Admission Policy

Dicky Birds Nurseries endeavour to have an inclusive and fair admissions policy and procedure, to have a clear order of priority for offering places in our nurseries and to offer excellent customer care to parents/carers with children on our waiting list.

This Admissions Policy and Procedure explains how we manage admissions and enrolment of children into our nurseries and should be viewed in conjunction with our Terms & Conditions which can be found at www.dickybirds.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.

Please contact Head office on 020 8942 5779 or headchick@dickybirds.co.uk with any queries regarding our Admissions Policy and Procedure.

a) Equal Opportunities and data protection

b) What we have waiting lists for and order of priority

c) The Internal Waiting List (IWL)

d) The External Waiting List (EWL)

e) Frequently Asked Questions about Admissions

f) Terms & Conditions

g) Who to contact

a) Equal opportunities and data protection

We are keen to represent a cross section of members within the community and do not discriminate against children or families, or prevent entry into our setting, on the basis of colour, ethnicity, religion or social background.

We do not discriminate against children or adults with learning difficulties and disabilities or refuse entry to our setting because of learning difficulties or disabilities. We would develop an action plan to ensure that children or adults with learning difficulties and disabilities can participate successfully in the services offered by the setting and in the curriculum.

In compliance with current UK data protection legislation, any data provided/collected by Dicky Birds nurseries regarding a child/adult/family will be kept secure and treated with confidentially. The data collected will only be used by Dicky Birds Pre School Nurseries Ltd and their sister company Smart Chicks Recruitment and will not be disclosed to any external sources without prior consent.

b) What we have waiting lists for and order of priority

We offer the following care at our sites and have waiting lists for each site:-

New Malden: Full Day Care
62 Claremont Road & Claremont Hall, Surbiton: Full Day Care
Dundonald Road, Wimbledon: Full Day Care
Queens Road, Wimbledon: Full Day Care
St Andrews Church, Surbiton: Breakfast and Afterschool Club - Term Time
Raynes Park: Pre School - Term Time

Each waiting list is divided into an Internal (IWL) and External (EWL) Waiting List

Priority is given in the following order:-

1) Children of families with exceptional/special needs - whether based on social or medical grounds. Supporting evidence will be required upon registration and an assessment will be undertaken to ensure the nursery concerned is suitable to cater for the child's individual needs

2) Internal Waiting List - families with children already attending a Dicky Birds nursery

3) External Waiting List - families with children who used to attend a Dicky Birds nursery

4) External Waiting List - families with children who have not attended a Dicky Birds nursery

c) The Internal Waiting List

Our Internal Waiting List consists of:-

Children currently attending a Dicky Birds nursery who need to change or increase their days/sessions
Children who have a sibling already attending a Dicky Birds nursery and who will be joining when the sibling is still in attendance*
Children who need to transfer from one Dicky Birds nursery to another

*Children whose siblings have left the nursery will join the EWL but will have priority over children who have not attended a Dicky Birds nursery.

Children on our IWL have priority over children on our EWL and will be offered places in the order of date and time that the IWL request was made by the parent/guardian.

Joining the IWL

New children joining the nursery will be added to the IWL once their place has been secured with an Agreement form signed by the parents/guardians and when all applicable fees have been paid.

Children already attending a Dicky Birds nursery will be added to the IWL on the date that the request is made in writing by the parent/guardian. The parent/guardian must request to join the IWL either by email to admissions@dickybirds.co.uk, or in writing to our head office address. If a request is made by telephone the parent/guardian will be asked to confirm the request in writing.

Children with a sibling already attending the nursery will need to be registered via our online registration form http://www.dickybirds.co.uk/register-now.html. There is no registration fee to add a child with a sibling already attending the nursery to the IWL if they are going to attend the nursery at the same time as their sibling.

If a sibling leaves the nursery then the child not yet attending will be moved onto the EWL (please see External Waiting List section for further details).

