This agreement explains your child’s place, free funded hours, any services you choose to buy, and how we work together. Free funded hours are free of charge. Buying extra hours, meals, consumables or activities is not a condition of a funded place.
1 The provider and agreement
We are Foundry Lane Preschool Limited, trading as Foundry Lane Preschool. Setting address: Foundry Lane, Southampton SO15 3JT. Telephone: 07441 919888. Email: andy.hiscock@foundrylanepreschool.co.uk. Website: https://foundrylanepreschool.co.uk/.
“You” means the parent or guardian accepting a place; “we” means the provider. We check the authority of the person enrolling the child and relevant court orders. Seeing a birth certificate or passport confirms identity and age; it does not by itself establish parental responsibility.
These general terms apply alongside our separate current fee schedule, published calendar, written booking confirmation and any agreed changes. Child-specific attendance, funded and paid hours, eligibility, emergency contacts, care permissions and optional lunch choices are recorded separately through registration and booking arrangements. No child information needs to be entered into this document. The Southampton parental declaration is also required for funding. Policies and privacy notices are supplied separately and cannot authorise charges contrary to funding rules. We share these terms, the separate fee schedule and policies through Nursery in a Box (NiB), where parents record their acceptance. Optional lunch bookings and agreement to their charges are recorded separately in NiB.
The agreement continues until ended under section 7. We provide the applicable terms, fee schedule and calendar before a place is accepted and retain a record of acceptance separately.
2 Offering and accepting a place
We confirm offers in writing. Admission criteria, accepted ages and available sessions are published separately and available from the manager. Extra sessions and sibling places depend on availability. We agree settling arrangements individually. Registration, emergency contacts and relevant care permissions must be completed before attendance.
Funded entitlement and attendance
3 Free funded hours
3.1 Eligibility is checked before we confirm funded hours. The universal entitlement is normally up to 15 hours a week over 38 weeks for three and four year olds. Eligible two year olds may receive 15 hours under Early Learning for 2 year olds. Eligible working families may receive up to 30 hours from the term after the child reaches nine months, subject to the scheme’s eligibility rules. Foundry Lane’s accepted ages and available sessions are set out in our published admissions information and individual booking confirmation; eligibility does not mean that Foundry Lane offers every age group or pattern.
3.2 The annual entitlement is normally 570 or 1,140 hours, adjusted for the eligible part of the year. Foundry Lane opens term time only over 38 weeks; the published calendar and confirmed booking set out delivery. Funding eligibility does not guarantee a particular session pattern. Funded hours may not exceed 10 hours in a day, must fall between 6am and 8pm, and may not be claimed at more than two sites in one day.
3.3 Please complete and sign Southampton’s current Parent Declaration Form for each setting where your child uses funded hours. Tell us about all other providers, school attendance, changes in hours and moving dates so there are no duplicate claims. We record that a birth certificate or passport has been seen. We obtain the written permission Southampton requires to check the working entitlement code and receive updates about its validity.
3.4 Working entitlement eligibility normally needs reconfirming every three months. We verify the code through the council process and explain the confirmed start date and any grace period. A new place or move during a grace period needs checking with the council; exceptions in national guidance may apply. At the end of a grace period we discuss any remaining entitlement and options before agreeing paid hours. Funding does not automatically become a private fee debt.
3.5 We do not charge for funded teaching, EYFS resources, normal running costs, funding shortfalls or additional support required for a child’s SEND within funded provision. There are no top-up, sustainability, compulsory enrichment or administration charges for accessing funded hours. Council charges arising from our administration are not passed to you.
4 Absence and changes
Please tell us promptly if your child will be absent, why and when you expect them back. We follow up unexplained absences for safeguarding and keep accurate attendance records. Persistent changes in attendance are discussed with you and, where necessary, the council; we update the declaration and claims accurately. We do not invoice parents for missed funded hours or funding we cannot recover. Private booked hours are addressed in section 6.
If you move from another provider, tell us the last attendance date and any notice arrangements. We check any funding overlap with the council. We do not ask you to replace public funding or treat a disputed notice claim as an automatic bar to a place.
