The first 15 hours (or 11.2 stretched funded hours in our case) is a universal right to free childcare for all 3 and 4 year old children. It doesn’t matter how much you earn, as your child is entitled to receive this level of free childcare each week over a 38 week funding term (this provides a total of 570 free hours).
Please note that, as a Nursery:
a. We operate for 51 weeks of the year and it is our policy to “stretch” all free funded hours over the 51 weeks per year that we operate. As such parents receiving Universal 15 hours per week free funding over the 38 week funding term (or 570 free hours in total) will have their free hours “stretched” over 51 weeks of the year resulting in 11.2 free funded hours being provided per week over the full year.
b. Our all-inclusive Wraparound Fee structure takes the information provided in points (a) and (b) above into account and includes any additional care costs associated with morning, afternoon or full day sessions booked.
The local authority’s Achieving for Children (AfC) Department advise that the extra funded hours will be made available to families where both parents (or the sole parent in a lone parent family)
The first 15 hours (or 11.2 stretched funded hours in our case) is a universal right to free childcare for all 3 and 4 year old children. It doesn’t matter how much you earn, as your child is entitled to receive this level of free childcare each week over a 38 week funding term (this provides a total of 570 free hours).The Extended Funding Entitlement is available to parents who qualify for additional funding support (as per question 2) and provides an additional 15 hours free funding per week.
Please note that, as a Nursery:
a. We operate for 51 weeks of the year and it is our policy to “stretch” all free funded hours over the 51 weeks per year that we operate. As such parents receiving Universal 15 hours per week free funding over the 38 week funding term (or 570 free hours in total) will have their free hours “stretched” over 51 weeks of the year resulting in 11.2 free funded hours being provided per week over the full year and parents receiving the Extended 30 hours of free funding over the 38 week funding term (or 1140 free hours in total) will have their free hours “stretched” over 51 weeks of the year resulting in 22.4 free funded hours being provided per week over the full year.
b. Our all-inclusive Wraparound Fee structure takes the information provided in points (a) and (b) above into account and includes any additional care costs associated with morning, afternoon or full day sessions booked.
The Local Authority is required to check a few basic eligibility requirements (as detailed above in Q2) and which you can also check yourselves. Once approved the Local Authority will provide you with your Eligibility Code, which in turn you need to provide to us to enter into the local authority care providers portal.
You must get your code from the Local Authority’s Achieving for Children Department. This code is linked to your own personal earnings and as such we cannot obtain the Eligibility Code on your behalf.
It is really important that you have this code and send it to us well before your invoice is raised as we may not be able to claim back the funding for reasons out of our control. In such cases you will be charged the full amount of monthly Nursery Fees as per our Fees List.You are required by Ealing Council to obtain your Eligibility Code at the start of every local authority funding “term”.
Yes we have a limited number of places available for parents qualifying for the Extended 30 hours weekly funding.
The government’s 30 hours childcare is provided across a 38 week funded ‘term’. However, Mini Miners Nursery is open 51 weeks of the year so we ‘stretch’ the funded hours as:
30 hours x 38 term weeks is a total of 1,140 free hours. We ‘stretch’ this over 51 Nursery weeks which provides 22.4 hours per week free funded care for the 51 weeks of the year that we are open.
Our Admissions and Waiting List Policy can be obtained from the Nursery directly by:
Email: info@miniminersnursery.co.uk
Tel: 020 3609 8484
To access the 30 hours funding offer your child needs to attend Nursery on a minimum of 3 full days per week.
Yes, of course. However, please note that you will be subject to minimum session requirements and subject to availability at the Nursery due to room capacities and staff ratios.
If you fall out of eligibility for the 30 hours free childcare you will be required to pay the Nursery fees in full. There is a grace period available from HMRC for the funding so if you fall out of funding during a “funding term” you will be funded until the start of the next funding term. For example, you fall out of funding on 5th January your child will be funded until the end of the funding term on 31st of March.At the end of the grace period you can amend your child’s sessions if required. However, as per the terms and conditions, you will need to provide the Nursery with 1 month’s notice of any changes required in either the days or sessions attendance.
We include all meals, drinks and snacks. Nappies and wipes are included as necessary. We also include some of our Extra-Curricular activities and you need to check which are included with our Nursery Manager.
We do accept lunches from home.Our Nursery Chef provides healthy and nutritious meals for a very wide variety of dietary requirements – please speak to your child’s Key Worker or the Nursery Manager for more details.
