Fees Policy

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Policy Outline #

This policy document outlines the procedures and guidelines employed by Norfolk Childcare Company regarding the calculation of fees, accounting for government-funded hours, and the acceptance of payments, among other financial practices.

The Admission and Charging Policies are issued to all families as part of the registration process.

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Our Core Fees #

How much are our Hourly Fees? #

Each setting’s pricing may vary slightly. Please click HERE to find a price list for each of our settings.

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Our Additional Fees #

Government funding is “intended” to cover the cost to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare only. It is not intended to cover the cost of meals, consumables, additional hours, or additional services. 

Unfortunately due to successive government’s failure to fund the costs of 15 and 30 hours to providers correctly, in line with the rising cost of providing the expected high-quality child care, nurseries are forced to charge for extra services. These charges are set below.

Snack (Previously Consumable) Charges #

Due to the rising costs of providing childcare and the government’s decision to not increase funding in line with the increases in costs we as a nursery are unable to absorb these costs any longer.

Our snack (previously consumable) rate is:

Half Day	Full Day
£1.00	£2.00

What is the Snack (previously consumable) charge for? #

Our consumables cover the following but are not limited to:

• Healthy and nutritious Snack & Drinks
• Non-reusable play resources such as celebratory resources
• Additional wipes
• Costs towards trips out of the nursery
• Children Graduation’s and other events
• Suncream

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner #

For settings that do not offer breakfast, lunch or dinner parents are required to bring a packed lunch.

For settings that offer hot meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the parent will be charged. Where meals are offered, we do not allow parents to bring in their own food/ pack lunches. Unless the following applies

The only time we will allow packed lunch at these settings will be if the child has a confirmed medical condition for which our cooks can not cater. If we confirm this from your doctor and confirm we can not cater for this, the charge will be removed.

Or, if you meet our criteria for a fully funded placement. See below.

If you are away on holiday or sick for example, then more information can be found HERE.

Assistance with Consumables or Lunch Charges #

In line with our agreement with the local council, we are committed to providing solutions for families who are unable to meet the costs of consumables or lunch charges.

We remind parents that these fees are clearly outlined during the registration process, and monthly charges will be communicated transparently. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these costs, please do not hesitate to contact us for further clarification.

While it is suggested that we reduce or discount fees for families facing financial difficulties, we believe we already meet this standard by offering the lowest consumable charge among local nurseries. Rather than charging the full rate typical of other nurseries, we have implemented discounted fees for every child, regardless of background. We believe this approach is the fairest, ensuring affordability for all families.

Additionally, for children attending all year round, we charge only for 48 weeks, providing up to 3 weeks per year free of charge. This includes 3 weeks without session fees as well as waived consumable and food charges during that period. We believe this further demonstrates our commitment to reducing costs for all parents equally.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are unable to afford the fees, we may be able to offer one of the following solutions:

• Temporarily pausing charges and arranging a repayment plan to spread the cost over a longer period.
• Reducing your child’s booked hours, which will also reduce the consumable charge.
• Adjusting your child’s attendance to either AM or PM sessions only, avoiding lunch charges.
• Changing your booking from All Year Round to Term Time Only, thereby reducing your overall bill.
• Offering a fully funded place, subject to meeting our criteria on a case-by-case basis.

Financial Support for Extra Services #

For parents who are unable to afford fees for these additional services, you may already be eligible for Universal Credit. Under this scheme, the local council may cover up to 85% of your childcare costs, including consumables and food charges.

You can find more information about this HERE.

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How Invoices Are Calculated #

Term Time #

For children attending during term time only (38 weeks per year), invoices are calculated as follows:

(Weekly Fee x 38 Weeks) ÷ 11 Months

For example, if a child’s weekly fee is £100, the term-time fee is calculated as:

£100 (Weekly Fee) x 38 Weeks = £3,800 (Annual Fee)
£3,800 ÷ 11 Months (excluding August) = £345.45 per month.

