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Enrolment and Admission Procedure

Cold Ash Pre-school is open to every member of the local community for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years, under 3 year olds are only accepted at the discretion of the Supervisor.

We are currently registered for 26 children and work to a staff ratio of 1: 4 for under 3 year olds and 1: 8 for 3 and 4 year olds.

Five sessions a week are available under the Nursery Education Grant System for those eligible. Funding is available for up to 38 weeks per year depending on term dates. A charge is made for afternoon and lunch club sessions which fall outside the funding criteria.

We advertise our services locally and through the Children's Information Centre.

Our procedure for the provision of places is as follows:

A child is offered a place at Pre-school from the term in which their third birthday falls, when a place becomes available. The following order of priority is used:

1. Children living in the catchment area of Cold Ash St Marks School, in order of date of birth. Information on the catchment area can be found in the Parent's Guide to Admissions to Primary Schools in West Berkshire. This booklet is available from West Berkshire Council.

2. Children living outside the catchment area of Cold Ash St Marks School, who have siblings who have attended Cold Ash Pre-School within the past 3 years of a place being available, in order of date of birth.

3. Children living outside the catchment area will be considered in priority of nearest distance to the Pre-school and then by date of birth.

Parents may be asked for proof of address with a legal document before a place can be confirmed (i.e. utility bill, telephone bill)

Applications for a place at the pre-school must be received by the Admissions Officer on or before the 1st January for a place in the subsequent academic year ( i.e. an application for a place to start in September must be received on or by 1 January). If any applications are received after this date they will be considered once those already registered have been offered a place, subject to availability.

Children are usually admitted into Pre-school in September and January. Any parent wishing to register their child for a place at the pre-school will be sent a Registration Form. This must be completed and returned with a registration fee of £7.50. On receipt of this, a Confirmation Letter will be sent notifying the parent that their child is on the waiting list.

We endeavour to notify parents as soon as possible when spaces are available. Parents are usually notified in May for the September intake and October for the January intake. If a space is made available outside of these dates then the procedure for admission will remain the same.

The procedure is as follows:

You will receive a phone call inviting you and your child to attend a session. A letter confirming your appointment together with the Pre- school's induction documentation (Enrolment Form, Consent Form, Guidance Notes and Declaration for Volunteers, T-Shirt/Sweatshirt order form and a copy of the Nursery Education Grant Leaflet) will be sent to you. Information on Policies and Procedures is accessible via the web site www.coldashpreschool.org.uk. If you do not have access to this you can request a printed version.

The Enrolment Form must be completed in full for every child that wishes to attend. It is a statutory requirement that full details of the child are retained, however, all information is kept in strictest confidence.

The visit will enable you to observe the daily routine of the pre-school and meet the staff. You will be asked to bring along the completed Enrolment Form, Consent Form and a copy of your child's birth certificate. A member of the committee will oversee your visit to enable an uninterrupted routine for the staff and children.

At the end of this visit you will be given an Acceptance Slip to complete and return within one week of this visit. On receipt of this you will then be sent a letter confirming your child's start date.

Payment of Fees:

Fees are invoiced and sent out at the beginning of each term, parents are requested to pay within 2 weeks of invoice date for the first half term. The second half terms fees are payable within 2 weeks of the start of that half term.

A late payment fee of 10% for each half term will be incurred for any account not settled within each payment period. Any accounts not settled in full by the end of the term including any late payment fees will result in all sessions not eligible for funding being withdrawn from the start of the following term. If required arrangements can be made at the discretion of the Treasurer for easy payment terms. These fees are non-refundable and all sessions booked must be paid for. One half terms notice is required if your child is to be withdrawn from the pre-school, or should you wish to change any of your child's sessions.

On admission to the pre-school each child is assigned a Key-Worker, who is a member of staff responsible for observing the progress of that child and report any areas of concern. They also keep a record of activities the child has achieved. This record consists of a series of social, intellectual and physical skills. This record is a shared document between the parent and the Key-Worker and is seen only by these people. Any discussion between Key-Workers, parents and any third party will be kept confidential.