Terms and Conditions

Contract:
1. These terms and conditions are a legally binding contract between the client ("You") and Learning Fountain Ltd ("Us", "We"). We strongly advise you to carefully read these and clarify anything that you do not understand or object too.
2. The signature of the 'child registration form' shall constitute acceptance by the client of all terms and conditions written here and on our website.
3. You must ensure that you fully understand, agreed to these terms and conditions, and clarified anything that you do not understand or object too.
4. You must ensure that you fully understand and agreed to the fees and charges that you need to pay and clarify anything that you do not understand or object too.
5. You must ensure that you fully understand and have read the policies that are available at our-policies and clarified anything in the policies that you are unclear or unhappy with.
6. All information on this form must be correctly provided to the best of your knowledge, especially phone, mobile, email and postal address. Providing us incorrect information will result in us issuing you notice of termination of contract.
7. Once this form is signed by you and returned, then all fees and charges become applicable.
8. Once care has started, we cannot accept any excuse where you have not read these terms and conditions, and not made yourself clear about the cost of care and service charges that will apply to you.
9. Once care starts, you have a one-week settling-in period, if you choose to discontinue care within the first week, no notice period or notice payment will be applicable except fees and charges. However after the first week, the 4 week's notice period will become effective even if you choose to remove your child the very day of the second week.
10. We may need to review this contract in six month's time, where we may also review our fees
11. We also strongly advise you to also carefully read "Our House Rules" and "Our Policies" which are listed on our website.
12. You must immediately inform us of any change in your contact details, especially phone, mobile, email and postal address, failure to do so will result in us issuing you notice for termination of contract.
13. You cannot and must not give or show our registration number and details to your family, friends and anyone other than yourself who may misuse it to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
14. You cannot and must not use our registration number and details for any child or children other than who you have entered on this form to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
15. If you stop using our care service. You must immediately inform HMRC, Student Finance or Social Services about the change in childcare circumstances.
16. Once you stop using our care service, you can no longer use our registration number and details to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
17. You are solely liable for any false claims you make to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
18. HMRC, Student Finance and Social Services contact us from time to time and we pass all information about our care service, children in our care and those children that have left to them accurately and immediately.
Care:
1. We will offer care based on the type of care you contract with us. The different type of care that we offer are listed in the 'Care Needed' section on the 'child registration form' and also on the 'Care Section' on our website.
2. We have a limited number of places for children, hence we need to be strict on the care timings, hours and days that we offer your child.
3. Provided we have the hours and days to offer, you can change the type of care that you want us to provide to your child by informing us in advance.
4. The duration of care we offer is based on the contracted hours/days that you agree with us. If the care hours/days/services we provide averages more than the agreed contracted care hours/days/services each week, then we will increase the contracted care hours/days/services for your child. All future retainer fees will be subject to the new contracted hours/days/services. Any change in the hours/days will be amended in the contract and copies of the pages emailed to you. If you choose to decrease/change the hours/days/services once we have increased them, we will do so after 4-weeks.
5. Days/Hours/services can be increased provided you give us enough notice. NOTE: Each time you decrease/change your contractual days/hours/services they will take effect in 4-weeks from Monday the following week. Decreased/changed days/hours/services will become open and may be given to another child.
6. Any permanent change in care timings/hours/days/services needs to be given in writing by letter, email or text. Once your change is received, the contract and care cost will be amended from the following Monday and copy of the pages will be emailed to you. Change to contract and care cost will not be made until received by letter, email or text. This is not required if it is a temporary change to the care for a few days/hours.
7. Any change in your child(ren)'s circumstances which may affect the change in the care timings, pick-up/drop-off timings/location from what has been contracted with us, may result in us giving you notice of termination of the contract if we cannot incorporate the change.
8. You cannot decrease you care hours to cover holidays while your child is going to be away and you are not going to use our care service against the contracted hours you contracted with us.
9. Except for flexible care, the contracted hours and days for the care needed must be the same every week.
10. Except for flexible care, we cannot offer care where the times and hours constantly keep on changing every day and every week.
11. If your work is on rota basis and your hours keep changing day to day, meaning sometimes its 6 hours a day, sometimes 4 hours and sometimes 10 hours a day. Then you must contract the maximum care hours with us that you need to work within a day.
12. If your work is on rota basis and your days keep changing week to week, meaning sometimes its 2 days in a week, sometimes 3 days and sometimes 5 days in a week. Then you must contract the maximum care days with us that you need to work within a week.