Optional extras and a free route
5 Your choices
5.1 Lunch is our only optional paid extra. It is completely voluntary and priced in the separate fee schedule. Snacks, consumables and normal activities are included without an additional charge. Buying lunch or paid childcare is not a condition of a funded place. Declining lunch does not reduce your child’s funded hours, quality of care or access to EYFS provision.
5.2 Lunch must be separately chosen and recorded through our booking arrangements. Before booking, we explain the price, what is provided and the cancellation and absence terms. Signing these general terms alone does not book a lunch or authorise an optional charge.
5.3 Parents who decline our paid lunch can provide a suitable packed lunch from home. We explain reasonable food safety, storage and allergy requirements in advance. These requirements must not prevent access to a free funded place. If a packed lunch cannot safely be used, we agree another reasonable free arrangement, including a waiver where appropriate.
5.4 Normal activities and resources needed to deliver the EYFS are included without an additional charge. There is no compulsory consumables, enrichment or activity package.
5.5 Give at least one week’s notice to cancel a booked lunch without charge, by speaking to the manager or emailing andy.hiscock@foundrylanepreschool.co.uk. We confirm the change and update the booking and invoice. A lunch cancelled with less than one week’s notice remains payable, including unexpected absence through illness. This applies only to lunches already voluntarily booked with these terms explained in advance. No lunch charge applies when Foundry Lane cancels the service. Raise safety concerns or financial difficulty at any time so we can discuss an appropriate arrangement without placing the funded place at risk.
5.6 If a packed lunch or personal item is forgotten, we meet your child’s immediate care needs and contact you to agree a practical arrangement. We do not automatically impose an unagreed charge or exclude the child.
5.7 Additional paid childcare is a separate choice, subject to availability, and is not required to access free funded hours. Rates for paid childcare, optional lunch and late collection appear in the separate fee schedule, supplied before agreement and available from the manager. Individual purchases are confirmed separately.
Registration and deposits
5.8 We charge no registration fee and take no deposit for new places, whether funded or privately paid. Any deposit previously collected is dealt with separately under the applicable lawful terms and funding rules. A deposit securing a funded place that has been taken up must be refunded in full rather than held until the child leaves or offset against optional charges.
Fees invoices and payment
6 Charges you have agreed to pay
6.1 You pay only for separately agreed paid childcare and booked optional lunches, together with any lawful agreed charge under the separate fee schedule. Prices and charging units are given before agreement. Extra sessions must be agreed in advance and their cost confirmed. A reference to the fee schedule alone does not authorise an unagreed purchase.
6.2 Fees are payable monthly in advance, by the 21st of the preceding month. We do not offer weekly payment arrangements. For a first booking after that date we state a reasonable first payment date in the offer. We accept bank transfer, Tax-Free Childcare and childcare vouchers. Verified payment instructions are provided directly. Allow your payment service time to transfer funds and discuss delays promptly.
6.3 Invoices are issued through Nursery in a Box (NiB). Each invoice and receipt identifies Foundry Lane Preschool Limited and its setting, your child and the billing dates. It shows separately the number and pattern of free funded hours with no parent charge; additional paid hours with their rate; optional lunch; and any other lawful agreed charge with an explanation. Snacks, consumables and normal activities carry no additional charge. Funding is not shown as a cash discount, grant to the parent or deduction from a full private fee for funded hours. Corrections and refunds are recorded clearly.
6.4 If an invoice looks wrong, contact the manager promptly. We explain the calculation, correct errors and pause recovery of a genuinely disputed item while we check it. Undisputed agreed charges remain payable. We do not require payment for an optional item that was declined or never agreed.
6.5 If payment is overdue, we contact you, send reminders, discuss difficulties and offer a reasonable payment plan where appropriate. Before suspending separately purchased childcare, we give at least 14 calendar days’ written notice, stating the undisputed amount, how to challenge it and how to pay or agree a plan. Funded provision is not suspended or withdrawn to collect private or optional charges; we confirm a workable funded-only pattern where applicable. Agreed debts may be pursued separately through lawful processes.
6.6 We do not charge an automatic late-payment fee or contractual interest. If an agreed debt remains unpaid, we may pursue it through the court after following the applicable pre-action procedure. We may ask the court to award interest, court fees and any other recoverable costs, subject to the law and the court’s decision. These are not automatic invoice charges. Late collection is charged at the reasonable rate stated in the separate fee schedule supplied and agreed in advance, for care beyond the agreed collection time. Tell us immediately if delayed and arrange an authorised collector; safeguarding procedures still apply.