Additional sessions may be available upon request, subject to availability.

All Year Round #

For children attending all year round (52 weeks per year), invoices are calculated as follows:

(Weekly Fee x 48 Weeks) ÷ 12 Months

For example, if a child’s weekly fee is £100, the annual fee is calculated as:

£100 (Weekly Fee) x 48 Weeks = £4,800 (Annual Fee)
£4,800 ÷ 12 Months = £400 per month.

Additional sessions may be available upon request, subject to availability.

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Childcare Funding #

We are collaborating closely with local Councils to accommodate children eligible for government funding. Parents of children aged between 9 months and 5 years may qualify for such funding. Fees will only be charged for hours attended beyond the free entitlement of funded hours in addition to food costs where applicable and a consumable charge, which is typically 15 hours and may extend to 30 hours for eligible recipients.

It is our commitment to ensure that all children receive their entitlements consistently, with equal access to quality provision. Parents will not be subjected to any additional ‘top-up’ fees to cover the variance between the funding received from the Local Authority and our current hourly rate.

The funded entitlements will be delivered consistently so that all children accessing any of them will receive the same quality and access to provision, regardless of whether families pay for optional hours, services, meals or consumables.

We will work with parents to ensure that as far as possible the hours/sessions that can be taken as funded provision are convenient for parents’ working hours.

When can you use your funding? #

For more information about when you may get funding please click HERE to read the government’s most up-to-date information about funding.

Families accepting a 2-year-old funded place will be able to claim the entitlement until their child(ren) is/are eligible for either the 3- and 4-year-old funding universal entitlement or working parent entitlement.

Early Education is offered within the national parameters

• no session to be longer than 10 hours
• no minimum session length (subject to the requirements of registration on the Ofsted Early Years Register)
• not before 6.00am or after 8.00pm
• a maximum of two sites in a single day  

How is funding credited to my invoice? #

With 15 hours of funding each child will receive 570 for a full year of attendance. With 30-hour funding, they will receive 1140 hours per year of full attendance.

The following formula is used to calculate how funded hours are credited to your invoice:

((Funded Hours per Year ÷ Weeks Left in the Year) × 4) × Average Hourly Rate

For example, if a child’s weekly fees are £95, and they attend for 20 hours per week:

Average Hourly Rate:
£95 (Weekly Fees) ÷ 20 (Hours per Week) = £4.75 (Average Hourly Rate)

Funded Hours Calculation:
570 hours (annual funding) ÷ 38 (weeks remaining in the year) = 15 hours of weekly funding

Weekly Funding Amount:
15 (Funded Hours) × £4.75 (Average Hourly Rate) = £71.25 (Weekly Funding)

Monthly Funding Amount:
£71.25 (Weekly Funding) × 4 (average weeks in a month) = £285 (Monthly Funding)

Monthly Fees Calculation:
£95 (Weekly Fees) × 4 (average weeks in a month) = £380 (Monthly Fees) + Meals & Consumables

Final Amount Payable:
£380 (Monthly Fees) – £285 (Monthly Funding) = £95 (Fees Due) + Meals

This example is for Term Time Only. But this method is applied for All Year Round too. It would also apply to 30
hours funding at 1140 hours per year.

Funding does not cover chargeable meals, including breakfast, lunch and tea or our consumable charge. This will be charged at the full rate. If your funding covers all hours of care, your invoices will only be for food charges and consumable fees.