13. If for any reason you do not want care for the child while it has been scheduled, you must inform us well in advance. If we turn up for pick up or drop off and have not been informed, we will charge you full price for the trip and care time.
14. It is essential that you and we expect that you keep us informed whether your child is coming or not coming or you are running late on the contracted week(s)/day(s)/hour(s) by email or SMS or phone, else we are unnecessarily waiting.
15. Flexible Care Only:
  1. Any time, any day and whenever, No fix hours, No fix contract, No retainer, No Notice Period, Just pay as you go.
  2. Once you have filled our registration form, you can call any day and us anytime and provided we have space or not engaged with any other prior engagement we can offer care for your child.
  3. With this care, we cannot guarantee a space and we do not give out our details if you wish to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
  4. Flexible care cannot be selected if you need regular weekly care days or hours.
  5. Flexible care cannot be selected or combined with any other care.
  6. With flexible care, we do not give out our details if you need to use them to claim childcare tax credit, childcare benefit, childcare grant or any other financial benefit.
Fees:
1. Fees to be paid to us are payable by you, being the person who signed the contract, for the care we offer.
2. Invoices are prepared at the end of the care week which runs Monday to Sunday and emailed next day Monday and all and full payment(s) must be paid the next day i.e. on Tuesday.
3. Fees cannot be carried over to the next week on any account.
4. If paying by bank transfer, you must ensure that you transfer the money giving reference as "your child's name + invoice date" else there may be a likelihood of your transferred money being unnoticed.
5. If paying by childcare vouchers, you must ensure that we are made aware of this so that we can register with the issuing body provided we are not already registered with them.
6. We reserve the right to refuse to accept any particular childcare vouchers where payment has not been received in full on or before the agreed payment date.
7. Under the circumstance where the fees have not been paid, we reserve the right to refuse to offer further care for your child and will demand immediate payment of the cost of service that we have offered.
8. Late Fees:
  1. If fees are not paid before the next invoice is issued, then notice for termination of contract will immediately be prepared and given to you.
  2. A daily-stipulated contractual interest rate surcharge of 1% will be added to the total outstanding balance from the due date.
9. If you are to get Tax Credit, Child Benefit or Childcare Grant to cover the cost of fees, payment of fees still need to be made immediately after the invoice is issued, even if HMRC take 2 to 3 or even more weeks or Student Finance who take 2 to 3 months or even more months in processing your claim.
10. Our fees totally depend on the hours and days of care you require and fees are charged per hour per child.
11. Our charges vary based on the number of contracted hours your child is within our care. Overtime or extra time is charged at the double rate for the type of care you contract with us.
12. If the care time moves into the next hour, full fee for the complete hour will be charged.
13. All quarter/half hours are rounded up to the full hour.
14. If your child needs to be in our care outside of the contractual care timings. We will charge for those outside hours plus the actual contractual care hours for that day as well.
15. If your child needs a pick-up/drop-off different to the contractual pick-up/drop-off. We will charge for that pick-up/drop-off plus the actual contractual pick-up/drop-off for that day as well.
16. Home pick up or drop off service or both can be offered if needed, we do charge extra for this service. For breakdown of cost, check the Fees Section on our website.
17. School drop off or pick up service can be offered if needed, we do charge extra for this service. For breakdown of cost, check the Fees Section on our website.
18. Help with homework for school going children can be offered if needed, we do charge extra for these services.
19. If your child does not come on the contracted days of care, we will charge 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us or if you pick your child early, we will charge 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us for the remaining hours. This saving and benefit only applies as long as your child(ren) are in our care. This saving and benefit will not apply during the notice to cancel period.
20. If your child is using our pick-up and drop-off service, or our homework service and your child does not come on the contracted days of care, we will charge 50% of the fee for the type of service you contract with us or if you pick your child early, we will charge 50% of the fee for the type of service you contract with us for the remaining service for that day. This saving and benefit only applies as long as your child(ren) are in our care. This saving and benefit will not apply during the notice to cancel period.
21. If you take your child out of our care service and do not inform us, the child’s place will remain reserved and you will still be invoiced every week for the contracted hours/days. And when you do inform us, if to cancel, the 4-week’s notice to cancel period will start from then and full fee for the contracted days/services will be charged.
22. If you take your child out of our care service and do not inform us, we will wait for 4-weeks, after which your child place will removed, and we will issue you a notice of termination of contract and full fee for the contracted days/services will be charged.
23. You cannot decrease your care hours to cover holidays if your child is going to be away and you are not going to use our care service against the contracted hours you contracted with us.