Confirmation of joining the IWL

Once the completed registration form/written request has been received by our head office the child will be placed on the IWL in date (and time) order of which the registration form/written request was received.

The parent/guardian will be sent an emailed receipt and a copy of the registration form/copy of the written request to confirm their child's place on the waiting list.

Attending a Full Day Care nursery for 1 day per week (Full Day Care only)

A parent/guardian who wishes their child to attend the nursery for 1 day per week will be obliged to take a day specified by the nursery. Should a parent/guardian wish to reduce their child's days at the nursery to 1 day per week, they will be required to reduce/transfer to a day specified by the nursery. If the chosen day is not suitable, the parent/guardian will be obliged to give notice. At the discretion of the management this condition may be waived.

Availability of a place

We understand fully the importance of siblings being in the same nursery together. However we cannot guarantee second/third children a place in the nursery for the dates or days/sessions requested.

The changing of and increasing of days/sessions is subject to availability and may be dependent on availability per room/group. We are not able to confirm or guarantee exactly when a change or increase of days/sessions will become available.

We will contact the parent/guardian to confirm the availability of a place usually 8 weeks in advance of a requested start date for a Full Day Care place and 1 full term in advance of a requested start date for a Term Time/Breakfast After School Club place. In some circumstances we may be able to contact the parent/guardian earlier than the periods stated above and reserve the right to require a decision from the parent/guardian based on this early notification.

As soon as we have knowledge of a place becoming available we will contact the parent/guardian by telephone or email to offer the place.

Offer of a place

We will attempt to contact the parent/guardian by email/telephone over a period of 5 working days to offer a place. If we are unable to contact the parent/guardian during the 5 working days we will assume that a place is no longer required for their child and will change their status to 'Inactive' on the waiting list.

Considering a place

From the date that the offer is made, the parent/guardian will have a maximum of 5 working days to decide whether to accept the place. If the parent/guardian fails to contact us or confirm acceptance of the place within 5 working days, the place will be offered to the next child on the waiting list. If we receive no contact from the parent once a place has been offered, their child will become 'inactive' on our waiting list.

Refusal of a place

The Parent/Guardian has the right to refuse any places offered for their child by up to 5 times. After the 5^th refusal the child will have their status changed to 'inactive' on the waiting list.

A child with an 'Inactive' status on the waiting list

If a child is 'Inactive' they will not be offered a place in the nursery unless the parent/guardian has requests that the child is 'reactivated' on the waiting list and they have confirmed that they are ready to accept a place.

The child will then be placed back on the waiting list in the order that they originally registered.

Places will be subject to availability.

Accepting and securing a change or increase in days/sessions

Once a change or increase in days/sessions has been confirmed by our head office an Agreement email will be sent to the parent/guardian to confirm the change. The parent/guardian must reply within 3 working days to secure the change. Once the Agreement email reply has been received by the Head office, the change or increase in days / sessions is confirmed and we will require 8 weeks' notice to cancel the change for a full day care place and one full term's notice for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place.

Accepting and securing a place for a second and additional siblings in the nursery

Once a parent/guardian has been offered a place for their child they will be given a deadline date to secure the place. Failure to secure the place by the deadline date will result in the place being offered to the next child on the waiting list.

For a Full Day Care place; a Child Entry Form (The Agreement) completed online / paper form, a deposit (details of the current deposit are set out in the Fees List) and 1 full month and applicable part-month fees in advance will be payable upon acceptance of the offer of a place. For Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place; a completed and signed Confirmation of Acceptance form (The Agreement), deposit (details of the current deposit are set out in the Fees List) and 1 full term's fees in advance will be payable upon acceptance of the offer of a place. When the child leaves the nursery the deposit will be repaid without interest to the parent/guardian by means of Bacs online payment and any outstanding fees will be deducted from this sum.

Offer and acceptance of a full day care place without a start date

At certain times of the year we may be able to guarantee a new sibling a place or an existing child an increase/change of days at the nursery without a confirmed start date.

