Hopscotch Terms & Conditions
The following terms and conditions form your Parent Agreement with Hopscotch Day Nurseries Group Ltd (hereinafter referred to as Hopscotch) regarding the provision of early years care and education for your child. Amendments and Variations
Hopscotch reserves the right to unilaterally amend or vary these Terms & Conditions at any time and without notice.
Registration:
To request a place at Hopscotch a registration form must be completed. Upon confirmation that a place is available a non-refundable registration fee of £50 is payable alongside a deposit of £100 and payment of four weeks’ worth of fees. The four weeks’ worth of fees will be offset against the first month’s invoice value and the deposit will be returned when your child leaves, subject to there being no outstanding fees and Hopscotch receiving one month’s written notice of your child leaving.
We require two months’ notice prior to the original start date for changes to sessions or to the start date. If the required notice is not given, any reduction in fees will not be reflected in your invoice until the following month and the fees for the month following your original start date will remain due, e.g. if you request to change your start date from 1st May to 1st June on 30th March, you would be charged for the sessions originally booked for the month of May. The £100 deposit will normally be deducted from your child’s last invoice but if circumstances do not allow, it will be paid direct into your bank account.
Sessions:
Hopscotch requires that children attend a minimum of two sessions over two days per week.
Health and Care Requirements:
Prior to your child starting, you agree to complete and provide to Hopscotch in writing all relevant health and care requirements, (including any confirmed allergies, intolerances or medical conditions) relating to your child. Any food allergies and/or intolerances must be supported by documentary evidence from a GP or specialist. It is your duty of care to notify Hopscotch of any changes or additions to this information on an on-going basis. You will also provide up-to-date contact details for you and any authorised carers alongside any Court Orders, custody arrangements or safeguarding information relevant to your child.
Opening Hours and Collection:
The nurseries are open Monday to Friday each week and are closed for public holidays. The nurseries are open from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Only you or authorised persons who are over eighteen years old may collect your child from Hopscotch. If the child remains at nursery after the specified closing time, we will make every effort to contact you or authorised persons to agree your child’s collection. Late charges may be applied as the nursery has to be vacated by the designated closing times in line with our Ofsted Registration conditions.
Safeguarding:
We have a duty of care to ensure that any significant concerns about the children in our setting are reported to the local authority. This can be without parental permission whilst we seek further advice. Please refer to the child protection and safeguarding policies for further information and requirements.
Policies:
Our company policies can be viewed on our website and in the nursery reception. Individual copies are available upon request.
Nursery Fees:
Our fees are based on your child’s attendance pattern as detailed on the fee sheet. Hopscotch reserves the right to review fees at any time. Any increase in fees will be subject to a minimum of one month’s notice in writing. Our monthly fees are calculated based on the actual sessions a child attends for each day of the month. Accordingly, monthly invoices may differ from month to month depending on how many attendance days there are in any particular month. Hopscotch is closed on all public holidays; however, fees will be chargeable at the normal rate with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The nurseries are closed from Christmas Day through until the New Year – no fees are chargeable during this period. Hopscotch usually holds a number of INSET days each year, the dates of which will be announced in December of the preceding year. The nursery will be closed on an INSET day.
Those children on a 46-week contract must notify the nursery of their five weeks’ worth of holiday dates as requested by the nurseries. If your child leaves part way through the year we reserve the right to adjust your last invoice based on your child’s attendance up to the leave date. No refund will be given for periods where your child is absent from the nursery due to illness or holidays whilst Hopscotch is open or when it is not possible to open due to matters out of our control.
Events Outside of Our Control (Force Majeure):
Hopscotch will not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under this Parent Agreement, nor will this Parent Agreement be voided where that failure or delay results from any cause that is beyond our reasonable control. Such causes include, but are not limited to: power failure, internet service provider failure, strikes, lockouts or other industrial action by third parties, riots and other civil unrest, fire, explosion, flood, storms, earthquakes, subsidence, acts of terrorism (threatened or actual), acts of war (declared, undeclared, threatened, actual or preparations for war), infectious disease, epidemic or other natural disaster, social lockdown or any other event that is beyond our reasonable control.