24. If for any reason you do not need care for the child while it has been scheduled, you must inform us well in advance. If on the day, you cancel or your child does not turn up, we will charge you full price for the care time and for any services that were scheduled along with it.
25. Fees for our service are required to be paid weekly as per the signed contract and need to be paid in full by standing order, bank transfer or cash.
26. In case you pay by standing order, because of our charging system, our weekly fees and charges may vary from week to week and there may be likelihood that you overpay us. In such case, any overpayment will be accumulated and returned to you by BACS on termination of contract. If there are any outstanding fees and charges including payment for notice period they will be deducted. Interest does not accrue.
27. Overtime or extra time payments will be paid in arrears.
28. Written confirmation of charges can normally be provided on request.
29. All payments are recorded, but receipts will only be given on request.
30. We may need to increase our fees and charges in the future, if we decide to do so we will give you a minimum of 5-week’s notice before the new increase fees and charges start. If you wish to cancel you may do so by giving us a 4-week’s notice to cancel by email (only) to complete the period before the new increase fees and charges start.
Deposit:
1. No deposit or any advance is taken, all payments are in arrears. Invoices are emailed every Sunday night and must to be paid in full the next day i.e. Monday.
2. Any payment made by yourself or any external body in advance for fees and charges will be deducted against the invoice and remaining balance if any will be carried over. Interest does not accrue.
3. If the deposit has been given in advance, then it will not be refunded if you cancel the agreement before the contract start date.
Retainer:
1. The retainer fee is 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provided.
2. Please note that the retainer fee is not a credit against future fees.
3. Whilst we are being paid a retainer we will reserve the slot for your child and will therefore provide childminding during those contracted hours if so requested provided that sufficient notice is given.
4. Without a retainer fee, we may not be able to guarantee a place for your child at any time in the future.
5. Please also note that where you do not take up a retained place, the retainer fees are not refundable.
Non or Outstanding Payment:
1. If you leave or take your child from our care without settling the outstanding payment/balance or not paying the complete fee including notice period payment once care has been provided, we will immediately follow up with legal court proceedings in all cases and all costs we incur towards claiming of the fee entitled to us from you for the care we provided will be added to the claim including court and lawyer fees, interest from the day payment was due, tracing cost if you have moved and compensation for the stress and trouble that we may have to go through in perusing the claim.
2. For recovery of amount of any outstanding payment/balance, we will transfer to an outside debt recovery agency and additional fees will be incurred which will be added to the outstanding balance and recovered from you.
3. If you choose not to pay us on time, we reserve the right to refuse to offer care to your child until full payment of fees is made and may also give you notice for termination of contract.
4. If you provide us with incorrect information on this form, especially phone, mobile, email and postal address, we will consider this as conspiracy to defraud, hence resulting in us issuing you notice for termination of contract.
School, Nursery, Club and Home Pick Ups/Drop Offs:
1. If you want us to pick up the child from school, nursery, club or home. We will start the care-time from the time when we start our journey to pick up the child and end the care-time when we drop off. If for any reason you do not want a pick up or drop off for the child while it has been scheduled, you must inform us well in advance. If we turn up for pick up or drop off and have not been informed, we will charge you full price for the trip and care time.
2. If the school, nursery, club or home pick up or drop off is regular and scheduled in the contract then we will ensure and try our best that we arrive or drop off at the time you have asked us to do so. We start the care-time from the time when we start our journey to pick up the child and end the care-time when we drop off.
3. If the school, nursery, club or home pick up or drop off is not regular and not scheduled in the contract but rather is a one-off or as when needed then we cannot ensure that we arrive or drop off the child at the exact time you have asked us to do so, but rather may arrive slightly earlier or slightly later than asked. We start the care-time from the time when we start our journey to pick up the child and end the care-time when we drop off.
4. For school, nursery, club or home pickups, though we ensure and try our best, we cannot always guarantee and there may be times when we may arrive slightly earlier or later than the scheduled time, for school, nursery, club or home drop offs, though we ensure and try our best, we cannot always guarantee and there may be times when we may arrive slightly earlier or later than the scheduled time. This may be due to road traffic or we are picking up/dropping off other children or any other unforeseen circumstances.
5. Considering the safety of the all the children we drop-off or we pick-up or to save time, we may need to change the route of school, nursery, club or home pickups/drop-offs or pickup/drop-off order. This may affect the timings of pick-ups and drop-offs.