6.7 Booked private hours remain payable during your child’s absence, including illness and family holidays, when we remain available to provide the place. Lunch cancellation and illness charges follow section 5.5. We refund or credit private childcare not supplied because we cancel or close, as set out in section 8. We cannot promise that missed funded sessions can always be transferred or made up; permitted arrangements are checked with the council.
Notice ending a place and closures
7 Notice and withdrawal
7.1 Give one calendar month’s notice to end a place or reduce booked hours, by emailing andy.hiscock@foundrylanepreschool.co.uk. Notice runs from receipt, including during holidays, and we acknowledge it and confirm the final date and any calculation. No separate leaving form is compulsory. For example, notice received on 10 May ends on 10 June; where the corresponding date does not exist, use the last day of the month. Notice charges apply only to agreed paid childcare, subject to section 7.3.
7.2 Please also give one calendar month’s notice of changes to funded hours so we can plan and update claims. This is a request for planning and council reconciliation; it does not create a charge for funded hours, funding shortfalls or a penalty for leaving. Any eligible council notice-period claim is between the provider and Southampton and is subject to the current council process and decision. We do not recover the value of funded notice hours from you.
7.3 For separately purchased private hours, any notice charge is limited to the agreed price for the unserved part of the notice period, reduced by costs saved and income from filling the same place. We provide a calculation, avoid double recovery and consider exceptional circumstances. Lunch cancellation follows its separate one-week arrangement in section 5.5; there is no additional month’s notice charge for lunch.
7.4 We normally give one calendar month’s written notice to end the place or make a material reduction in our offer. We explain the reason and support a transition where possible. If we materially breach the agreement and do not put it right within a reasonable period after you tell us, you may end it without a notice penalty. Your statutory rights also apply.
7.5 A serious immediate safety risk may require urgent protective arrangements. We assess the risk, consider reasonable adjustments and alternatives, record reasons, consult you and relevant agencies, and review any temporary interruption promptly. Parental abuse or threats may require controlled access or another collector. Ending a child’s place is a last resort. Disability, SEND, inability to buy extras or private arrears alone do not justify withdrawing funded provision. Child-specific support is addressed in section 9.
7.6 If our registration or funding is suspended or withdrawn, or the setting closes permanently, we inform you promptly and work with the council on continuity. Funded hours do not automatically become paid hours. When a child leaves or provision ends, we reconcile private prepayments and other sums, provide a final statement and pay any refund due within 14 calendar days of agreeing the final account. We do not delay undisputed refunds because another item is disputed.
8 Calendar and closure
Foundry Lane opens term time only for 38 weeks each year. Opening dates, holidays, bank holidays and training days appear in the separate published calendar supplied before booking. We give as much notice as possible of changes and emergency closures. If Foundry Lane cancels a session or closes unexpectedly, prepaid private childcare not supplied is refunded or credited in full. There is no three-day deduction. Any replacement session is agreed rather than imposed. Funded closures are reconciled with Southampton. We cannot guarantee alternative childcare. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Care safety inclusion and partnership
9 Our care and your responsibilities
9.1 We deliver childcare in accordance with the EYFS framework applicable at the time and our registration. We maintain suitable insurance, safeguarding arrangements and trained staff. We treat children with respect and dignity and do not use or threaten punishment harmful to their wellbeing. We explain relevant policies and notify you of material changes.
9.2 We work with you to understand your child’s strengths, development, communication, medical needs, disability and SEND. We make reasonable adjustments, involve the SENCo and seek appropriate support with you and relevant agencies. We do not automatically exclude because support needs emerge, funding is delayed or behaviour is challenging. We do not make parents fund required SEND support during free hours. Any proposed change to provision follows an individual assessment, a support plan and discussion with the council where appropriate.
9.3 Please keep registration details, emergency contacts, authorised collectors, health information and relevant court orders up to date. We agree care plans and medicine permissions before administering medicines and maintain records. We seek emergency medical help when necessary and contact you as soon as possible. Treatment permissions are separate from marketing or data-sharing choices.