Weeks & Hours Per Day #

Setting	Tom Thumb: The Willows	Tom Thumb: Reffley	Twinkle Tots
Monday	8:30am – 4:00pm (7.5 hours)	8:45am – 4:00pm (7.25 Hours)	7:30am – 6:00pm (10 Hours)
Tuesday	8:30am – 4:00pm (7.5 hours)	8:45am – 4:00pm (7.25 Hours)	7:30am – 6:00pm (10 Hours)
Wednesday	8:30am – 4:00pm (7.5 hours)	8:45am – 4:00pm (7.25 Hours)	7:30am – 6:00pm (10 Hours)
Thursday	8:30am – 4:00pm (7.5 hours)	8:45am – 4:00pm (7.25 Hours)	7:30am – 6:00pm (10 Hours)
Friday	8:30am – 4:00pm (7.5 hours)	8:45am – 4:00pm (7.25 Hours)	7:30am – 6:00pm (10 Hours)
Weeks Per Year	38	38	52

Funding Entitlement Amounts #

Below is a chart of a quick calculation of how many funded hours you will receive a week:

Term Type	Maximum Funded Hours per Week	Maximum Weeks	Total Funded Hours Per Year
Term Type (Default Entitlement)	15 Hours	38	570
All Year Round (Default Entitlement)	11.875 Hours	48	570
Term Time Only (Extended Entitlement)	30 Hours	38	1140
All Year Round (Extended Entitlement	23.75 Hours	48	1140

This is meant to guide a child who attended a full year with us. 48 Weeks denotes chargeable weeks for all year round, we are open 51 weeks.

The above table shows that if your child attends all year, your yearly maximum funded hours will be stretched, So, while you won’t receive 30 hours of funding per week, you will receive the same discount per year.

What happens if I get funding partway through a year #

If, for example, your funding started partway through a year, your invoice will show the above deductions for government funding from the term your child successfully receives funding.

Funding years start from the term your child receives funding. So if your child receives funding 1/3 into the year, you won’t receive credit from the term your child did not receive funding. Funding is not pro rata.

What happens if I don’t renew or incorrectly apply for funding? #

It is the responsibility of parents to ensure the timely completion and renewal of all funding applications for their children. The nursery does not bear the responsibility of reminding parents about funding deadlines, nor does it undertake to investigate or resolve any issues arising from incomplete or incorrect funding applications.

Should discrepancies or deficiencies arise in your funding documentation preventing us from successfully claiming funding, you acknowledge that you will be charged for the outstanding amount, retroactively calculated from the point of failure.

Funding Forms #

Each parent is required to complete a funding form providing essential information for our funding claims. These forms are imperative for the processing of funding claims, and without your signature, we are unable to proceed with claiming your funded hours.

Failure to sign the funding form will result in the inability to claim your funded hours, and parents will be held accountable for any resulting shortfall, including retroactive adjustments. You, as the parent, acknowledge and accept this condition.

Tax-Free Childcare Renew #

We gladly accept Tax-Free Childcare at all our nurseries, offering parents the opportunity to potentially save 20% on their invoices. However, it’s crucial for parents to personally manage the application and renewal of their tax-free childcare accounts. We, as a nursery, do not have control over these accounts and cannot assist with issues that may arise, such as account locks or verification processes.

Please note that payments from tax-free accounts may take up to 4 days to reach our bank account. Late fees and penalties are calculated based on the receipt of payment, not the date of sending. Therefore, we encourage parents to plan ahead and ensure timely payments.

In the event that a payment cannot be made through a tax-free childcare account, alternative arrangements for payment must be made by the due date, regardless of any issues encountered.

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“Fully Fee” Funded Place #

As part of our funding programme, we offer a fully funded placement at each of our settings, free of charge. These places are provided on a case-by-case basis and are intended to support our most vulnerable families who are experiencing difficult times.

This placement is designed as a temporary solution, rather than a permanent arrangement, to assist parents in navigating unexpected hardships. The period of of fully free place will again, be made on a case-by-case basis.

Due to the limited availability of these placements, we have established specific criteria for eligibility. Qualification for a fully funded place may depend on availability and one of the following circumstances:

• Death of a parent or primary carer
• Sudden loss of employment
• Sudden homelessness
• Severe, unexpected financial hardship

The following circumstances will not qualify for a fully funded placement:

• Receipt of benefits
• Refusal to pay charges
• Claiming lack of awareness of charges

While we strive to support and assist parents as much as possible, we are also a business, and our capacity to offer help is limited. Therefore, the decision to grant a fully funded place rests at our discretion. There is no appeals process if your application for a placement is unsuccessful.

