Frequently Asked Questions

We operate an ‘open door’ policy, so you are welcome to come and see the nursery and meet the team at any time that is convenient to you. However, we would suggest that you avoid the period from 11.00am to 2.00pm as the children are usually having lunch and/or an afternoon nap, so you may miss the chance to see the types of activities that we offer.

You will be asked to show your ID and sign the visitors’ book. You will then be shown all of the nursery rooms and gardens, and will be invited to ask further questions during the tour. You will not be permitted to use your mobile phone or any other recording/camera device whilst you are in the nursery.

Absolutely, we love meeting the little ones.

Yes, you may visit the nursery with your little one for a free one-hour trial session. This should be arranged in advance with the nursery manager.

You need to complete a nursery contract, agreeing to the terms and conditions, which the nursery manager will discuss with you. You will then need to pay a deposit of £250 and a non-refundable registration fee of £70.

The nursery manager will contact you shortly before your child’s start date to arrange settling in sessions with you. During the first settling in session, you will remain in the room with your child, meet the room team and complete paperwork to help the team get to know your child. During the second settling in session, you will remain in the room with your child for about half of the session, and then spend time with the nursery manager to finalise the paperwork and to give you another opportunity to ask further questions that you may have. During the third settling in session, we would request that you drop your child at the nursery and then leave for two hours. Based on how well your child manages the third settling in session, we may arrange further sessions with you.

Comforter, nappies and wipes (at least enough for a couple of days), nappy cream (if used), bottles and formula/EBM, a spare change of clothing, suitable clothing for outdoor/garden time and prescription medication (if needed). All items must be labelled with your child’s full name and be brought in the Kids Inc backpack given to you during the settling sessions.

During the early weeks, we would encourage you to phone the nursery to put your mind at ease. Subsequently, the nursery will always phone you if they need to discuss any aspect of your child’s care.

Not their best clothes! We love doing interesting and messy activities so please send them in their old clothes. We will give you advance notice of the photographer coming so you can bring in their best clothes just for the photographs. We have an optional uniform for children over the age of three. This helps children to prepare for the transition to school. The uniform consists of a Kids Inc Nurseries t-shirt or sweatshirt, worn with grey shorts/skirts/trousers. Items can be purchased via the nursery, via our uniform supplier and/or from children’s clothing outlets and supermarkets.

When you complete the initial paperwork, you will be asked to provide details and photos of two emergency contacts, who are allowed to collect your child on your behalf. You must notify the nursery in advance if one of your emergency contacts will be collecting your child on a particular day. The emergency contact will need to bring photo ID with them.

If you are going to be late collecting your child, please let us know as soon as possible. We may make a charge of £2 per minute for every minute that you are late. In the event that you do not collect your child by the normal closing time, two members of staff will remain with your child. After thirty minutes, if we have been unable to contact you or any of the authorised persons named in your nursery contact, including your emergency contacts, the nursery manager and/or the senior manager will assess the situation and may contact social services.

We have an on-site nursery cook, who prepares all meals and snacks from scratch using locally sourced fresh ingredients. During each day, we will provide breakfast, lunch, tea and healthy snacks. Drinks are provided throughout the day.

Your child will always be offered whatever is on the menu each day, but if they don’t like it, we will always provide an alternative.

Before your child starts at the nursery, you will be required to complete an allergy questionnaire. This enables us to formulate a plan as to how to best cater for your child. If your child has an AAI (adrenaline auto-injector), we will require two of them to be held at the nursery at all times.

We will always cater for any food preferences (e.g. vegetarianism, no beef, no pork, etc.), whilst ensuring that your child has a healthy and balanced diet.

With formula, you will need to provide sterilised bottles and your child’s preferred formula, pre-measured in portable formula dispenser pots. With EBM, this needs to be provided in sterilised bottles.

We ask that you let us know when you start to introduce pureed food at home so that we can provide the same food/s you are giving your baby. We will never introduce any food before you do. We will work closely with you as your baby moves from pureed to mashed to finely chopped foods.

Due to children’s allergies, we need to be extremely vigilant about what foods are prepared and served in the nursery. For this reason, we cannot allow food to be brought into the nursery.

For a small fee (and provided we have at least one week’s notice), the nursery cook will bake a birthday cake for your child to enjoy and share with the other children in his/her room.

Before your child starts at the nursery, you will be required to complete a medical questionnaire. This enables us to formulate a plan as to how to best care for your child. With long term medication, you will be required to complete the relevant paperwork before we can administer the medication/cream as and when necessary. For all medication prescribed by a UK registered GP or medical practitioner, even if your child has had it before, you will be required to keep your child at home for the first 24 hours after the first dose. Provided your child’s symptoms have improved and they are well enough to return to nursery, we will be able to continue administering the minimum dose of the medication, after you have completed the required paperwork.

We provide sun cream with a minimum sun protection factor of 25, with a 5 star UVA/UVB rating.

To protect your child and the other children in the nursery, we do have a full list of exclusion periods, which the nursery manager will be able to provide you with. These can vary from 24 hours up to 2/3 weeks, depending on the seriousness of the symptoms.

