- Terms & Conditions
- Registration Fee
- Termly Fees
- Free Entitlement Early Years Education
- Cancellation
- Childcare Vouchers/Salary Sacrifice Schemes
- Days that The Red House is closed
Aim:
The Red House Children`s Centre is an independent provider of Early Years Care and Education.
As an independent provider The Red House raises revenue from fees and Government funding from the Free Early Education Entitlement to provide and maintain facilities and resources that are commensurate with the provision of quality Early Years Care and Education.
The Red House operates with an exceptionally highly qualified teaching team with staffing ratios and qualifications that exceed the statutory requirements. In choosing The Red House parents will recognise that this carries a premium which is reflected in any fees payable. The Red House has a structured pattern of delivery that enables parents to access the Free Early Education Entitlement for eligible 2, 3 and 4 year olds, in accordance with current Government and the Local Authority Statutory Code of Practice.
The Red House has a responsibility to ensure that the all revenue generated ensures the viability and sustainability of the provision leading to the continued delivery of a quality early years experiences. Where fee increases are introduced they are only made to meet any increase in the cost of delivering provision. The Red House sees itself as a not for profit organisation. Please note throughout these terms and conditions the use of the term `parents` refers to those responsible for the payment of fees.
Objectives:
- Ensure that fees charged accurately reflect the real cost of ensuring the quality, viability and sustainability of the provision of care and education offered at The Red House.
- Provide the Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) for eligible families according to the statutory Code of Practice.
- Ensure that all parents receive adequate information about the fee structure, including accessing Free Early Education Entitlement to Nursery education, the terms and conditions of payments, and sources of other financial assistance.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the use of parent`s opinions and feedback on the quality of the provision to inform the fee structure and the financial management of all budgets.
- Provide flexibility of provision to meet the individual needs of parents whilst prioritising places for those families that need full day provision in order to work and or study.
Fees are generally reviewed annually and where increases are justified they will be implemented as appropriate. The Red House at all times reserves the right to alter the terms and conditions of payment.
The Registration fee is £75 for each Nursery place. For registration of places for FEEE places only please contact the office.
The registration fee is payable at the point of registration it reserves a place in the Nursery and is payable for each child for whom a booking is made. It is a non-refundable charge that ensures the availability of a place commencing from the agreed start date which will usually be in September of each year. The registration fee also covers the cost of admissions administration. If an agreed registered booking is deferred or cancelled then the registration fee becomes invalid and is forfeited. If a new start date is required then a new registration fee will be payable. Requests to change booked days cannot be guaranteed.
Please note- commitment to places, your registered booking, is for a minimum of one term, once a term`s fees have been invoiced, they remain payable in full regardless of attendance.
Terms dates are:
Spring term – 1st January – 31st March
Summer term – 1st April – 31st August
Autumn term – 1st September – 31st December Please note that The Red House closes for 3 days during December
The Red House is open for a total of 51 weeks of each year.
Payment of fees
The payment of fees denotes acceptance of all terms& conditions related to fees payments
All fees must be paid in full at the beginning of each term regardless of any start date during the term. Payment can be made by direct debit, credit or debit card payments, a single transfer via a Salary Sacrifice/Childcare Voucher scheme, cash or cheque, or a combination of these.
Alternatively there is an option to pay fees in monthly instalments, one payment for each month of the term. This must be agreed in advance and an application for payment by monthly instalments completed and returned to the office. Monthly instalments are paid via Salary Sacrifice, by Direct Debit or a combination of both.
Late payment of fees
Payment of fees is due in full by the 10th of the first month of each term. If an application for monthly instalments has been completed and agreed, each instalment must be paid by the 10th day of the each month of the term. Payments not received by these dates are considered late. Where late payment of fees extends to two months your child`s place at The Red House will be temporarily suspended and only reinstated once all late fees have been paid. There is currently no charge for late payments as the prompt payment of fees is expected in respect of the commitment made by The Red House to provide the provision.
Wherever possible The Red House is open to negotiate terms of payment that take into account any extenuating circumstances that may be experienced but respectfully ask parents to inform The Red House promptly of any difficulties in meeting payments.