The simple answer is “NO”. Eligibility for free childcare starts the “term” after your child’s 3rd birthday.For example, if your child’s birthday is 13 January, eligibility for funding will commence with the local authority’s Summer Term dates.
It is your responsibility to obtain your Eligibility Code and provide it to us in good time ahead of the local authority funding term dates. If you did not provide the Nursery with this Code then we are unable to claim any funding from the local authority and therefore you will be charged the standard Nursery Fees for your child’s attendance.
Yes this is possible. However we do not recommend this as consistency is a key requirement for your child’s development. In addition, please remember that access to any funding requires your child attending Nursery for a minimum number of days.Please note that sharing of your funded hours is totally your responsibility. If for any reason we are unable to claim the funded hours back from the local authority then we reserve the right to invoice you in full for the time attended.
We deliberately choose not to offer a crèche or babysitting style Nursery. As such all children must meet our minimum attendance requirements. We also believe that any less attendance at Nursery would invalidate our core values and our sustainable business plan which is centered around providing the highest levels of care, security and education provided by our highly qualified and experienced Nurresery Staff.
Yes provided that the medication is prescribed by a Doctor and it has been administered for at least 48hrs. This is in the case of any allergic reaction. For example, if your child is on medication such as antibiotics, they must remain at home for the first 48 hours of the course. They may then return at the discretion of the Nursery Manager.
You will be required to fill out and sign a medication form.
Any over-the-counter medicines and remedies will be down to the discretion of the Manager – they may be refused for any reason and we do not need to give our reasoning behind it.
Medication must be supplied in the original packaging with the child’s name clearly marked on the packaging.
If your child becomes ill during his/her time at Nursery then the Manager or Room Leader will immediately contact you (parent/guardian) via phone at the emergency contact indicated on the original registration form.
If required we will ask your permission to give Calpol in certain cases, to reduce a temperature for example. However, it is not fair to the other children for us to look after a sick child as this reduces the child: staff ratio.
If necessary, staff will administer first aid and seek further medical help (Hospital/Doctors) and stay with the child until a parent arrives.
If your child becomes ill during Nursery then the Manager or Room Leader will immediately contact you (parent/guardian) or the emergency contact indicated on the application form. Being local allows somebody to collect the child if necessary.
If your child is suffering from a high temperature, sore throat, rashes, headache or discharges from eyes or ears, he/she should not attend Nursery until the symptoms have cleared up or until medical advice is sought and clearance is given for your child to return. If your child is suffering from sickness and/or diarrhoea, he/she should not attend Nursery for 48 hours after the symptoms have ceased or until clearance is given by a Doctor, in writing.
Fees are required to be paid in full for any days your child does not attend Nursery due to sick days, holidays or other time taken off from Nursery.
Your child’s Key Worker will be in constant communication with you in regards to moving rooms. The Key Worker will advise you when they believe that it is best to start the move process and will liaise with you when any settling-in sessions are planned to commence to ease your child’s transition.
At Mini Miners Nursery we operate an online Nursery system called Tapestry. Following your child’s start at Nursery you will be provide with access to the Tapestry app which is accessible via phone, tablet or computer. Through Tapestry you can follow all of your child’s daily activities at Nursery including but not limited to meals, toileting, play and achievements in his /her Learning Journey. You are also able to communicate directly with your child’s Key Worker whenever necessary.
Each month we issue all invoices. You should receive the invoice in the last week of the month prior to the month of care. I.e. in the last week of April for May childcare Fees. Payments are due by the 1stday of the month for which the childcare is being provided. Payments can be made by Bank Transfer or via Tax Free Childcare or Childcare Voucher payments. We do not accept any credit cards.
We do not hold specific parents’ evenings, however you can always discuss anything about your child with your child’s Key Worker or the Nursery Manager. You are also very welcome to ask for a meeting about anything regarding your child’s time at Nursery at any time – just give us a little notice so we can arrange for the required Staff cover within the rooms.
Contact us directly on our Tel: 020 3609 8484 or Email: info@miniminersnursery.co.uk
Transition into school is an important stage of your child’s life and we work in partnership with your child’s school to support this process including sharing of child’s learning journeys. Some teachers may ask for an invitation into our setting to meet the children in a familiar environment and we are always open to supporting such requests.