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Changes and Cancelations #

What happens if I leave part way through a month? #

If you depart during a month, your bill for that month will be prorated based on the exact number of days you were booked in, rather than being calculated using the standard monthly average.

For instance, if you leave on the 20th after attending for 10 days, you will be charged for the precise number of days you were scheduled to attend. Consequently, your bill may be either lower or higher than usual, depending on the duration of your attendance.

It’s important to note that if you pay annually, no discount will be applied for the partial month. Discounts are applicable only for full months of care.

What happens if I change hours? #

If you decide to alter your childcare hours, we strongly advise you to make the change effective from the 1st of the month. Doing so ensures continuity in your monthly average and minimizes any disruption to your invoicing process.

Should you opt to modify your hours partway through a month, you will be billed for the entire month based on the specific hours booked for that period, rather than the usual monthly average. Furthermore, if you are enrolled for the full year, changing hours mid-month will result in forfeiting your proportionate discount for the four weeks of complimentary care. Consequently, you may find that your bill exceeds the usual amount.

Therefore, we highly recommend aligning any changes to your hours with the start of the month to avoid these complications.

If I leave and attend all year round, do I get my 4 weeks free off my final bill? #

No, the offer of four weeks free care, applicable to year-round attendance, is contingent upon continuous enrolment for the entire year. This benefit cannot be transferred or accumulated for future use. Therefore, as stated previously, in your final month of attendance, you will be invoiced based on the hours booked, without the application of any average or discount.

My child has changed to a room with a lower hourly rate. When will my bill be reduced? #

When your child transitions to a room with a lower hourly rate, your invoice will reflect the reduced rate starting from the first complete month of attendance in the new room. For instance, if your child’s birthday falls on the 15th of the month, the adjusted invoice will apply from the following 1st of the month. The only exception to this arrangement is if your child’s birthday coincides with the 1st of the month, in which case the reduced invoice will take effect on their birthday.

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Absences / Holidays / Sickness #

Throughout the year, there may be occasions when your child is absent due to outings, vacations, or illness. It is essential that you notify us in advance of any planned absences.

Please be aware that for any missed days due to absences, holidays, sickness (including periods of exclusion due to contagious diseases or viruses), we do not offer discounts or credits. Regardless of the notice given, full fees remain payable as we are obliged to reserve your child’s place and cannot reallocate it to another child.

Furthermore, we are unable to accommodate requests for swapping missed days with alternative dates or arranging extra sessions.

Additionally, please note that charges for meals and consumables will not be waived during absences. These expenses form part of our core billing. Resources and the cost of food alone represent only a small portion of the total charge. Many of these costs are fixed and do not decrease when your child does not attend.

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Nursery Closures #

The nursery will be closed during school holidays for term time only for children, bank holidays and Christmas. For
all year round children, we are open 51 weeks a year, excluding Christmas and bank holidays.

No fees will be charged for any bank holidays on which your child would typically attend the nursery. This adjustment will be reflected in your invoice.

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Collection/Late Charges #

Please make every effort to collect your child at the scheduled pick-up time. In case of lateness, kindly call the setting to inform us of the reason and expected arrival time. Please refrain from messaging us on the Famly app as there may be delays in reading messages.

A late collection charge of £5 per 15 minutes beyond the scheduled pick-up time will be incurred. This fee will be rounded up to the next 15 minutes and will commence immediately upon lateness. The charge will be added to your next bill. Failure to settle the fee at the time of collection will result in late fees being applied, as outlined below.

If a parent is late for collection on more than three occasions within a 12-month period, an increased late fee of £10 per 15 minutes, rounded up to the next 15 minutes, will be enforced.

Should lateness become a consistent issue, a further escalation to a charge of £15 per 15 minutes, rounded up to the next quarter-hour, will be implemented.