If this should happen, we will inform you immediately and agree a course of action. We generally follow the guidance for schools and nurseries issued by Public Health England, although we may take a company view and extend the exclusion periods for certain illnesses. Children may not attend nursery whilst infectious and, in the event of sickness and diarrhoea, may not be admitted for 48 hours after the last bout of illness. For a detailed list of exclusion periods, please check the policies and procedures board in the nursery. For further information about childhood illnesses and the signs and symptoms that accompany these, please visit the NHS website.

If this should happen, you will be informed upon collection and asked to sign an accident form. In the event of a head bump, you will be informed immediately by telephone. Your child will be monitored and, in most cases, will be able to continue with their day as normal. In the event of an accident causing concern, you will be asked to collect your child and a visit to your GP recommended. Should your child have an accident that requires further medical support, you will be contacted immediately and any necessary action taken. In extreme cases, this could involve calling for the support of paramedics.

Whilst the children are cared for in groups, it is important that we meet the individual needs of your child and ensure that he/she has an opportunity to bond with one ‘special person’ at the nursery. Each child is therefore assigned a ‘key person’, who will observe your child and plan for his/her learning and development and make assessments on progress.

We follow the EYFS (early years foundation stage), which is used by early years professionals and covers the period from birth to the end of the school reception year. This ensures that we cover the seven areas of learning and gives your child the best possible start to their education and learning.

Young children learn best through play, and hence the children’s activities are planned around their interests and needs. This ensures that the children continue to learn and develop, whilst engaged in activities revolving around their favourite toys, games, etc.

All children have access to the outdoor area(s) every day. Hence, we do ask that you provide weather appropriate outdoor clothing all year round.

We follow your child’s routine, enabling them to nap as and when they need. Sleep mats and/or cots, sheets and blankets are provided.

We work in partnership with you to agree when your child is ready for potty training. Your child will be taken to the bathroom regularly and we will use lots of praise and encouragement to help them through the process. We ask that you provide lots of spare comfortable clothing for your child whilst they are potty training.

Daily feedback about your child’s day at nursery is provided through daily diaries, feedback sheets, online learning journals and/or verbal feedback, depending on your child’s age. We hold termly parent consultation meetings when you are invited to meet with your child’s key person to discuss progress. You can make an appointment at any time to speak to the nursery manager or your child’s key person to discuss any concerns.

We use an online learning journal to record your child’s progress and some of the fun things they get up to. You will be given a secure login so you can check the App or log on to your account at any time. We love it when you also upload pictures and notes of what your child has been doing outside of nursery.

It is a wonderful two way communication and record system which we can share with you when your child leaves for school.

You will be asked to bring in a list of key words (e.g. hello, goodbye, toilet, hungry, thirsty, happy, etc.) phonetically written in the child’s first language. We place picture routines and prompts around the child’s room to help them understand their surroundings and the routine of the day. We have a number of multi lingual staff at the nurseries, who can help the children, as well as access to a vast range of dual language books.

The majority of staff are NVQ qualified and all staff receive training in paediatric first aid, food safety and hygiene, fire awareness and safeguarding children. Staff also receive additional training based on their specific roles and responsibilities.

Due to potential conflicts of interest,staff are not allowed to babysit children outside the nursery or take them to/from the nursery on your behalf.

Yes, we only close on bank holidays and during the week between Christmas and new year.

Yes, provided you give one month’s written notice and your account is up to date with no outstanding balance.

One month’s written notice is required.

Monthly fees are based on the ‘daily fee rate’ multiplied by ‘number of days attended per week’ multiplied by 52 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.

Fees are billed on a monthly basis and fees are due by the 1st of each month. Your invoice will be emailed to you each month, but you will only be able to access it using a password that we will provide you with.

We accept payments by direct debit, credit/debit cards, BACS transfers, childcare vouchers and via the government’s tax free childcare scheme. You can also via our website, using the online payments option.

Extra sessions can be booked with the nursery manager. 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.

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.

In the event of any absences from the nursery, fees will still be charged as usual.

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.

There are a number of options available to you, which can be used to fund part of your childcare costs, depending on your personal circumstances and/or your child’s age.

Universal Tax Credits: Nine out of ten families are eligible for some financial assistance through Universal Tax Credits. The amount of the benefit is dependent on a family’s household circumstances and factors such as how many children you have, whether you work, how many hours you work and if you pay for childcare. For further information, please visit www.gov.uk/child-tax-credits.

Childcare Grant: Full time students with dependent children may be eligible for a childcare grant, subject to income. For further details, please visit www.gov.uk/childcare-grant or, if you are aged under 20, www.gov.uk/care-to-learn.

Tax Free Childcare: Fees may be partly/fully paid using Tax Free Childcare, whereby the government will contribute £2 for every £8 of childcare costs. This enables you to claim up to £2,000 per annum for each of your children. To access Tax Free Childcare, please go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and scroll down to the ‘Tax Free Childcare’ section to ‘Apply Now’.

Free Early Education: All children are entitled to up to 15 hours of free early education per week during term time from the beginning of the term after their third birthday until they either go into a reception class or reach compulsory school age (the term following their fifth birthday). Some children may also qualify for an additional extended 15 hours, subject to parents’ earnings. To find out if you qualify, go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and select the option for 30 hours childcare.

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 all 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@kidsincnurseries.co.uk or call 020 8598 2600.
We do also like to hear when you are really happy so please tell us all the positives too!