6. With school, nursery, club or home pick-ups/drop-offs. You are responsible to keep us informed every time by Phone or Text when to end and restart pick-ups/drop-offs when school, nursery or club break for holidays, inset days or any other day school, nursery or club is supposed to be closed. We cannot keep track of all school, nursery or club calendars. We cannot be held responsible if we do not pick-up/drop-off your child if you have not updated us. You will be charged full if we turn up for pick-ups because we were not updated.
Timings:
1. We offer childcare service 24/7, 365 days, but our office hours are all days from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
2. We can also provide care on National and Bank holidays 24/7, but have to be informed in advance.
3. Though we regulate our care to these timings, we are flexible and can provide care until late evening and even start very early mornings but have to be informed in advance.
4. We can also provide flexi care but need to be given a few hour's notice.
5. We can also provide care during holidays, mid-term or annual breaks.
6. We cannot offer care of any kind at your place of residence.
Holidays and Absence:
1. Parent's Annual Holidays:
  1. If you decide to take an annual holiday and do not require using our service then we will charge a retainer fee to reserve a place for future use by your child.
2. Bank and National Holidays:
  1. If you do not require use of our service for these days, we will charge you 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provided.
  2. If you do use our service for bank and national holidays then higher fee than your normal fee will be charged.
  3. For Bank and National holidays only:
    1. 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us is only applicable if the child is in care for the entire week.
    2. If your child is in part-time care and if the holiday day is the day of the week that your child is in our care then 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us will apply.
3. Parent's Occasional days off:
  1. If you need to take an occasional day off and do not require to use our service for that day we will charge you 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provide
4. Overtime & Unsocial Hours:
  1. We charge the same rate for over-time, extra hours and for unsocial hours depending on the weekly hours set in the contract.
  2. Our charges are same for evenings, weekends, holidays, part time (before or after school) compared to full day or half-day care depending on the weekly hours set in the contract.
5. School Holidays:
  1. If during mid-term, end-term, teachers training day or all other school off day, you decide that your child will not be in our care, then we will charge you 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provided.
  2. If you do use our service for these days then the full fee will be charged.
  3. Summer Holidays:
    1. If you do not require use of our service during the summer holiday but need to resume after the holidays, then we will charge a retainer fee to reserve a place for future use by your child.
    2. Retainer fee is 50% of the fee for the type of care you contracted with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provided.
    3. If you do not want to pay then you must give 4-week notice to cancel before start of start date of summer holidays.
    4. The child(ren)s place(s) will become open and can be offered to another parent.
6. Sickness and Absentees:
  1. If your child is sick and you do not require using our service, then we will charge you 50% of the fee for the type of care you contract with us and is paid on the same basis (weekly) as the service to be provided.
Medicine:
1. If your child is sick or not feeling well, it is best that you not bring you child on that day(s). It will not be fair on your child as your child will be in discomfort and requires your personal one to one care and totally unfair to the other children as they may get sick from your child's sickness.
2. If your child is sick or not feeling well and needs medication while under our care, we will
  1. Only give a doctors prescribed subscription medicine provided by you.
  2. Only give once you have filled and signed the medicine form provided by us.
3. We will not take or give any medicine which has not been prescribed by a doctor
4. If you are self-medicating your child, you must give the medicine yourself before leaving the child in our care or after you have taken the child from our care.
Cancellation:
1. If for any reason you decide to cancel or remove your child from our care, you must inform us in writing (email only). Verbally mentioning it will not be accepted.
2. If for any reason you decide to cancel or remove your child from our care, then we require a 4-week's notice (as notice to cancel period). The benefit of 50% saving will not apply during the notice to cancel period.
3. During the notice to cancel period full fee will be charged and if you use any of our services (pick-up / drop-off / homework), then full service charges will be applied for the type of care you contract with us as payment in lieu of the notice period.
4. If you decide to remove your child from our care before the end of the notice period, you will still be charged full fee and full service charges for the type of care/services you contract with us as payment in lieu of the remaining weeks of the notice period.
5. If at a later stage you wish to use our service again, you may do so without prejudice. You will need to sign a new contract with us and will be subject to the terms and conditions and fees of that contract.
6. If you decide to remove your child from our care without giving us notice, then we will require 100% of the fee and if you use any of our services, then 100% of the service charges for the type of care you contract with us as payment in lieu of 4-week's notice.
7. If for whatever reason we can no longer offer care for your child, we will give you a 4-week's notice. If you decide to remove your child from our care before the end of the notice period, we will require 100% of the fee and if you use any of our services, then 100% of the service charges for the type of care you contract with us as payment in lieu of 4-week's notice.