The start date will be confirmed at a later date - usually with 8 weeks' notice or more.

It may be an offer of multiple days in which case the start dates for those days may not coincide (i.e. they may not fall within the same week) and may be staggered across multiple weeks.

The start date(s) will be confirmed to the parent/guardian formally via email.

We will do our best in all instances to match the parent/guardian's ideal start date(s) as closely as possible but cannot guarantee it.

The parents/guardian will be required to sign an Agreement form and return it to the nursery with a deposit to reserve the place.

By signing and returning the Agreement form the parents/guardians confirm that they are accepting the start date(s) in advance.

Once the start date(s) has/have been confirmed it/they cannot be brought forward or put back and at least 8 weeks' notice is required to cancel each or all of the days.

Once the start date(s) has/have been confirmed the parent/guardian will be required to pay one full month and the applicable part month fees in advance. The fees in advance must be paid prior to the first day of the month that the child starts with us.

Cancelling or deferring a child's place prior to the child's start date

A child's place is deemed accepted upon Dicky Birds receipt of the Agreement form signed by the parent/guardian.

The deposit is nonrefundable if a child's place is cancelled.

The one full month's and applicable part month fees/full terms fees in advance are refundable if eight weeks' notice is given for a full day care place and one full term's notice for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place.

If a parent/guardian decides to defer their child's start date they will need to rejoin the waiting list and a later start date cannot be guaranteed. The deposit of £250.00 is nonrefundable should a parent/guardian decide to defer their child's start date and rejoin the waiting list.

Cases of serious illness or genuine hardship may receive special consideration upon written request.

Events requiring notice

Notice to leave the nursery, reducing days/sessions: A minimum of 8 weeks written notice for a Full Day Care child and 1 full term's written notice for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place is required to reduce days/sessions. Notice must be made in writing to our Head office by email/post to admissions@dickybirds.co.uk / Dicky Birds Head Office, 39 Woodlands Avenue, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3UL. In lieu of notice fees charged will be 2 full months' fees for a full day care place, 1 full term's fees for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place, or at the rate that would have applied had the child attended the nursery. Once written notice has been received the notice date is final and cannot be brought forward or put back. Receipt of notice will be sent to the parent/guardian within 5 working days. If a receipt is not received within this time period the parent/guardian must contact Dicky Birds Head office immediately as the notice may not have been received. The notice is not deemed accepted until a parent/guardian has been sent a receipt. Once all fees are settled the deposit will be refunded. Dicky Birds nursery reserves the right to deduct outstanding fees from nursery funding and deposits.

Cases of serious illness or genuine hardship may receive special consideration upon written request.

d) External Waiting List

Our External Waiting List consists of:-

Children whose siblings have left a Dicky Birds nursery
Children who have not attended a Dicky Birds nursery

Children whose siblings have left a Dicky Birds nursery have priority over children who have not attended a Dicky Birds nursery.

Joining the EWL

Parents/guardians will need to register their child/children via our online registration form http://www.dickybirds.co.uk/register-now.html.

Registration fee

There is a registration (administration) fee of £50.00 payable upon completion of the online registration form.

Payment of the fee should be made by via Paypal upon completion of the registration form. If payment cannot be made via PayPal the parent/guardian must contact our head office to arrange an alternative method of payment.

The registration fee is non-refundable under any circumstances other than those set out below.

If the parent/guardian has registered prior to visiting their chosen nursery(ies) the registration fee is refundable within the 24 hours after the visit.

To receive the refund the parent/guardian must contact our head office within 24 hours of the visit to be removed from the waiting list and have their registration fee refunded.

If the parent/guardian is unable to make the visit appointment they must contact our head office in order to reschedule. If the appointment is not rescheduled then the original viewing date will apply.

Confirmation of registration

Once the completed registration form and fee have been received by our head office the child will be placed on the EWL in the date (and time) order in which the registration form and fee was received or whichever has been received the latest.