In these circumstances, if Hopscotch is not able to perform its obligations as a result of any cause that is beyond our reasonable control, we reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to continue to charge the parent such fees that we deem reasonable in the circumstances to cover our continuing direct and indirect costs during the period of any closure. Such fees shall be determined based on the particular circumstances and may include full fees where the period of any closure is short. In such circumstances, if these fees are not paid, Hopscotch reserves its rights under the Notice of Termination clause below, and it cannot guarantee that the child’s space will be available upon their return.
Nursery Fee Payments:
Payment of nursery fees for your child’s attendance at Hopscotch shall be made in advance on the third day of each month (Due Date) by direct debit. We accept childcare vouchers and payment via the Tax-Free Childcare scheme (TFC) for all or part payment of fees. We also accept payment through the Childcare Grant Payment Service however there is a monthly £5 administration charge for this form of payment.
Hopscotch reserves the right to apply the following surcharges; late pick up fees of £5 per 5 minutes outside of booked session times, late payment fees will be charged at a rate of £5 per day for all fees outstanding after the Due Date. You agree to pay all fees as applicable to you. Hopscotch reserves the right to charge interest at 4% above Bank of England base rate on any late nursery fees.
We may also charge for all other associated costs related to non-payment or recovery of any nursery fees. Hopscotch reserves the right to terminate or suspend your child’s place with immediate effect if you do not pay the fees by the due date or you have outstanding nursery fees. Hopscotch’s notice to so terminate this Parent Agreement shall be regarded as a formal demand for all outstanding monies owing. In the event Hopscotch applies any discretionary discount to nursery fees, this discount will be solely as a gesture of goodwill and will not constitute any variation to this Parent Agreement. We reserve the right to rescind your discount if your child’s nursery fees are paid late on more than one occasion.
Additional Care and Change of Sessions:
Extra days, sessions and hours outside of your regular booking pattern may be available and can be booked on an ad hoc basis directly with the nursery management team. We reserve the right to refuse the booking of extra sessions and increases to your regular booking pattern if your child has outstanding fees. We require 48 hours’ notice for any amendments or cancellation of booked additional sessions. If the required notice is not given, no refund will be due for the unused sessions. Any additional sessions will be added to your monthly invoice in the month that the sessions fall.
We are unable to accommodate swapping your child’s session from one day to another. A minimum of one month’s notice must be given in writing for changes to booked sessions.
Prior to starting, in order to secure any amendments to your regular sessions, the additional fees due will be payable one month in advance of the effective start date and will then be deducted from your first revised invoice. If you subsequently change your child’s sessions within the month prior to the agreed amendment date, you will be liable for any additional fees for that month.
Free Entitlement Hours and Additional Services Charges:
For those children that are entitled to the government’s free entitlement hours, please note that these funded hours attract an Additional Services Charge which covers all meals, snacks, baking activities, staff training and other consumables. This Additional Services Charge is reviewed from time to time in line with the nursery fees. Please note funding can only be applied to hours attended within the hours of 8am to 6pm.
Privacy Notice:
Our GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Privacy Notice can be viewed on our website and in the nursery reception. Individual copies are available upon request.
Parking – Drop Off / Collection:
In order to comply with our planning obligations and property covenants and for the safety of all users and visitors to the premises, parents parking is to be within Hopscotch premises ONLY* unless otherwise stated and/or agreed with the Nursery Manager in writing.
*Gosport - In particular, parking in the adjacent residential car parking on Weevil Lane (Gosport) is strictly prohibited.
*Lee - In particular, parking on the High Street or outside the library is strictly prohibited.
Suspension:
We may suspend the provision of childcare to your child if at any time;
• You fail to pay the fees, or;
• You have failed to comply with the parking restrictions as detailed in both this and the parking document;
• Should your child be suffering from a contagious disease which can easily be passed to another child;
• Your child’s behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable as outlined in our Behaviour Policy or endangers the safety and wellbeing of one of the other children or staff in the nursery.
