About Us

Terms & Conditions

Key Facts

Registration Fee

A Registration Fee is payable when reserving a place for your child at Edward Bears Private Daycare, subject to availability. This is a non-refundable fee of £100.00 to cover administration and the 'settling in' sessions.

Deposit

Once a place has been offered, a full time deposit of £500.00 (or a part-time deposit of £250.00 is charged along with the registration fee. This is refundable once your child has left but only if they have completed a minimum of 6 months with the nursery and have also provided the correct notice period in writing.

Nursery Fees

Fees are payable monthly in advance, on or before the 1st of each month. Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information. Overdue fees are subject to an interest charge and additional administration fees. If you have any questions, please contact us or alternatively check out our FAQs below where your queries may have already been answered.

Nursery Sessions

The nursery is open from 08:00-18:00, Monday to Friday. Your child is welcome to attend for a minimum of 2 full days (0-5years). Sessions cannot be swapped due to staffing and availability.

Notice Periods

Notice periods are currently 8 weeks for non-funded children and a Terms’ notice for funded children. Cut-off dates for children receiving funding are specified in the full Terms and Conditions document below.

Full Terms and Conditions

Do I need to make an appointment to look around?

Yes, we require a booking for a nursery tour with a member of staff to accompany you, (usually the Manager or Deputy). We welcome visitors both existing and prospective parents. We avoid tours during drop-off and collection times, and during the lunch preparations between 12:00 and 14:00. Please visit our contact page for our link to enquiries and booking visits.
How do I register my child for a place at the Nursery?

Please request, complete, and return the Registration Form along with the £100.00 registration fee and appropriate deposit. Currently £250.00 for a part-time space and £500.00 for a full-time space.
What qualifications do your nursery staff hold?

Our staff hold various childcare qualifications such as NNEB, Level 3 Childcare and Education, Level 2 or 3 in Children’s Learning & Development and in Playwork, BTEC in Nursery Nursing, First Aid, Child Protection, Designated Safeguarding, Equal Opportunities, Additional Educational Needs, Management training, Early Years Education degrees and graduate level Early Years Teacher qualifications. All staff have to carry out a DBS check and these are regularly checked and updated.
What are the ratios of adults to children?

The current Ofsted recommended ratio in the baby room (under 2’s) is 1:3, and the toddler room (2-3 years) 1:4. The pre-school room is 1:8 or 1:13 with an Early Years Teacher. Our out-of-school clubs are 1:12. However, in all settings, we often operate with a higher ratio of adults to children, which enables us to maintain our reputation of providing high-quality early years provision.
What am I required to provide the nursery whilst my child is with you?

Nappies, wipes, formula milk [if required], a daily water beaker, spare clothes, a sun or winter hat, sun cream (weather dependent), slippers or a pair of indoor shoes, toothpaste and toothbrush and any other suitable clothing that may be required.
How do you cater for children with allergies?

Children with a specific allergy will require a doctors note confirming their allergy, along with any recommended medical advice or supportive documentation, this is then used to form a Health Care Plan. Our children’s Health Care Plans are shared with all carers caring for the child and our nursery chef (if it is a dietary requirement). The Health Care Plans are updated every 3 months to ensure they are still relevant and hold the correct details. Children with dietary requirements will be provided with a red place-mat at meal times, detailing their allergies as a visual reminder to all staff members.
What is your bottle procedure?

Due to the high health & safety risk of bottle making for both the staff and children we do not prepare bottled feeds on site and require all parents/carers to bring in readymade bottle feeds. The nursery follows the “Food Standards Agency” Department for Health guidelines with regards to storing readymade bottles within the setting. Parents will be required to make their feeds up in advance for the nursery. The “Food Standards Agency” guidance recommends that all feeds are prepared on the same day that the child attends their setting (not the night before) to minimise any risk. The NHS guidelines state that you do not store the feed for more than 24 hours; therefore, all bottles brought into nursery will be discarded at the end of each day. It is the parent/carers’ responsibility to ensure that feeds are prepared fresh on the day or at the earliest after 6.00pm the evening prior to nursery attendance, keeping within the correct safe time frames. On arrival to nursery please make staff aware that there are bottles in the child’s bag so that these can immediately be placed in the refrigerators. The staff member will put labels on all bottles for identification before storing them.
Do you have a settling in period?

Yes, we have a comprehensive settling in process to ensure your child is fully relaxed and happy in their new environment. Our nursery registration fee entitles you to a program of 2 visits.
What is the early years curriculum that nurseries use?

England – Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): All nurseries registered with Ofsted must follow the EYFS. The EYFS covers children from 0-5 years and children complete the EYFS at the end of their reception year at school. The EYFS is a play-based curriculum as research tells us that this is the best way for children to learn. Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mixture of adult-led and child-initiated activity.
How do I raise a concern that I might have about the Nursery?

We aim to provide a safe, secure, and happy environment for children to prosper and develop. It is also our intention to give a high standard of care and nursery education in both our nurseries. We accept that despite our best endeavours, there may be occasions when you feel we have been less than perfect, and we will always adopt a sympathetic but fair approach in dealing with your concerns. Should you have any concerns regarding the care or any other aspect of the nursery, please in the first instance raise them with the nursery manager. If you feel that the nursery manager has not fully addressed your queries and/or concerns, then please e-mail info@edwardbears.com or call a member of our management team on 01285 654000. We do also like to hear when you are really happy so please tell us all the positives too!
What is a Key Person and what is their role?

Each child must be assigned a key person. Their role is to help ensure that every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs, to help the child become familiar with the setting.
Do you have a healthy menu?