The parents/guardians will be sent an emailed receipt and a copy of the registration form to confirm their child's place on the waiting list.

Attending a Full Day Care nursery for 1 day per week

A parent/guardian who wishes their child to attend the nursery for 1 day per week, will be obliged to take a day specified by the nursery. Should a parent/guardian wish to reduce their child's days at the nursery to 1 day per week they will be required to reduce/transfer to a day specified by the nursery. If the chosen day is not suitable, the parent/guardian will be obliged to give notice. At the discretion of the management this condition may be waived.

Availability of a place

Places are subject to availability and Dicky Birds cannot guarantee nursery places.

Priority for nursery places is given to certain categories of child. Therefore a child's position on the waiting list is fluid and subject to change.

In some circumstances we may be able to contact the parent/guardian earlier than the periods stated above and reserve the right to require a decision from the parent/guardian based on this early notification.

As soon as we have knowledge of a place becoming available we will contact the parent/guardian by telephone or email to offer the place.

We will endeavour to offer the days/sessions requested by the parent/guardian. However, if we are unable to offer what is requested, we will offer days/sessions that we do have, with the option to increase or swap when the requested days/sessions become available.

If places are not available by the requested start date

We will send monthly email updates to parent/guardians to confirm that there is no availability for their requested start date and, if applicable, for each subsequent month that there are no available places.

If the requested start date has passed then the child will remain on the waiting list until a place becomes available unless the parent/guardian explicitly requests that the child is to be removed from the waiting list.

Offer of a place

We will attempt to contact the parent/guardian by email/telephone over a period of 5 working days in order to offer them a place. If we are unable to contact the parent/guardian during the 5 working days then we will assume that a place is no longer required for their child and we shall change their status to 'Inactive' on the waiting list.

It is the parent's/guardian's responsibility to inform our head office of changes to contact details or alternative contact details if they are away for a period of time.

Offer and acceptance of a full day care place without a start date

At certain times of the year we may be able to guarantee a new child a place at the nursery without a confirmed start date.

The start date will be confirmed at a later date - usually with 8 weeks' notice or more.

It may be an offer of multiple days in which case the start dates for those days may not coincide (i.e. they may not fall within the same week) and may be staggered across multiple weeks.

The start date(s) will be confirmed to the parent/guardian formally via email.

We will do our best in all instances to match the parent/guardian's ideal start date(s) as closely as possible but cannot guarantee it.

The parents/guardian will be required to sign an Agreement form and return it to the nursery with a deposit in order to reserve the place.

By signing and returning the Agreement form the parents/guardians confirm that they are accepting the start date(s) in advance.

Once the start date(s) have been confirmed it/they cannot be brought forward or put back and at least 8 weeks' notice is required in order to cancel each or all of the days.

Once the child's initial start date has been confirmed the parent/guardian will be required to pay one full month and applicable part month fees in advance for the total amount of days that the child will be attending the nursery.

The invoice for the fees is likely to be issued 8 weeks prior to the initial start date but may be earlier if we are able to confirm the start date more than 8 weeks in advance. The invoice must be paid within 5 working days of the parents/guardian receiving it.

Considering a place

From the date that the offer is made, the parent/guardian will have a maximum of 5 working days to decide whether to accept the place or not. If the parent/guardian fails to contact us or confirm acceptance of the place within 5 working days, then the place will be offered to the next child on the waiting list. If we receive no contact from the parent once a place has been offered their child will become 'Inactive' on our waiting list.

Refusal of a place

The parent/guardian has the right to refuse any places offered for their child by up to 5 times. After the 5^th refusal the child will have their status changed to 'Inactive' on the waiting list.

A child with an 'Inactive' status on the waiting list

If a child is 'Inactive' they will not be offered a place in the nursery unless the parent/guardian requests that the child is 'reactivated' on the waiting list and they have confirmed that they are ready to accept a place.

The child will then be placed back on the waiting list in the order that they originally registered.

