Our Regulations at Stanhope House Day Nursery Leicester

Preamble

Stanhope House Day Nursery Limited is an independent limited company run by owner Philippa Lambden NNEB. Philippa was manager at Stanhope from January 1980 and subsequently become the owner in July 2004.

The number of places is limited by local authority regulations, and the staffing levels are fixed accordingly. The costs which are involved in running the Nursery are not significantly reduced by the occasional absence of a particular child - the building has to be heated, the staff paid and equipment maintained in any event. The Regulations are thereof framed so that fees are charged “per place” rather than per attendance, in the interests of fairness and to keep them to a minimum possible.

1 Times of Attendance

(a) Sessions

The Nursery is open Monday to Friday inclusive offering the following sessions

• Full Time
• 3 Days or more

Opening times - 8.15am - 5.45pm daily.

CHILDREN MUST NOT BE BROUGHT TO THE NURSERY BEFORE 8.15AM, AND MUST BE COLLECTED BY THE END OF THE APPROPRIATE SESSION. LATE COLLECTERS WILL BE LIABLE TO SURCHARGE AS FOLLOWS:

(b) Times of arrival and departure

Nursery must be informed if a child will be arriving after 10.00am in order for staff to plan activities in the morning. Children may be collected before the end of the session though no credit will be allowed against fees for reduced attendance. The Manager must be informed of when, and by whom, each child will be collected. No unauthorised person will be allowed to take a child off the Nursery premises.

The Manager must be informed, where possible, if a parent or guardian is expected to be late collecting their child/ren. The Nursery will telephone the parent/guardian if a message has not been left. If they are unable to reach the parent/guardian the emergency numbers on the application form will be used. In the event that the person in charge is unable to reach anyone then the Social Services will be called.

At the end of the day two members of staff will wait with the child/ren on Nursery premises until they are collected.

2 Nursery Places

Nursery places are only available on the basis of 5 full days per week, and 3 full days or more per week, they must be paid for in full, irrespective of whether or not they are all used (for reasons see Preamble above).

Places will not be held beyond the commencement date offered by the Nursery unless the place shall have been accepted and payment in full is made from that date, irrespective of whether or not the place is immediately used. If any parent refuses to accept two offers of places their name will be removed from the waiting list.

Once accepted, a place will continue to be made available, and must be paid for, until notice is given under Regulation 4 below.

The Nursery will be closed for one week at Christmas and four days at Easter, and no fees will be payable in respect of such days. The Nursery is also closed on any other statutory public holiday, but fees continue to be due for those days.

3 Fees and Methods of Payment

• Fees are charged per day as fixed from time to time by the Managing Director. Fees include a milk drink in the morning, lunch and a light snack during the afternoon session. Breakfast is available on request, if a child arrives before 9.00am.
• There is a 10% discount on fees for a second child using the Nursery. Full fees will be charged for the second child when the first child leaves the Nursery.
• Fees are subject to review and may be increased at one month’s notice, although it is hoped that there will only be one increase per year with effect from the 1st October.
• Fees are payable monthly in advance, and are billed in writing at the end of the preceding month. Payment can be by cheque or by BACS. The Nursery also accepts Nursery Vouchers. Cheques are payable to ‘Stanhope House Day Nursery Ltd.’ and should be handed to the Manager.
• If any cheque in respect of fees is not honoured upon first presentation, an administration charge of £2.50 will be made, together with any additional bank charges incurred.
• Children from 3 years old will be eligible for the Nursery Education Grant.

4 Notice of Withdrawal

Not less than 4 weeks’ notice in writing to the Manager of the withdrawal of a child is required, and fees shall remain payable in respect of the place for a period of 4 weeks from that date when such notice is given, irrespective of whether or not the child is withdrawn prior to the expiration of that period. The deposit held by the Nursery may be set against any liability for such fees.

5 Reservations

A non-refundable fee of £20 must accompany your completed application in order to be added to the waiting list. Early application is advisable.