We are committed to addressing any concerns regarding drop-off and collection times and will strive to accommodate your needs. There may be instances where early collection is requested due to illness.

Please be advised that any queries or disputes regarding late fees must be brought to the attention of your setting manager within 14 days of the fines being issued.

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Late Payment Charges for Fees #

All fees are due and payable by the dates specified on your invoices, typically on the 1st of each month for that month’s childcare services. It is required that all payments be settled in full prior to the commencement of childcare for the respective month. In the event that your child’s first day of attendance falls after the invoice date, full payment is still required before the commencement of childcare on the first day of attendance.

Late Payment: 1 Day Overdue #

From this day onwards, the fee payers will be liable for a charge of £5 a day (365 days a year) until invoiced payment
has been received in full, including any late fees that have built up. This will be charged at our discretion. If
you are having issues paying your invoice, please let the setting manager know ASAP to avoid any fines.

We will give a 4-day grace period each month for payments like the government voucher scheme to clear. You won’t receive a late fee if we receive the payment on the 4th of the month. But if we receive the payment on the 5th, you may, at our discretion, revive late fees from the 1st-4th of the month.

Late Payment: 7 Days Overdue #

If your invoice remains unpaid after 7 days we will pass your details on to the Credit Protection Association Limited. They will at this point make every effort to recover the debt.

Late Payment: 14 Days Overdue #

Once 14 days has passed we will give the Credit Protection Association Limited permission to start litigation against the fee payer to recover any fees outstanding. Late fees will stop on the submission date and will be added to your debt along with any fees the Credit Protection Association Limited and courts look to add.

At this stage, we will issue you notice of termination of placement. Your final date will be set at the end of the month giving you two weeks minimum to find alternative childcare.

If full payment is made during your termination period we will only allow you to return if this is your only time receiving notice of termination. After the first time, regardless if full payment is made your placement will be terminated.

Final days will normally be set at the 31st of the month you are in arrears for.

We would ask that every effort be made to ensure that all payments are received on time.

If you have any problems with paying your bill, please contact us so we can try to help.

Late Payment: Withheld extra services #

If your account is in areas with ourselves, all other services and extra will be withheld until your account balance and any late fees have been paid in full.

Extra services will increase your child’s hours, ad-hoc childcare, uniforms, trips out etc.

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Extra hours #

We understand that sometimes extra hours are needed on top of the hours that you have pre-booked. For
extra hours that are planned in advance of the day/days that you require, payment will be due on the
following month’s invoice.

Extra hours will be charged at our full rate. We do not allow hours to be exchanged. Meaning you could not
swap a Monday for a Tuesday one week. In that circumstance, you will be charged for both days.

Extra hours are chargeable and we are not able to use the funding for ad-hoc sessions. We will only use the funding for regular sessions. For ad-hoc, these will be charged at our normal rate, regardless of if all funding has not been used.

Notice Period #

We require one month’s notice or payment in place of notice on leaving the nursery. Notice has to be given by
someone with parental responsibility. It can not be given by anyone else, including other family members,
social workers or friends etc. This is non-negotiable.

Notice may be given either through our website, in writing to the setting manager or via email to the setting
manager. It CANNOT be given verbally, through private text message to a member of staff, through our
Facebook account or via phone. Your 1 month’s notice will start from the date we receive your notice. Your 1
months notice will only start when we receive notice in writing, not when received verbally or from a 3rd
party.

We will also claim any funding you are entitled to for 1 month after we receive notice from you in writing. This means if you move to another nursery right away, they will not be able to claim any funding for your child, and you may receive an invoice from them. Please make them aware of this when joining.

If you leave the setting without giving notice, we will continue to claim funding until we receive your notice period and the period has been completed.

Deposit #

To secure your place, a £50 deposit is required for individuals responsible for fees. However, those solely utilising government funding are exempt from this requirement.