Yes, of course you may pick up your child at any time you want. However please remember if you haven’t told us we may be out on a walk or be in the middle of an activity your child really wants to be involved with. In order that your child gets the most benefit from our education and care please discuss with a member of management if you are thinking of picking up early on any occasion.
During our settling-in sessions, you will receive a list of items to bring in. Your Key Worker will also be happy to explain anything. Things to think about include bringing in any of your child’s comforters, a change of clothes etc.
We provide Nappies, Wipes and all the daily food and drink requirements including Baby Formula.Over the course of the year you may be required to bring in seasonal items such as coats, wellies, hats, sun cream, gloves etc.
Important Note:
Please do not dress your child in anything that has sentimental value or of great costs as your child will enjoy and explore messy play each day and we cannot be responsible for clothing becoming marked or damaged.
If your child bumps or bruises him/herself at home, please ensure you inform the Nursery staff on arrival at the Nursery, who will require you to complete a form. This is vital to ensure we have full knowledge of potential medical issues and is required by our safeguarding policies.
Children can naturally become unsettled when joining Nursery for the first time – and we even have many emotional mummies and daddies. We will discuss the optimum settling-in plan for your child during your enrolment. We will usually increase our staff ratio to cover new children as we like to give that extra bit of attention and comfort.
The settling-in process will be explained in detail by your child’s Key Worker or the Nursery Manager.
The settling in sessions are approximately one-hour long. We like to vary the settling-in days and times to acclimatize your child to all the Nursery weekly activities.
Yes, this is fine as long as you have registered them to collect your child at drop-off and the person collecting has the ‘collection password’. We will ask you for a description of the family member and an approximate time they are coming to collect your child. They must also carry a photo ID such as a driving licence or passport. We do prefer receiving an emailed picture of them too.
We are open for 51 weeks of the year. We are closed for all Bank Holidays and for the period between Christmas and New Year
You will be invoiced in advance of the new month and payment needs to be made by the 1stday of the month that the childcare is being provided.
We accept most childcare vouchers, please note all vouchers must have your child’s name or reference on them or they will remain unallocated to your account.
We are currently registered with a number of different childcare voucher companies, however please check with the Nursery Manager that we accept childcare vouchers from your provider.
You will need to set up your own tax-free childcare account.
Find further information visit:
https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/eligibility
or
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
We ask that you kindly give us as much notice as possible to increase your child’s sessions – please note that there may be a waiting list. We will always try to accommodate your request, however, there is no guarantee.
If you decide to reduce your child’s sessions or would like to leave us we require that you give us as much notice as possible with a minimum of 1 full month. This is to ensure we retain and recruit the best staff we have and to offer other families on our waiting list your sessions.
We do not allow a reduction of hours in a holiday.
Yes, we are closed on all Bank Holidays. Yes your fees will be charged for bank holidays and all other holidays.
Yes, it is possible to book ad-hoc sessions which can be requested by talking with our Nursery Manager. However this is based on the availability of staff and capacity of rooms, so please give us as much notice as possible.
Please note that your ad-hoc session request must be confirmed by the Nursery manager by email. Once your session has been booked you will be charged unless cancelled with a minimum of 48 hours’ notice.
Ad-hoc sessions are charged at a slightly higher rate, please consult our Fees List or ask the Nursery Manager.
Ad-hoc sessions will be invoiced on confirmation of the space, or sometimes, based on our invoicing cycles, it will be added to the following month’s invoice and collected by Direct Debit.
Yes, there is a late collection fee. Please refer to our terms and conditions for details.
We will always endeavour to be flexible and accommodate such a request but if we are full for the next session this will mean it is not possible and due to required staff breaks.
Please contact the management to confirm availability – additional charges will apply, and will be invoiced at our standard hourly rate.
Due to staff ratios, supervision and insurance, we do not offer this.
Yes Full Fees are payable for all 51 weeks of the year including all holiday periods and Bank Holidays.
All children are eligible for Universal 15 Hour Funding in the first full local authority term after they turn 3 years old.
Based on local authority qualification criteria 2 year old funding is also available for 15 hours per week.
Please note that as a Nursery we:
a. Have minimum sessions required to qualify for Funding.
b. Stretch all funding over the 51 week Nursery year.
No, unless you’re moving ahead of one of the “funding term” start dates (See Q7.)
The local authority funding is based on funding terms, so if you start during term holidays or during an actual term time you will not get funding until the start of the next term.
You will be required to pay full Nursery fees for the sessions / days of your attendance until we receive your funding approval from the Local Authority.