and will be given to the parent/carer when the child moves on.

Written consent will be requested should any external photography be taken, for example local media, however general photographs of the children playing in the nursery may be displayed from time to time on boards within the nursery or used to provide evidence to Ofsted regarding the activities we provide.
All staff members, including work experience placements, are subject to a written Confidentiality Clause restricting them from disclosure of information about any child or family both during and following their time at the nursery. All personal information will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998) will not be shared with any unauthorised individuals but may be kept in secure archive for up to 21 years to comply with Ofsted, and legislative, regulations.

We aim to ensure that you are confident in all aspects of your child’s care during their time with us. To this end, if there is any aspect of this Data Protection and Privacy policy that you are unhappy with, or unsure about, please notify management and we will try to resolve the issue.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any queries around our terms and conditions or data protection policy.