We follow OFSTED guidance which sets out the number and age for how many places can be provided.
We take into consideration the ratios of adults to children and never exceed these ratios when admitting children.
Casa Tierra does not, and has no intention in the future, of discriminating against any child for reasons of gender, ethnicity or social background, religion or ability.
Applications from Special Needs children will be welcomed taking into account the ability of Casa Tierra to provide the appropriate level of care. We are aware that funding can be sought from the Early Years Department, if necessary, to support us with our care e.g. extra member of staff.
It is essential for the efficient running of the setting and for other prospective parents/carers that parents notify Casa Tierra immediately should they make alternative childcare arrangements and no longer require a place.
We have a waiting list and communicate with prospective parents on a regular basis to update details and offer places.
We have an 8 week notice period in our contracts so within this time we can assess any potential move for prospective parents.
Quality care and education are essential to children’s wellbeing and development and form the primary and universal right of all children regardless of their ability, needs, ethnicity, religion or gender, this is why we welcome children from all corners of our community and why our Admissions Policy is designed to reflect our fair and democratic values.
If a parent/carer is already on the waiting list once a space has been identified we will filter the waiting list, first by ‘date of entry’ (giving priority to siblings) then by the children’s age to match the age of children able to join the given room and then by the number of attendance days required by the children to match the place.
Once the waiting list has been exhausted, we will transition to a new Admissions Procedure as follows:
Anyone wishing to register their interest in joining Casa Tierra should do so, free of charge, by emailing their details to info@casatierra.co.uk
Details Required:
Once parents have confirmed their interest in the place arrangements will be made to visit Casa Tierra and to understand more about how we work and our settling process.
Please note that our new Admissions Policy will require that places be offered on a two-day, three-day, four-day or five-day basis only.
Priority will be given to children whose siblings are already with us and attending Casa Tierra when the next child joins (we cannot prioritise a child if their sibling is no longer with us) or to any extenuating circumstances affecting the child’s welfare or his/her family.
To secure a child’s place and confirm the agreed starting date the parents/carer will be asked to:
Registration forms must be completed and returned before the child’s settling-in begins (ideally this should be at least 1 week before the start date to allow for any care issues to be raised and clarified before the child begins). Children will not be admitted without this information.
Settling-in arrangements should be made at the time of enrolment and take place, wherever possible, during the week prior to the start date and will not be charged.
We do not allow children to swap days of attendance unless previously agreed and subject to availability of the alternative swap day.
As stated in all parent offer letters, no refunds or fee reductions will be provided for attendance days missed due to public holidays.
The allocation of a place must continue normally through ‘school holidays’ on the same basis as during ‘term time’. Places will not be held open for unpaid sabbatical or any other leave of absence.
We accept children from the age of ten months to five years old. Although we accept children from the age of ten months, we recommend that children join us from the age of one.
Children usually start school in the September after they turn 4, parents of children born between 1st April and 31st August (also known as "summer-born" children) can ask to delay entry into Reception for a year, for this reason children can stay with us until they are just over 5 years old.
On arrival at Casa Tierra parents will be expected to hand over their child to the staff who will then ‘register’ that child for the session. Upon collection, the child will be signed off in the Kinderly register.
To avoid disruption to our daily routine, parents are requested to ensure that their child arrives no later than 9am am if having breakfast at the setting.
We must be informed if anyone other than the parent is to collect the child, this is done by the parent in writing (email or whatsapp is sufficient).
If a child is to be absent we ask parents to inform Casa Tierra as soon as possible and ideally before 9:00 am on the day.
Staff will not release children to anyone other than parents except to pre-authorised persons/carers (listed in the Emergency Release Form) about whom parents will be expected to inform Casa Tierra in advance of when they are to collect the child.
Parents/carers may be required to give a photograph of the pre-authorised persons before they collect children for the first time. Authorised persons may also be required to provide proof of identity before children are released to them.
As we are in a house in a residential street, it is important that we are considerate of other local residents, with this in mind please ensure you keep in mind the following procedures on arrival and departure:
Casa Tierra operates promptly each day between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.
If a child is not collected on time our legal liability relating to the staff/child ratio will be infringed as two members of staff must remain at the setting until the last child has been collected.
Where children are collected after 6:00 pm without prior arrangement, a late fee of £5 for every 5 minutes will be charged (with a minimum charge of £5 to be paid directly to the Senior Worker on duty at the time of collection) to cover the additional staffing costs incurred for this reason. We do remind parents to arrive 10 minutes before the end of their booked session to acquire feedback on their child’s day if this is needed. We send daily diaries via Kinderly every evening at around 6:15pm.
If a child has not been collected after 6.00 pm and no contact has been made by the Parents/Carers the following procedures must be followed:
If no contact has been made after a period of one hour, the following steps must be followed: