Please note: The term parent applies equally to guardians or others with prime childcare responsibilities.
The Council
- Swindon Borough Council undertakes to provide safe suitable premises and staff suitably qualified and experienced in childcare and will meet all legal standards including those of the Children Act 1989 and the requirements of Ofsted, which is the registration body.
- The nursery will be open 51 weeks a year, Monday to Friday, other than Bank Holidays and other Holidays, principally between the hours of 8.00am and 5.30pm.
- A child’s day care place will be allocated and charged for on a half-day sessional basis times the number of sessions per week. Fees are calculated over 51 weeks and divided by 12 to give 12 equal monthly payments. All fees are inclusive of meals. The cost of sessions for a whole week will be reduced in accordance with council policy for Swindon Borough Council employees only.
- A child’s Early Education place will be allocated for fully funded sessions only when space permits in accordance with the length of session and number of weeks per year for which funding is being given.
- The council will as far as is reasonably practicable ensure that once a child has been allocated a place it will be available until he/she reaches school age, subject to prompt payment of fees and compliance with nursery rules and regulations as determined from time to time. Failure to meet these requirements will result in one week’s notice to terminate a child’s place.
- Parents are advised to take out their own child’s Accident Insurance. The nursery managers will be pleased to give assistance in this respect. The council will have in effect Third Party insurance cover but Parents should be aware that if an accident were to occur to their child it would be necessary to show that the council and/or its officers were negligent before such insurance would operate.
- The nursery will endeavour to accommodate children with disabilities or special medical needs. Again please talk to the nursery managers.
- Parents are encouraged to contribute actively to the well being of the nursery. There is a Nursery Steering Group, which has provision for two parent representatives. These representatives are elected on the basis of one vote per place, either full time or part time. A minimum of three meetings of the Steering Group will be held each calendar year providing there is sufficient business to warrant them.
- If due to reasons beyond the control of the council it should be necessary to close the nursery, either temporarily or permanently, or by six months prior notice to Parents the council decides to close the nursery no parent shall have any claim whatsoever against the council apart from the refund of any nursery fees paid in advance.
Parents' Obligations
Rules and regulations will be kept to a minimum but certain parental obligations must be met in order to facilitate the effective and efficient management of the nursery, to enable essential records to be kept in line with registration requirements, for health and safety and other reasons in the best interest of the children. In order to obtain and retain a place at the nursery Parents must undertake to abide by the following requirements:
- Provide correct and necessary information for proper records to be kept.
- Deliver the child properly fed beforehand and collect him/her at the end of the sessions at the agreed times. The nursery will not provide breakfast.
- Four weeks written notice of intention to terminate a nursery place or amend sessions must be given by the parent appearing on the nursery records.
- Nursery fees are deducted from the council’s employee’s salary in accordance with normal pay frequencies.
- In the event that neither parent works for the council fees must be paid, one month in advance, by monthly standing order. Please speak to nursery managers or the finance team in confidence if there may be a temporary difficulty in meeting payment terms. Failure to meet this requirement will result in one week’s notice to terminate a child’s place.
- Early Education only places will be funded so required information and sight of the child’s birth certificate must be given.
- Nursery fees must be paid even though a child may have missed sessions through illness, holidays or personal choice etc.
- The nursery managers must be informed as far as possible in advance of known absences from the nursery due to holidays etc.
- The nursery managers must be informed in writing if anyone, including any partner, other than the parent registered with the nursery will be collecting a child from the nursery either during or at the end of the day.
- The nursery managers must be informed if a child is taken from the nursery at lunchtime or during the day.
- Parents must use and supply disposable nappies during nursery attendance times for non-toilet trained children. A suitable change of clothing clearly marked with your child’s name is required and other personal items may be requested by the nursery childcare manager.
- Parents are strongly advised to have their child immunised in accordance with the Council Medical Adviser’s current immunisation recommendations.
- A child must not be brought to the nursery when he/she is clearly unwell or has an infectious disease, which could be transmitted to others.
Parents Must:
- Collect a child from the nursery if the nursery managers advise that s/he is too ill to complete the session, or give written permission for someone else to do so.
- Agree to a child being taken to hospital or any other source of medical attention for treatment in the event of an emergency.
- Use the car parking facilities provided and avoid on-street parking at delivery and pick-up times.
- Follow all appropriate health and safety guidelines when at nursery, for example our smoking policy is that no smoking is allowed in nursery.
- Confirm their agreement (or otherwise) to their child being taken on local outings, for example shopping, visits to the park etc and other official outings organised by the council officers.