8. Termination of Contract only:
  1. If we give termination of contract, then care service will instantly stop from the date termination of contract is given.
  2. There will be no notice period.
  3. Any outstanding payment owed to us will immediately need to be cleared in full and late fees penalty will apply.
9. During the notice period, your child's place will become open. If your child does come during the notice period, we will provide full care for the hours and days that the child is with us at the full rate. However if the child does not come on the contracted days of care, we will still charge 100% of the fee and if you use any of our services, then 100% of the service charges for the type of care you contract with us, or if you pick your child early, we will charge 100% of the fee and if you use any of our services, then 100% of the service charges for the type of care you contract with us for the remaining hours.
10. Whether you give notice of cancellation (must be by email only) in the beginning of the week or later in the week, the four-week’s notice of cancellation period will start from Monday the following week. On receipt of your email, we will reply by confirming start date and explanation of the notice to period process.
11. Once notice has been given, whether from you or us we will immediately start to advertise to fill the place. We may offer a start date to the new child from the time your notice period ends or during the notice period.
12. If during the notice period another child has taken the place then we will not be able to give the place back to your child.
13. If during the notice period you wish to cancel the notice, you may do so and the care will continue as contracted with us, provided another child has not taken the place. If later again you decide to give us notice of leaving then a new notice period will start.
14. On completion of the notice period this contract will terminate and your child's place will close and offered to the next child, which may well be the very next day of the notice period, provided it has not already not been taken by another child.
15. Once the place has been given to another child whether during the notice period or after the notice period, it cannot be given back to your child, but a new place may be offered provided a place is available.
Security:
1. You are solely responsible for protecting the confidentiality and sharing of, any emails, posts, prints, invoices, receipts or any other material that we pass onto or show you regarding your child to anyone other than yourself.
Issuing of Documents:
1. You must ensure that you save the invoices that we email you every week. If you need us to re-issue you a previous invoice that we have already sent you. We will charge you £1.00 per invoice. If you require a hard copy (printout), we will charge you £2.00 per page.
2. You must ensure that you save emails (which are relevant and important) that are sent from us. If you need us to re-send you a previous email that we have already sent you, we will charge you £1.00 per email. If you require a hard copy (printout), we will charge you £2.00 per page of the email.
3. Though the Invoices, registration form and emails that we send you should suffice to show HMRC, Student Finance, Social Services, your Employer or any other Institution/Person proof that you child is in our care. However if you require us to provide with any type of letter. We will charge you £5.00 per letter if emailed. If you require a hard copy (printout), we will charge you £6.00 per letter.
4. You must ensure that you have saved the copy of the registration form that we emailed you. If you need us to re-send you the copy of the registration form that we have already sent you. We will charge you £10.00 for the full registration form or £1.00 per page. If you require a hard copy (printout), we will charge you £20.00 for the full registration form or £2.00 per page.
Modifications and alterations to our Website:
1. We reserve the right to make changes or corrections, alter, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Website, the content or services or products available through it.
2. Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, any new features including new content, our provision of new services shall be subject to these terms and conditions.
3. Please note that our Website may contain typographical errors or other inaccuracies.
Changes to these conditions:
1. From time to time, we may need to change our terms and conditions. Where possible we will try to inform you of such changes. All changes made will be uploaded to our website at http://www.learningfountain.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.asp to read.
Changes to the contract:
1. Due to some unavoidable circumstances once the contract has been completed and signed, there may be a need to change the conditions of the signed contract. Where this is required, we will give you two month's notice in writing before the change is implemented.
2. You have the option to raise your objection or query the change. We will take all objections and queries on board and if possible will try to adopt, however we reserve the right to refuse or take no action.
3. If you do not agree with the change in the contract, you have the option to give us notice for cancellation of contract.
4. Notice for cancellation must be given, to leave enough time to cover the notice period, before the change is implemented.
5. If you choose not to take any action before the change is implemented and choose to continue the care with us, then it will become part of the contract between you and us.
Complaints:
1. If you have any kind of dissatisfaction with our care, service, fees etc. You may speak to us in person, email us or send a letter.
2. All complaints will be dealt with in complete confidentiality and if required a reply will be emailed back to you.
3. Once care has started, we cannot accept complaints where you have not read our terms and conditions.

If there is anything in these terms and conditions that you do not understand and need further clarification or do not agree and object too, then do contact us via the link below.