Policy: Late Collection / non-Collection

At Hatching Dragons we expect all parents to agree an approximate time to collect their child from the nursery. We give parents information about the procedures to follow if they expect to be late. These include:

• Agreeing a safety password with the nursery in advance to be used by anyone collecting a child who is not the parent (designated adult), should the parents advise
• Contact the nursery through any of the available channels - whatsapp / email or phone the nursery - immediately to advise the situation
• Asking a designated adult to collect their child wherever possible
• Informing the nursery of this person’s identity so the nursery can talk to the child if appropriate. This will help to reduce or eliminate any distress caused by this situation
• If the designated person is not known to the nursery staff, the parent must provide a detailed description of this person, including their date of birth where known. This designated person must know the individual child’s safety password in order for the nursery to release the child into their care. This is the responsibility of the parent.

If a child has not been collected from the nursery after a reasonable amount of time, we initiate the following procedure:

• The nursery manager will be informed that a child has not been collected as soon as is reasonably practicable. In the event that room ratios are met, the Room Leader reserves the right to continue to provide care and communicate to the manager in due course, and allocate the additional session under our ad hoc provision for finance to bill the family accordingly. 
• The manager will check for any information regarding changes to normal routines, parents’ work patterns or general information. If there is no information recorded, the manager will try to contact the parents on the telephone numbers provided for their mobile, home or work. If this fails the manager will try the emergency contacts shown on the child’s records
• The manager/staff member in charge and one other member of staff must stay behind with the child (if outside normal operating hours). During normal operating times, the nursery will plan to meet required staff ratios. If the parents have still not collected the child, the manager will telephone all contact numbers available until contact is made. These calls will be logged on a full incident record
• In the event of no contact being made after one hour has lapsed, the person in charge will ring the local authority children’s social services emergency duty team
• The nursery will inform Ofsted as soon as convenient
• The two members of staff will remain in the building until suitable arrangements have been made for the collection of the child
• The child’s welfare and needs will be met at all times and to minimise distress staff will distract, comfort and reassure the child during the process
• In order to provide this additional care a late fee of £ 25 will be charged to parents. This will pay for any additional operational costs that caring for a child outside their normal nursery hours may incur.

Arrivals:

Similarly, we expect parents to be punctual in delivering their child to school during registration. Whilst we understand and accept that there may be the occasion that families run late, the nursery reserves the right to:

• Impose a three strikes policy on late arrivals
• To thereafter charge late arrivals fees to compensate for the disruption to the nursery day
• Terminate the place for those who are continually late

The nursery is an educational provision that requires children to be seated and engaged in activities by no later than 0900. Late arrivals disrupt the course of these activities and sometimes delay and cancel planned outings and excursions.

In both such instances, staff / Room leaders are required to inform the manager who will make a note on EY Man of the child’s late arrival and / or collection. Finance will then issue monthly invoices with fees in arrears