The suspension continues whilst we try to work with you on these problems. If the period of suspension exceeds one month, either of the parties may terminate this agreement by written notice.
Notice of Termination:
Each party must provide a minimum of one month’s written notice to terminate the child’s place. Hopscotch reserves the right to terminate your child’s place with immediate effect and without notice if you breach this Parent Agreement, have outstanding nursery fees owed, or if we at our sole discretion consider termination of your child’s place to be in the best interest of Hopscotch and/or the welfare of your child, other children at the nursery or staff. Notice must be in writing and addressed to the Nursery Manager.
Employment of staff:
The parent/carer of the child, the subject of the registration form, hereby agrees that during the term of this agreement and for a period of six months after the termination (howsoever terminated) not to (directly or indirectly); Employ, entice or attempt to entice away from the employment of Hopscotch any member of our staff who has had contact with your child under this agreement, and/or allow or permit the provision of any childcare services to your child by any member of our staff.
If a Hopscotch staff member leaves our employment in order to work for you, you agree to pay Hopscotch a figure representing 20% of the relevant member of staff’s gross annual salary at the time they left our employment. This figure represents the costs to Hopscotch of the recruitment of another member of staff. If you choose to have a Hopscotch staff member care for your child during their non-working hours, we do not sanction any arrangement made between you and the Hopscotch staff member. Therefore, Hopscotch will not be held accountable for any liability, loss or damage you incur as a result of any such arrangements.
General:
Hopscotch communication will either be via the nursery software, Famly, text, or email, and it is your responsibility to inform Hopscotch of any change in contact details as we will otherwise assume safe receipt of any communication.
Hopscotch is not responsible for any items left by you at the nursery, including without limitation, push chairs, prams, car seats and clothing.
Hopscotch maintains insurances as required by law, details of which are available from the Nursery Manager. Copies of current Employers Liability and Public Liability are displayed at the nursery.
This Parent Agreement will be governed by English Law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Acceptance:
Acceptance of a nursery place with Hopscotch indicates that the parent/carer has read and understands these Terms and Conditions and registration documents and undertakes to be bound by the same.
Updated 01:03:2024
Hopscotch reserves the right to unilaterally amend or vary these Terms & Conditions at any time and without notice.
Registration:
To request a place at Hopscotch a registration form must be completed. Upon confirmation that a place is available a non-refundable registration fee of £50 is payable alongside a deposit of £100 and payment of four weeks’ worth of fees. The four weeks’ worth of fees will be offset against the first month’s invoice value and the deposit will be returned when your child leaves, subject to there being no outstanding fees and Hopscotch receiving one month’s written notice of your child leaving.
We require two months’ notice prior to the original start date for changes to sessions or to the start date. If the required notice is not given, any reduction in fees will not be reflected in your invoice until the following month and the fees for the month following your original start date will remain due, e.g. if you request to change your start date from 1st May to 1st June on 30th March, you would be charged for the sessions originally booked for the month of May. The £100 deposit will normally be deducted from your child’s last invoice but if circumstances do not allow, it will be paid direct into your bank account.
Sessions:
Hopscotch requires that children attend a minimum of two sessions over two days per week.
Health and Care Requirements:
Prior to your child starting, you agree to complete and provide to Hopscotch in writing all relevant health and care requirements, (including any confirmed allergies, intolerances or medical conditions) relating to your child. Any food allergies and/or intolerances must be supported by documentary evidence from a GP or specialist. It is your duty of care to notify Hopscotch of any changes or additions to this information on an on-going basis. You will also provide up-to-date contact details for you and any authorised carers alongside any Court Orders, custody arrangements or safeguarding information relevant to your child.
Opening Hours and Collection:
The nurseries are open Monday to Friday each week and are closed for public holidays. The nurseries are open from 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Only you or authorised persons who are over eighteen years old may collect your child from Hopscotch. If the child remains at nursery after the specified closing time, we will make every effort to contact you or authorised persons to agree your child’s collection. Late charges may be applied as the nursery has to be vacated by the designated closing times in line with our Ofsted Registration conditions.
