Admissions Policy
Admissions
At Cherry Tree Day Nursery, we care for 37 children between the ages of 6 weeks old, up to the age of 5 years old.
The numbers and ages of children admitted to the nursery comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). When considering admissions, we are mindful of staff: child ratios and the facilities available at the nursery.
The nursery will use the following admission criteria which will be applied in the following order of priority:
Looked after children
A child known by the local authority to have special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND) and whose needs can be best met at the preferred nursery
A vulnerable child with either a Child Protection or a Child in Need Plan or Local Authority/Common Assessment Framework
Children who have siblings who are already with us
Children whose parents live within the area.
A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over one requiring a part-time place. This is dependent upon work commitments, occupancy and room availability.
We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to nursery places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of parents.
Prior to a child attending nursery, parents must complete and sign a contract and registration form. These forms provide the nursery with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, collection arrangements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctor’s contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.
Government Funded Sessions
Cherry Tree Day Nursery are delighted to offer our children and families FEEE funding sessions for 2,3, and 4-year olds, including 30-hour funding for those eligible. These however are on a limited amount of spaces, due to only being a small setting and needing to ensure sustainability for the nursery as a small business. These places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, and can be booked a term in advance. Please note for admissions for the free nursery education we have a termly intake, beginning the term following your child’s second/third birthday.
All funded sessions are now in line with the flexible arrangement as specified by the Government. When you register your child for their funded place, we will discuss your needs and, as far as possible with availability and staffing arrangements, we will accommodate your wishes.
We have tried to be as accommodating as possible to meet an array of needs, including a morning and afternoon session, as well as a full 10-hour day. We can also offer stretched funding over 51 weeks a year to make full day care more affordable all year round.
We have a fantastic cook at the nursery who shall cook a healthy well balanced 3 weekly rotational menu for our children, and this we believe is another amazing thing we have to offer our funded children. There is a small cost for funding and depending on which sessions are chosen will depend on the cost. For example – Breakfast is £1.50, Lunch is £3.00, and tea is £2.00. Lunch is always a hot cooked meal and either a hot or cold pudding, and tea is either hot or cold, with a hot or cold pudding.
There will be an easy to understand transparent invoice to show FREE funded hours, and charges for costs such as meals, snacks, and other consumables including sun cream, trips etc.
All children and parents/carers starting at Cherry Tree will be offered a home visit and settling in sessions, in helping to make this transition into childcare as smooth as possible.