Babies & Toddlers Admissions

Queenborough Babies and Toddlers Admission Policy

May 2024

At Queenborough Babies and Toddlers we care for children between the ages of 3 months and 2 years. The numbers and ages of children admitted to the babies and toddlers room 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 our setting. We currently offer term time only provision but hours of attendance are flexible and can be discussed with Mrs Anna Glass, Assistant Headteacher and Early Years Lead.

Queenborough Babies and Toddlers will use the following admission criteria which will be applied in the following order of priority:

1. A member of Queenborough School and Nursery staff who requires childcare in order for them to return to work
2. Looked after children
3. 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
4. A vulnerable child with either a Child Protection or a Child in Need Plan, or in receipt of other local authority support
5. Children who have siblings who are already with us.
6. Children whose parents live within the area.

Working Parent Entitlement for children from 9 months old:

If you are an eligible working parent, you can currently apply for 15 hours of childcare for your 2-year-old. If you apply more than 3 months before the start of the new term, you will need to reconfirm your details before the end of the month before the start of the new term. This is to ensure you are still eligible.

From September 2024, eligible working parents with children aged 9-months to 3-years old can receive up to 15 hours of childcare each week.

The Department for Education sets the dates for when children become eligible by age.

Here are the applicable dates for the entitlement from 9 months and 2 years.

To qualify for a childcare code you must meet the following criteria. Over the next 3 months you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:

• £2,380 before tax if you’re aged 21 or over (equivalent to £183 per week)
• £1,788 before tax if you’re aged 18 to 20 (equivalent to £137 per week)
• £1,331 before tax if you’re under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £102 per week).

This is the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.

You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:

• you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly
• you’re self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next 3 months.

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 a waiting list and places are offered on an availability basis.

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 our Babies and Toddlers room, parents must complete an initial application form and we invite families into our setting for a visit. Where a parent decides that they would like their baby to attend our setting, we ask parents to complete an admission form. These forms provide us with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctors contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.

Queenborough Babies and Toddlers will inform applicants of the outcome of their application by letter, at least two weeks before admission. We will only allocate Babies and Toddlers sessions once it has been determined that a place can be offered in accordance with the admission criteria. If an applicant is offered a place they must confirm acceptance directly with the school by the date stipulated in their offer letter.

The final decision with regard to admission and the allocation of sessions rests with the Governing Body of Queenborough School and Nursery.

If the Babies and Toddlers room is oversubscribed, a waiting list will be maintained in criteria order and places offered, when a space becomes available.

If Queenborough Babies and Toddlers is over-subscribed, applications for entry will be ranked according to the following criteria:

1. a) A baby or toddler of a member of staff who require childcare in order to return to work.
2. c) Children who have siblings attending the main School/Nursery when they join
3. d) Nearness of children’s homes/ease of access to the School (‘as the crow flies’)

Right to Withdraw a Place

After a place has been offered Queenborough Babies and Toddlers reserves the right to withdraw the place in the following circumstances:

• - When a parent has failed to respond to an offer within a reasonable time
• - When a parent has failed to notify the school of important changes to the application information
• - The admission authority offered the place on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application from a parent
• - When a parent fails to provide a copy of their child’s birth certificate/passport
• - If a child does not attend their allocated Nursery session for 2 consecutive weeks (10 school days), unless previously agreed with the Nursery.

Waiting Lists

• Parents of children who have not been offered a place at the Babies and Toddlers room may ask for their child’s name to be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list will be operated using the same admissions criteria listed above. Placing a child’s name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a place will become available. The list will be ranked in line with the published oversubscription criteria each time a child is added.

Please click HERE for a copy of the Baby Room application form.