9.4 Tell us about illness or infectious disease and follow the current exclusion guidance explained by the manager. We may decline attendance or request collection when a child is too unwell or poses an infection risk. We explain the reason, review the return arrangements and consider individual needs. Please remain contactable or provide another emergency contact during sessions.
9.5 Tell us who will collect your child and notify us if that person changes. We check unfamiliar collectors’ identity and authority. We do not release a child where we are not reasonably satisfied the collection is safe and authorised; we contact you and follow safeguarding procedures. We follow relevant court orders.
9.6 We ask about food allergies, intolerances and dietary needs before food is offered. We assess risks, agree a safe plan and follow food hygiene, supervision and choking-prevention requirements. We discuss any limits on a food service and safe alternatives individually. A general warning about cross-contamination does not remove our responsibility to take reasonable care or consider reasonable adjustments.
10 Working with families
Your child has a key person. We share regular updates, arrange discussions about learning and development, and invite you to contribute information about your child. We agree how updates will be provided and make communication accessible where needed. We undertake relevant developmental reviews, including the progress check at age two where applicable.
We welcome parents’ views through everyday conversations, parent discussions and feedback opportunities, and use these to review and improve our provision. Concerns can be raised at any time through section 12.
Privacy complaints and fair changes
11 Information and privacy
11.1 We handle personal data under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 as amended. Before registration, Foundry Lane’s parent and child privacy notice and Southampton’s funding privacy notice are shared through Nursery in a Box (NiB). These explain purposes and lawful bases, information collected, recipients, security, retention, individual rights and complaints. Paper copies and accessible formats of the terms, fee schedule, privacy notices and policies are available from the manager on request.
11.2 We use necessary information to provide care, administer the place and payments, meet legal duties, check eligibility and submit lawful funding and audit records. We share relevant information securely with Southampton, regulators, safeguarding partners and other authorised recipients where there is a lawful basis. We do not promise to seek consent for every disclosure. Necessary safeguarding sharing may take place without consent; we record the reason and explain sharing unless doing so would be unsafe or unlawful.
11.3 Learning records and photographs used for care and assessment are explained in the privacy notice. Publicity, website and social-media use require separate, specific permission, recorded by purpose and channel. Refusing publicity does not affect the place. You can withdraw consent for future use through the manager; we act on the request and explain any limits on retrieving material already distributed. Signing these terms does not give publicity consent.
11.4 Contact Andy Hiscock through andy.hiscock@foundrylanepreschool.co.uk about data rights or concerns. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner at ico.org.uk. Retention is governed by the current documented schedule and applicable legal and funding requirements, rather than a promise to delete every record when your child leaves.
12 Concerns and complaints
Our separate complaints procedure is available through Nursery in a Box (NiB). Raise concerns with the key person or manager, or make a formal complaint directly using the setting address or email in section 1. Andy Hiscock is both manager and director and handles formal complaints, including concerns about his own involvement, under the published procedure. There is no separate independent internal appeal; that limitation and the external routes are explained in the procedure. We help record complaints where needed, acknowledge them within five working days and explain the action taken. Written EYFS complaints are investigated and the outcome notified within 28 calendar days of receipt; internal stages do not restart that deadline. Working days exclude weekends and public holidays.
For a concern about free entitlement or charging, you may contact Southampton’s Early Years Funding Team through fis@southampton.gov.uk. The 2026/27 agreement gives andrew.hart@southampton.gov.uk for an appeal against an EY funding decision. If unresolved, use the council’s complaints procedure; after that, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can consider complaints about the council. You may contact Ofsted about registration or EYFS concerns using gov.uk/complain-about-childcare. Ofsted does not decide individual fee disputes. A safeguarding emergency should be reported immediately, including 999 where someone is in immediate danger. Making a complaint will not disadvantage your child.
13 Changes and legal rights
We give at least one calendar month’s written notice of proposed fee changes or material contractual changes and explain the reason. Changes to optional extras need your agreement. If you do not accept a material change, you may end affected private services before it takes effect without a notice penalty. Urgent legal or safety changes are explained as soon as possible. We do not reserve an unrestricted right to change terms retrospectively. English law applies; your consumer rights, including remedies for services not provided with reasonable care and skill, remain. No term excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or other liability the law does not permit us to exclude.