Late collection charges
These are made in accordance with the late collections policy. Charges are payable with immediate effect following receipt of an invoice. Charges are reduced if payment is received within 14 day. A late collection for the am session (after 1:00pm) will incur an initial £20 charge. However, if your child is collected later than 1:15pm you will be charged for an additional session. Collection after 6:00pm is charged for the additional time that staff are required to care for children. Late collections after 6:00pm are charged in 15 minute periods. In addition there is a £10 administration charge. Again charges are reduced for prompt payment. In any event, to avoid late collections please be prepared to nominate another adult to collect you child on your behalf by 1:00pm or 6:00pm
Fees for additional sessions
It is possible, subject to availability, to book additional sessions. These can be booked in advance or with short notice by phone or in person through The Red House office. Please also note that there is no refund for any additional sessions booked but not taken up.
Fees for additional sessions are payable at the time of booking by credit or debit card payments, or cash or cheque.
Charges for unpaid direct debits and cheques
If a direct debit or cheque payment is returned unpaid an additional charge, currently £4, will be incurred.
All FEEE entitlements are funded over 47.5 weeks enabling families to access up to 12 hours entitlement each week. In addition some working families will be eligible to claim 570 hours of Extended Entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds, increasing their claim to 24 hours a week
Universal FEEE for 3-4 year olds: Families of all 3-4 year olds can claim this entitlement of up to 12 free hours a week from the term following their child’s 3rd birthday
Extended FEEE for 3-4 year olds: Eligible families can claim up to 12 further free hours taking the claim to no more than 24 hours a week. Eligibility for this is validated by HMRC, to check your eligibility please go to: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
It is parents’ responsibility to ensure that their 11 digit code remains valid whilst claiming Extended FEEE
Further details about the different fee structures is available in the prospectus
.
If for unexpected reasons parents need to cancel an agreed place or reduce the registered booking appropriate notice must be given as shown below. Any reductions to registered bookings must apply to the whole term and can only be agreed where session patterns are available
- For cancellations relating to sessions for an Autumn term notice must be given by 31st May..
- For cancellations relating to sessions for a Spring term notice must be given by 30th October
- For cancellations relating to sessions for a Summer term notice must be given by 28th February.
Absence due to illness
It is not possible to receive remission of fees for sessions not attended due to illness. If however, an illness is likely to be long term parents should contact The Red House so that where possible appropriate terms can be negotiated with due regard for individual circumstances.
Request to change sessions on – one off – basis
Whilst The Red House recognises that on occasions families are unable to attend their regular sessions and may wish to `swap` a session for an alternative date we regret that we are unable to offer this option. The management of potential changes would be too challenging and we respectfully asks parents to understand the impact that this would have on our organisation and the ability to plan and deliver effectively for individual children.
The Red House is registered with the Governments Tax-Free Childcare scheme and accepts payments from this scheme for full or part payment of fees. Where parents’ employers have registered with organisations that issue Childcare Vouchers as part of a Salary Sacrifice Scheme, The Red House will also accept payment from these accredited organisations as part or full payment of fees. There is currently no additional charge for the administration of either of these services. The Red House supports the use of Salary Sacrifice and Childcare Vouchers as an effective way of meeting childcare costs. However, we ask that the following conditions are applied:
- Parents who use these schemes as part of an agreement to pay fees in instalments must take responsibility to ensure that the correct monthly transfers are made ensuring that there is no under or overpayment of fees.
- Parents must cancel voucher payments before their child is due to leave The Red House in order to avoid over payment of fees
- Where funds are released, resulting in overpayment of fees The Red House does not make repayments.
Days that The Red House is closed
The Red House is closed for the following days:
- All UK Bank Holidays
- The three days in between the December and New Year Bank Holidays.
- Three inset days, currently one in February, one in May and one is October.
There are no charges for registered bookings that fall on any of these days.
Please check the actual dates of closure for each term as these may vary.
If The Red House is forced to close for any reason beyond its control eg extreme weather conditions, unplanned Bank Holidays, fees will still be payable.