Places will be subject to availability.

Securing a place

Cancelling or deferring a child's place prior to the child's start date

A child's place is deemed accepted upon Dicky Birds receipt of the Agreement form signed by the parent/guardian.

The deposit is nonrefundable if a child's place is cancelled.

Cases of serious illness or genuine hardship may receive special consideration upon written request.

Events requiring notice

Notice to leave the nursery, reducing days/sessions: A minimum of 8 weeks written notice for a Full Day Care child and 1 full term's written notice for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place is required to reduce days/sessions. Notice must be made in writing to our Head office by email/post to admissions@dickybirds.co.uk / Dicky Birds Head Office, 39 Woodlands Avenue, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 3UL. In lieu of notice, fees charged will be 2 full months' fees for a full day care place, 1 full term's fees for a Term Time/Breakfast & After School Club place, or at the rate that would have applied had the child attended the nursery. Once written notice has been received the notice date is final and cannot be brought forward or put back. Receipt of notice will be sent to the parent/guardian within 5 working days. If a receipt is not received within this time period the parent/guardian must contact Dicky Birds Head office immediately as the notice may not have been received. The notice is not deemed accepted until a parent/guardian has been sent a receipt. Once all fees are settled the deposit will be refunded. Dicky Birds nursery reserves the right to deduct outstanding fees from nursery funding and deposits.

Cases of serious illness or genuine hardship may receive special consideration upon written request.

e) Frequently Asked Questions about Admissions

Can Dicky Birds guarantee a place for my child when I need it?
It is important for you to know first of all that joining our waiting list does not guarantee your child a place from the date that you want or on the days that you need. However, rest assured that you will be offered a place with us eventually.

Why can't we guarantee you a place when you need it?
Our nurseries usually operate at full capacity and places usually become available only when children leave. Therefore we are reliant on children leaving and also on room capacity in order to be able to offer you a place.

Some nurseries may be able to guarantee you a place for your child and this is probably because they are not at full capacity.

How can I guarantee a place for my child when I need it?
The long and short of it is that you can't. The earlier that you register the higher you will be on the waiting list and that is as much as you can do.

Can the Admissions team predict when places will become available?
Our Admissions Team are always on hand to discuss likelihood of places with you. We can tell you how many other families are waiting for a place above yours and we can also let you know how much movement there has been in the nurseries so far. However, what we can't do is predict what will happen and when you will definitely get a place for your child.

Should I try and be flexible and accept any days you have for my child?
If you can be flexible and accept any days that we have available then you are more likely to get your ideal days more quickly. Accepting less days (i.e. if we only have one day to offer you) will also help as more often than not we have only one or two days to offer you initially.

Once you have a place in the nursery your child will be added to our Internal Waiting List. Children on our Internal Waiting List are offered places ahead of those on the External Waiting List. The Internal Waiting List consists of children who already attend the nursery and their new siblings.

When will you let me know if you have a place to offer my child?
You have already chosen an earliest acceptable and an ideal start date for your child to join the nursery. You will next hear from us 8 weeks prior to your earliest acceptable start date. However, there may be instances where we can contact you at short notice (a matter of weeks) or well in advance (a matter of 8 weeks or more).

How will you let me know if you have a place to offer me for my child?
We will contact you via telephone to discuss the start dates and the days we have available. If we are unable to get hold of you by telephone we will also send an email. We will then give you some time to decide whether the place is right for you. We can give you up to 5 working days to decide upon taking a place.

What if you offer me a place and I feel it is too soon or that the days don't suit me?
We can move your child to a later month and/or adjust your requirements on our files. Your child can remain on our waiting list for as longs as you need.

Will my child be moved to the bottom of the waiting list if I decline a place?
No they will not. You have a specific date and time that you registered your child (this can be found at the top of your registration form). When we come to offer you a place in the future - any child that was registered before yours will be offered a place first and any child that was registered after yours will be offered a place after you have been offered.

