Policies and Procedures

At our preschool, the health and safety of every child is our top priority. To help us maintain a safe, healthy, and welcoming environment for all children, we kindly ask for your cooperation with the following:
Medication Policy
Children should not attend preschool if they have taken any medication within the previous 48 hours. This helps us ensure children are well enough to participate fully and reduces the risk of masking symptoms of illness while at school.
Labelling of Personal Items
Please ensure that all personal belongings— such as bags, water bottles, lunch boxes, clothing, and comfort items—are clearly labelled with your child's name. This helps prevent items from being lost or shared
unintentionally.
Nut-Free Environment
Our preschool is a strictly nut-free environment. Please do not send any food items that contain nuts. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping all children safe.
Water bottles
Please only provide water for your children’s drinks. We do not promote juices of any kind, these will be poured away and replaced with water as required in Ofsted recommendations. We will offer milk during snack time.
Healthy lunch boxes
We promote healthy eating and follow the Early Years foundation stage nutrition guidance. Please help us by providing children with nutritional foods. Please refrain from putting chocolate or sweets into lunchboxes. We have guidance around healthy eating on our parent notice board. Our team believe that early experiences shape future eating; we focus on positive meal environments and regular eating patterns.
For further guidance/information on all our policies please ask a member of staff.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. By working together, we can continue to provide a safe and nurturing environment for every child in our care. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak with us.
Warm regards,
The Preschool Team

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Fees and Funding Policy
1. Introduction
This policy outlines how fees are set, invoiced, and collected at St Helen’s Pre-School, Little Stars, as well as how government funding is applied. The aim is to ensure fairness, transparency, and consistency for all families.
2. Session Fees
Our standard session fee is £16 for children over the age of 3 and £21 for children under the age of 3. Fees are reviewed annually, and parents/carers will be notified in advance of any changes.
Fees are invoiced monthly, based on booked sessions.
Invoices will include all agreed funded and non-funded hours.
3. Funded Hours
We offer:
⦁    Universal 15 hours government-funded early education for all 3- and 4-year-olds.
⦁    Extended 30 hours funding for eligible working families (subject to verified HMRC codes).
⦁    2-year-old funding for eligible families.
⦁    Tax-Free Childcare – the government pays 20% and parents/carers pay 80%.
Parents/carers must provide a valid code for extended 30 hours funding, which must be reconfirmed when prompted by HMRC.
4. Additional Charges
The setting does not currently have any additional charges. This may change. Committe to confirm summer 2026.
5. Absences and Holidays
Fees remain payable for booked sessions if a child is absent due to illness, holidays, or other reasons. Funded hours cannot be transferred or refunded for absences.
6. Late Collection Fee
A late collection fee of £5 per 10 minutes may be charged for collections after the agreed pick-up time.
7. Payment Methods
Payments can be made via:
⦁    BACS
⦁    Internet banking
⦁    Tax-Free Childcare
⦁    Universal 15 hours government funding
⦁    Extended 30 hours funding
⦁    2-year-old funding
8. Late or Non-Payment
If a payment is not received by the due date, a late fee of 5% per calendar month may be added.
If payment has not been received after 4 weeks, the preschool will contact parents/carers to request immediate payment and to discuss the outstanding balance.
If non-payment continues for 2 months, your child’s place may be suspended until the account is settled, and the preschool may pursue payment through legal channels.
The preschool is committed to supporting families experiencing financial hardship. Parents/carers are encouraged to communicate any difficulties as early as possible, as payment plans may be arranged where appropriate.
9. Notice Period
A 6-week written notice period is required to cancel or change sessions. Fees remain payable during the notice period.
10. Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if funding or government guidance changes.

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