Safeguarding:
We have a duty of care to ensure that any significant concerns about the children in our setting are reported to the local authority. This can be without parental permission whilst we seek further advice. Please refer to the child protection and safeguarding policies for further information and requirements.
Policies:
Our company policies can be viewed on our website and in the nursery reception. Individual copies are available upon request.
Nursery Fees:
Our fees are based on your child’s attendance pattern as detailed on the fee sheet. Hopscotch reserves the right to review fees at any time. Any increase in fees will be subject to a minimum of one month’s notice in writing. Our monthly fees are calculated based on the actual sessions a child attends for each day of the month. Accordingly, monthly invoices may differ from month to month depending on how many attendance days there are in any particular month. Hopscotch is closed on all public holidays; however, fees will be chargeable at the normal rate with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The nurseries are closed from Christmas Day through until the New Year – no fees are chargeable during this period. Hopscotch usually holds a number of INSET days each year, the dates of which will be announced in December of the preceding year. The nursery will be closed on an INSET day.
Those children on a 46-week contract must notify the nursery of their five weeks’ worth of holiday dates as requested by the nurseries. If your child leaves part way through the year we reserve the right to adjust your last invoice based on your child’s attendance up to the leave date. No refund will be given for periods where your child is absent from the nursery due to illness or holidays whilst Hopscotch is open or when it is not possible to open due to matters out of our control.
Events Outside of Our Control (Force Majeure):
Hopscotch will not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under this Parent Agreement, nor will this Parent Agreement be voided where that failure or delay results from any cause that is beyond our reasonable control. Such causes include, but are not limited to: power failure, internet service provider failure, strikes, lockouts or other industrial action by third parties, riots and other civil unrest, fire, explosion, flood, storms, earthquakes, subsidence, acts of terrorism (threatened or actual), acts of war (declared, undeclared, threatened, actual or preparations for war), infectious disease, epidemic or other natural disaster, social lockdown or any other event that is beyond our reasonable control.
In these circumstances, if Hopscotch is not able to perform its obligations as a result of any cause that is beyond our reasonable control, we reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to continue to charge the parent such fees that we deem reasonable in the circumstances to cover our continuing direct and indirect costs during the period of any closure. Such fees shall be determined based on the particular circumstances and may include full fees where the period of any closure is short. In such circumstances, if these fees are not paid, Hopscotch reserves its rights under the Notice of Termination clause below, and it cannot guarantee that the child’s space will be available upon their return.
Nursery Fee Payments:
Payment of nursery fees for your child’s attendance at Hopscotch shall be made in advance on the third day of each month (Due Date) by direct debit. We accept childcare vouchers and payment via the Tax-Free Childcare scheme (TFC) for all or part payment of fees. We also accept payment through the Childcare Grant Payment Service however there is a monthly £5 administration charge for this form of payment.
Hopscotch reserves the right to apply the following surcharges; late pick up fees of £5 per 5 minutes outside of booked session times, late payment fees will be charged at a rate of £5 per day for all fees outstanding after the Due Date. You agree to pay all fees as applicable to you. Hopscotch reserves the right to charge interest at 4% above Bank of England base rate on any late nursery fees.
We may also charge for all other associated costs related to non-payment or recovery of any nursery fees. Hopscotch reserves the right to terminate or suspend your child’s place with immediate effect if you do not pay the fees by the due date or you have outstanding nursery fees. Hopscotch’s notice to so terminate this Parent Agreement shall be regarded as a formal demand for all outstanding monies owing. In the event Hopscotch applies any discretionary discount to nursery fees, this discount will be solely as a gesture of goodwill and will not constitute any variation to this Parent Agreement. We reserve the right to rescind your discount if your child’s nursery fees are paid late on more than one occasion.
Additional Care and Change of Sessions:
Extra days, sessions and hours outside of your regular booking pattern may be available and can be booked on an ad hoc basis directly with the nursery management team. We reserve the right to refuse the booking of extra sessions and increases to your regular booking pattern if your child has outstanding fees. We require 48 hours’ notice for any amendments or cancellation of booked additional sessions. If the required notice is not given, no refund will be due for the unused sessions. Any additional sessions will be added to your monthly invoice in the month that the sessions fall.