A deposit of 2 weeks’ fees as appropriate to the sessions offered in respect of each child is required upon acceptance of a Nursery place. The deposit is deductable from the final fee payment, provided always that such fees are paid to the end of the period specified in Regulation 4 above. Once a place has been accepted, Regulation 2 applies.

6 Equipment

• Milk Feeds - Arrangements for feeding babies should be made with the Manager. Milk feeds for babies must be provided by the parents. No credit against fees will be allowed for any child not taking Nursery lunch or other refreshments.
• Clothing - Children should be suitably dressed. If a child comes to Nursery in Wellington boots, indoor shoes should also be brought. Children needing nappies should bring an adequate supply of nappies together with a waterproof bag for their return if disposable nappies are not used - polythene bags are not accepted. The Nursery does have waterproof bags for sale if required. ALL articles of clothing should be marked with the child’s name. A full set of spare clothes should be provided in case of accidents.
• Towels - Each child must bring a clean face - flannel and towel, marked with his/her name at the start of each week.

7 Liability

No liability is accepted by the Nursery or any members of its staff for personal property brought into the Nursery. Any person using the Nursery car park does so at his/her own risk as loss of or damage to any vehicle or other property driven or left thereon.

8 Car Parking

There is a small car park at the rear of the Nursery, 3 spaces of which are usually available for the use of parents delivering or collecting children. It must not be used for parking of cars for any longer period than is necessary for that purpose.

9 Illness

Children MUST NOT be brought to the Nursery when they are unwell. Parents must notify the Manager immediately in the event of a child contracting or having been in close contact with any infectious disease (including measles, rubella, chicken pox and whooping cough) No child with an infectious disease may be brought into the Nursery. If a child has diarrhoea and sickness they may not attend Nursery for at least 24 hours. A child who is, or who appears to be unwell may be refused admission at the Manager’s discretion. In the event of the Manager suggesting that a child should not return to the Nursery until after a certain period, that child will not be re-admitted prior to the end of that period without a written note from a medical practitioner that the child is well enough to attend Nursery. It is the policy of the Nursery to administer prescribed medicines only.

10 Access to Information

Inspection of all written documents pertaining to their own child/ren is open to parents at all times.

11 Registration

The Nursery is registered under The Children Act of 1989 and is Inspected by OFSTED to the National Standards for Under Eight’s Day Care.

Nursery Policy Documents

The following general policy documents are available for inspection on request:-

• Admissions Policy
• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Child Protection Policy
• Parental Involvement Policy
• Recruitment Policy
• Health and Safety Policy
• The Nursery operates a non smoking policy
• Health and Illness Policy
• Child Development Policy
• Sanction and Behaviour Policy
• Nursery Routines
• Menu

12 Complaints Procedure and OFSTED Child Care Inspection

Any complaints regarding the Nursery or its staff should be discussed with the Manager. If the complaint is about the Manager then the Managing Director must be informed in writing. A record of complaints will be maintained.

OFSTED Child Care Inspector (telephone number and address as in Item 12) can be contacted if the complaint is not handled satisfactorily.

The Child Care Inspector will ‘inspect’ (no notice is given) the Nursery every two years or as is required by the registration legislation. This will consist of a systematic scrutiny and discussions as to the premises and care policies and practices.

The Full Report is available to all parents and can be viewed through our link to OFSTED on our website – www.stanhopenursery.co.uk

The Full Report can be viewed at the Nursery.

Telephone and address of the Child Care Inspector
Child Care Inspector
2nd & 3rd Floor
The Frontage
Queen Street
Nottingham
NG1 2AR
Telephone (0115) 980 4904

13 General

• Acceptance of a place at the Nursery implies acceptance of these Regulations as varied from time to time by the Managing Director.
• The Manager has the authority in all day to day matters concerning the Nursery. Any appeal or grievance in respect of any decision of the Manager should be made in writing to the Managing Director.
• Parents who fail to comply with these Regulations, or any other reasonable instruction given to them by Manager may be asked to withdraw their child/ren from the Nursery, and no further places will be allocated to them.

In all matters the decision of the Managing Director is final.

This Revision: September 2008