All meals are freshly prepared by a full-time and qualified chef. We cater for all allergies, dietary requirements, vegetarians, vegan’s and cultural preferences. More information can be found on our meals page.
Is the nursery open all year?

Yes, we only close on bank holidays, two staff training days a year and for two weeks at Christmas.
Can I swap the days that my child / children attend Edward Bears?

Unfortunately, this is not possible. We need to plan staffing needs according to children’s booking patterns and hence need to know in advance how many children will be attending each day.
Can I book extra sessions?

Extra sessions can be booked with the Nursery Manager, up to 4-weeks in advance. We will always try and accommodate extra session requests, but this will of course depend on how many children are already booked in for the required day. Payment for extra sessions is required in advance. They are slightly more expensive than regular sessions, as we may need to use agency staff to cover the unplanned sessions and they are available on a flexible basis. Flexis can be transferred with 48 hours’ notice but are not refundable once booked.
Can I change my booking pattern after my child has started attending the nursery?

Booking pattern changes can be made with the Nursery Manager. We will always try and accommodate such requests, but this will of course depend on availability. This may impact your monthly fees. Any reduction to sessions requires the same notice periods as termination of a place.
Do you open for Bank Holidays and holidays?

Our nurseries are open 50 weeks a year, during which time full fees are payable. On Bank Holidays and over the Christmas period we are closed. We also close for our staff Training Days. Fees are still payable during closures as we charge on a 50-week basis to compensate for closures.
What is the nursery's notice period?

Please read our full nursery Terms & Conditions for all notice periods, as these differ for funded and non-funded children. Funded children have specific cut off dates as the funding and payments are calculated per term.
My spouse and I have separated, I do not want them picking up my child, what can I do?

This is a very upsetting time for all involved and we will work with you to offer support, with our main focus on supporting the emotional well-being of your child. If your spouse has ‘parental responsibility’ then we cannot legally stop a parent from collecting/picking up their child, nor can we be prevented from sharing information about the child, such as development progress records with the other parent. We would need a court injunction before we could stop a spouse with parental responsibility from any of the above. If your spouse does not have parental responsibility then you can instruct us according to your wishes.
When and how will I receive invoices for nursery fees?

All invoices are raised monthly, with fees payable by the 1st of each month, for the month in advance. Your invoice will be emailed to you each month, usually 5-10 days before they are due.
How can I pay for invoices as they become due?

We accept payments by BACS transfers, childcare vouchers and via the government’s tax-free childcare scheme.
How are the fees calculated?

Monthly fees are based on the ‘daily fee rate’ multiplied by ‘number of days attended per week’ multiplied by 50 weeks and then divided by 12 months, thus making the monthly fee the same each month, for easier budgeting and planning. If in the month of joining or leaving, your child does not attend for a full month, then the fees will be based on the number of days attended in the month.
Are the fees subject to change?

Yes. Your fees cover a wide range of expenses including staff wages, utilities, food, rates, rent or mortgage and the cost of updating equipment. A large percentage of fees go directly to staff salaries. The vast majority of nurseries work on very low margins, so when costs go up, most of us face little to no choice but to reflect this in our fees. Most of us will try to restrict how often we raise our fees and will always strive to give you plenty of warning in advance of any planned increases.
Do you accept childcare vouchers?

Yes, we accept childcare vouchers from many providers such as KiddiVouchers, Edenred, Computershare, Busy Bees and Care-4 We mainly take payments from Tax Free Childcare scheme from HMRC, which started in 2017. Employer Voucher Schemes have started to be phased out for new entrants (since April 2018).
What happens to my fees if my child is absent from nursery?

In the event of any absences from the nursery, fees will still be charged as usual.
Do the fees include the meals provided by Edward Bears?

Yes, a healthy morning snack is provided with milk, followed by a two-course hot dinner, plus a further mid-afternoon snack with milk, before a light tea around 16:00... all included in our daily fee.
Is my admission deposit refundable?

Yes, provided you give the appropriate notice as outlined in our Terms and Coniditions, plus your child has attended the nursery for a minimum of six months and your account is up to date with no outstanding balance.
When is my child entitled to receive the Nursery Education Funding or Early Years Free Entitlement?

All 3 and 4 year old children are eligible for the 15 hours of Nursery Education Funding (NEF), sometimes known as Nursery Education Grant (NEG) or Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE), the school term after their 3rd birthday. They can claim up to 570 hours per academic year (38 weeks) or if attending all year round can have it spread over 50 weeks. Please contact us to speak to the Nursery Manager for further information.
How do I claim 30 hours of ‘free’ childcare?

The process for claiming the additional 15 hours of childcare differs from that of the first Universal 15 hours. You can register for both the Tax Free Childcare scheme and the 30 hours on the government website. The eligibility criteria is similar for both and it is explained in detail on their page.
I called Ofsted regarding a payment matter, but they said it wasn't their role. Why is this?

Ofsted deals only with complaints and queries in relation to welfare requirements and the quality of care children receive. Ofsted’s role is to regulate standards of care. Contracts are seen as a legal matter between the nursery and parent and are therefore not a matter for the organisation.
I signed a contract agreeing to pay for childcare if my child is ill or is self-isolating. However, I do not agree with this, what can I do?

A contract is a legally binding document. Nurseries still have to pay staff whether your child attends the setting or not. If you are unhappy with any element of your contract, you are invited to discuss it with our management team to receive a full explanation. If you have signed a contract and no longer agree with its conditions, we recommend that you should seek the relevant legal advice.