We are unable to accommodate swapping your child’s session from one day to another. A minimum of one month’s notice must be given in writing for changes to booked sessions.
Prior to starting, in order to secure any amendments to your regular sessions, the additional fees due will be payable one month in advance of the effective start date and will then be deducted from your first revised invoice. If you subsequently change your child’s sessions within the month prior to the agreed amendment date, you will be liable for any additional fees for that month.
Free Entitlement Hours and Additional Services Charges:
For those children that are entitled to the government’s free entitlement hours, please note that these funded hours attract an Additional Services Charge which covers all meals, snacks, baking activities, staff training and other consumables. This Additional Services Charge is reviewed from time to time in line with the nursery fees. Please note funding can only be applied to hours attended within the hours of 8am to 6pm.
Privacy Notice:
Our GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Privacy Notice can be viewed on our website and in the nursery reception. Individual copies are available upon request.
Parking – Drop Off / Collection:
In order to comply with our planning obligations and property covenants and for the safety of all users and visitors to the premises, parents parking is to be within Hopscotch premises ONLY* unless otherwise stated and/or agreed with the Nursery Manager in writing.
*Gosport - In particular, parking in the adjacent residential car parking on Weevil Lane (Gosport) is strictly prohibited.
*Lee - In particular, parking on the High Street or outside the library is strictly prohibited.
Suspension:
We may suspend the provision of childcare to your child if at any time;
• You fail to pay the fees, or;
• You have failed to comply with the parking restrictions as detailed in both this and the parking document;
• Should your child be suffering from a contagious disease which can easily be passed to another child;
• Your child’s behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable as outlined in our Behaviour Policy or endangers the safety and wellbeing of one of the other children or staff in the nursery.
The suspension continues whilst we try to work with you on these problems. If the period of suspension exceeds one month, either of the parties may terminate this agreement by written notice.
Notice of Termination:
Each party must provide a minimum of one month’s written notice to terminate the child’s place. Hopscotch reserves the right to terminate your child’s place with immediate effect and without notice if you breach this Parent Agreement, have outstanding nursery fees owed, or if we at our sole discretion consider termination of your child’s place to be in the best interest of Hopscotch and/or the welfare of your child, other children at the nursery or staff. Notice must be in writing and addressed to the Nursery Manager.
Employment of staff:
The parent/carer of the child, the subject of the registration form, hereby agrees that during the term of this agreement and for a period of six months after the termination (howsoever terminated) not to (directly or indirectly); Employ, entice or attempt to entice away from the employment of Hopscotch any member of our staff who has had contact with your child under this agreement, and/or allow or permit the provision of any childcare services to your child by any member of our staff.
If a Hopscotch staff member leaves our employment in order to work for you, you agree to pay Hopscotch a figure representing 20% of the relevant member of staff’s gross annual salary at the time they left our employment. This figure represents the costs to Hopscotch of the recruitment of another member of staff. If you choose to have a Hopscotch staff member care for your child during their non-working hours, we do not sanction any arrangement made between you and the Hopscotch staff member. Therefore, Hopscotch will not be held accountable for any liability, loss or damage you incur as a result of any such arrangements.
General:
Hopscotch communication will either be via the nursery software, Famly, text, or email, and it is your responsibility to inform Hopscotch of any change in contact details as we will otherwise assume safe receipt of any communication.
Hopscotch is not responsible for any items left by you at the nursery, including without limitation, push chairs, prams, car seats and clothing.
Hopscotch maintains insurances as required by law, details of which are available from the Nursery Manager. Copies of current Employers Liability and Public Liability are displayed at the nursery.
This Parent Agreement will be governed by English Law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Acceptance:
Acceptance of a nursery place with Hopscotch indicates that the parent/carer has read and understands these Terms and Conditions and registration documents and undertakes to be bound by the same.
Updated 01:03:2024
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