Admissions Policy

The purpose of this policy is to set out how we organise for people to visit and register with our nurseries.

1. We have an “open-door” ethos and do not refuse any child due to reasons of, for example, disability or race. Please see our Non-Discrimination Policy.
2. Enquiries are made by telephone, in person or by email. Details are entered on Connect Childcare and followed up.
3. We ask that children attend nursery for a minimum of 8 hours, spread over at least 2 days. This is because a long gap between sessions is not in the best interests of a child.
4. Visits take place at 10.30am or 2pm and parents are shown the nursery by the Manager or Babyroom Manager.
5. At the visit the parent/carer is given a Visit Pack containing a Registration Form and a copy of the Terms and Conditions. Managers will explain the significance of the Terms and Conditions and parents will be asked to raise any queries. Parents are emailed the scanned forms via Adobe Sign for signature.
6. A Welcome and Induction Pack is given containing all necessary documentation. Documents must be returned before a child can be left at Nursery. Documents are usually returned and discussed at the Parent Induction Meeting with the Manager. See Partnership with Parents Policy.
7. The child/children will have a settling in period. See Settling In Policy.
8. We reserve the right to refuse to register any sibling of a child attending Nursery if:
   8.1  bills are outstanding or consistently not paid by the due date; and/or
   8.2  it has been difficult for us to care for the sibling in an appropriate manner. This may be because parents/carers have asked us to care for their child in ways that do not fit with our ethos, for example, not taking children in the garden or expecting a child to be at nursery when unwell. We believe that mutual trust between us and parents/carers is vital if we are able to care for children in the best possible way.
9. If a child is very unsettled at nursery, then we will discuss this with parents and may extend the settling in period – See Settling in Policy. In very limited circumstances, some children do not settle at nursery because it is not a suitable environment for them. Or they might become unsettled due to changes in their life circumstances. In accordance with our Behaviour Policy, we will listen to what each child is communicating. We will use the 5C’s to listen to what their behaviour is telling us. If a child can communicate verbally, we will listen to what they are saying to us. We will share all of this with parents and discuss with them what the best options are for each individual child. If a child’s behaviour, actions or verbal communication is telling us that nursery is not the right environment for them then we will discuss alternative options with the parents. It is not our ethos to allow a child who is distressed to remain at nursery.