Upon giving a full month’s notice before leaving, your deposit will be credited to your account on the final invoice, either upon providing the notice or when your child departs for school.

If your child leaves without providing full notice, the deposit will be withheld and not refunded.

In the event that you’ve registered with us, paid a deposit, but choose not to utilise our services, the deposit will not be refunded.

3rd Party Payment Providers #

Parents may be able to claim part of their invoices back or have a 3rd party pay their invoices on their behalf. These could be, for example, Universal Credit, Local Colleges, Universities or Student Finance.

While we accept these as payment sources, due dates will remain the same. If your 3rd part payment source can not make payments on the due date of the invoices, parents will need to make the whole payment.

If a parent has made a payment directly to us and we have received a payment from a 3rd party payment provider, then we will organise a refund. So that you know, we will only refund the amount that we have received from the 3rd party up to the amount the parent has paid. Refunds will be issued within 3 working days, only once the payment has successfully cleared our bank account.

The parent must complete a refund request form to start the refund process. Any delays due to incorrect information given to us may lead to a longer time to issue a refund.

If a 3rd party payment provider refuses/declines payment for any reason, the parent will be liable for any costs.

Complaints #

Our Complaints Policy is issued to all families via ParentKnow.

Where parents/carers are not satisfied that their child is receiving the free entitlement in the correct way (as set out in this funding agreement and in Early Education and Childcare Statutory guidance for local authorities), a complaint can be submitted directly to your manager.

SEND Funding #

We aim to identify all children that may attract any additional funding such as EYPP, DAF, SEND Inclusion Fund and any locally available funding streams with a view to submit a claim/application to support and improve their outcomes. This will be in partnership with families and consent will be sought prior to submitting a claim/application.

Birth Certificate #

As part of the registration process, parents/carers will be required to provide documentation to evidence their child’s date of birth. This is to confirm they have reached the eligible age for the funded entitlement.

GDPR #

We will work in partnership with parents, carers, childcare providers, the local authority, and other organisations to improve provision and outcomes for children in their setting. Where required we will seek parent / carer consent to collect, share and use your information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulations.

Transitioning #

To ensure a smooth transition for the child, we will work closely with families to discuss and agree how a child’s overall care will work in practice where an entitlement is split across different providers, and where possible when families transfer their funding claim to a new setting.

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Frequently Asked Questions #

My child doesn’t attend in the holidays, but my invoice has not been reduced. #

Invoices are averaged. We will work out your bill for the year and divide it equally. This means that your invoice will be the same each month. We do not charge you for weeks you do not attend. You can read more about this HERE

My child has been sick/absent, but I have still been charged for food etc? #

If a child is absent, full fees still apply. We do not offer discounts etc, for time not in the settings. You can read more about that HERE

Our lunch fees cover not only the food your child eats but also extra staff, lunch times, cooks, etc. So when your child doesn’t attend, we still have to pay for these costs.

I get paid part-way through a month. Is it possible to pay my invoice when I get paid? #

Unfortunately not. All invoices are due on the 1st of the month for that month.

I am struggling with my invoices. Is it possible to form a payment plan? #

We offer payment plans for people going through genuine hardship, etc. If you would like to discuss this, then please get in touch with accounts@norfolkchildcare.co.uk. Payment plans are case-by-case and may not be suitable in all situations.

My payment was sent before being due, but it arrived late will I get a late fee? #

If your bank has had an issue or your voucher provider etc and you have incurred a late fee, you can appeal this. If you email accounts@norfolkchildcare.co.uk with evidence of sending in proof of payments.

My child arrived late/left early/was sick, do I still have to pay for Breakfast/lunch/dinner? #

As previously mentioned, it’s important to note that food charges are not subject to attendance. These charges are integrated into our overall pricing structure and are billed in a manner consistent with our other fees. It is crucial to understand that food charges encompass not only the cost of the meals but also include additional expenses such as staffing and cooking costs. These operational expenses persist regardless of your child’s attendance and therefore remain chargeable.