What happens if you don't have a place to offer my child when I need it?
It may be that we do not have a place available for your child when you want it. If this is the case you will receive an email from us approximately 8 weeks prior to your earliest acceptable start date. The email will state that we have no places and will give you an idea of what we are expecting for the months ahead.

What if you don't have a place to offer my child in the following months?
For the following months and up until we have a place to offer you, we will continue to send you monthly email updates. Your child will remain on our waiting list until we have a place to offer you or unless you decide you no longer require a place with us.

What should I do in anticipation of being offered a place?
Please ensure that you have viewed your chosen nurseries. Once a place is offered to you, you will need to make a decision quickly as to whether you wish to take the place or not. If you haven't seen us for a while or last visited before your child was born, you may wish to book a refresher appointment.

What should I do if my contact details change or I am away on holiday?
We would certainly not want you to miss out on a place so please make sure we have your correct contact details. Consider that you may have registered your child with your work email address and therefore if you are now on maternity leave you may need to give us a different email address. If you are going away on holiday let us know the dates you will be away and how we can contact you for that period.

What do I do if my requirements have changed?
Don't forget to let us know if your requirements have changed, if you are now flexible with your days or require an earlier or later start date. If you no longer require a place or wish to make changes to your requested start date then please update us immediately as this will speed up our admissions process.

I have registered to join more than one of your nurseries - what happens if you offer me a place in my second or third choice nursery - can I transfer to my preferred site eventually?
If you have registered your child for more than one of our nurseries we ask that you carefully consider whether you are happy to take a place at your second/third choice site. If you plan to transfer to your preferred site eventually, then please consider that moving a child from one nursery to another can be very disruptive and that they will need to resettle all over again. We would suggest that a child changes nursery at the point at which they are due to move up into the next room as this would be the natural time for a transition anyway.

I'm thinking about my child attending 2 nurseries at the same time, is this good idea?
We strongly recommend that children do not attend more than one nursery setting at a time. Children need to form a bond with their carers as well as the other children and if they are attending multiple settings this can be difficult and confusing for them. We suggest that rather than two nurseries you look at using child-minders or nannies on the days that your child is not at nursery.

Should I let you know if my child has a medical condition or if there are any special circumstances in our family?
Please let us know of any medical conditions or special circumstances in your child's life i.e a new baby coming, bereavement or parent separation. It is important that we are aware of your child's needs when we offer you a place in the nursery as we want to make sure that we meet these needs appropriately.

Can Dicky Birds help me find a babysitter?
We have a fabulous bank of babysitters available at evenings and weekends. If you are interested in our babysitting service then please see Smart Chicks website www.smartchicks.co.uk or feel free to give us a call.

f) Terms & Conditions

This Admissions Policy and Procedure should be viewed in conjunction with our Terms & Conditions which can be found at www.dickybirds.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.

Review of the Admissions Policy and Procedure and Terms & Conditions

We reserve the right to alter our terms and conditions at any time. Written notification of all revised Terms and Conditions will be given.

Acceptance of Terms & Condition

Our Terms & Conditions are deemed accepted by the parent/guardian upon completion of the registration form to join our waiting list and once a child has been admitted to the nursery, upon a signed Agreement form having been received by our Head office.

g) Who to contact

Admission queries: Contact our friendly Admissions Team on 020 8942 5779 or email admissions@dickybirds.co.uk

Accounts queries: Want to know more about funding and fees? Confused by child care vouchers and Tax Credits? Then contact our Accounts Team on 020 8336 2824 or email accounts@dickybirds.co.uk

Complaints: Please see our complaints procedure at http://www.dickybirds.co.uk/complaints-procedure-for-parents

This policy is to be used in Conjunction with the following

Terms & Conditions www.dickybirds.co.uk
Waiting List registration forms http://www.dickybirds.co.uk/register-now.html

Updated	1^st February 2012
Updated by	Natali O'Farrell (Admissions Manager)
Date to be Reviewed	January 2013