SEPTEMBER 2024 NEW STARTERS

Request a booking

Introduction and Next Steps

Who are Childcare Bookings for Schools?

We support schools across England with all of the booking & payment administration associated with their wraparound care.  We take pride in making it simpler for schools to provide this vital service to their families.

As part of our service, we provide parents with 24/7 access to our bespoke online booking system – to make & amend bookings or update your details – as well as phone and email support available from 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, all year round.  However, for any queries related to the running of the club itself (e.g. food provided, activities, child welfare, or lost property) your point of contact will remain the school or club manager on-site.

I’ve requested a booking using the link above – what happens next?

During w/c Monday 1st July: We will close new entries and assess availability for all of the requests already received.

During w/c Monday 8th July: We will contact you to confirm whether there is availability for your requested booking. This confirmation will be sent to the email address you provided on the form above, together with all relevant information on what you should do next.

Is there anything else I need to do now?

There is nothing further that you need to do at this stage.  Your booking request will have already been registered in the order/time it was received.

Bookings

What types of booking are available?

Permanent Bookings: The same sessions each week, guaranteed on a rolling and ongoing basis.

Ad-Hoc Bookings: Individual sessions with no ongoing commitment, subject to availability at the time of booking.

Should I book on a Permanent or Ad-Hoc basis?

This will be a personal decision based on whether your circumstances require you to prioritise guaranteed availability or more flexible billing. Certain key differences, to help with making this decision, are as follows:

For Permanent Bookings: Availability for your set weekly sessions is guaranteed on an ongoing, rolling basis. Any individual sessions that need to be cancelled are non-refundable.

For Ad-Hoc Bookings: Any sessions can be booked as they are required, subject to availability at the time of booking.  Any individual sessions that need to be cancelled will be credited back to your Account Balance if the required notice is provided (please check your school’s/provider’s individual booking terms & conditions for this notice).

When can I start booking?

For Permanent Bookings: You can request a booking now using the link above.  Availability for your request will be confirmed in July.

For Ad-Hoc Bookings: You will be able to start placing bookings in August. This is because ad-hoc sessions are generally available to book as far as 5 weeks in advance (although you should check your school’s/provider’s individual booking terms & conditions, as this can vary).

Cancellations

If I need to cancel or change a Permanent Booking pattern, what are the terms?

Once set up: Permanent Booking patterns can be amended, or cancelled in full, via our online booking system.

Your school or childcare provider will have a specific period of notice that is required for any cancellation or reduction in sessions (as outlined in their Booking Terms & Conditions). Any booked sessions falling within this notice period remain billable regardless of whether or not the child attends.

If I need to cancel an individual session/date, what are the terms?

For Permanent Bookings: Any individual cancellations are non-refundable (regardless of the reason or notice provided). Permanent sessions cannot be swapped for a different session/date (as a swap constitutes a cancellation and re-booking).

For Ad-Hoc Bookings: Any sessions can be booked as they are required, subject to availability at the time of booking.  Any individual sessions that need to be cancelled will be credited back to your Account Balance if the required notice is provided (please check your school’s/provider’s individual booking terms & conditions for this notice).

What happens if my child is ill (or goes home ill) and will not be attending a session today?

Please ensure you cancel the affected session(s) ASAP, to ensure registers are up to date for safeguarding purposes. If you make a cancellation within 1 hour of the session’s expected start time, we would appreciate if you could please also phone to make your school/provider aware of this change.

Any cancellations made ‘on the day’ are non-refundable.

Do I need to cancel sessions my child won’t be attending?

Yes. To ensure the accuracy of registers, it is vital that you cancel all sessions that you know your child won’t be attending (regardless of whether the cancellation will attract a credit or not).

Any non-cancellation of sessions can cause undue stress to staff members expecting children to arrive for childcare at the end of the school day; who then need to locate their whereabouts. As a result, repeated non-cancellation of booked sessions will result in the withdrawal of access to the wraparound care.

Billing and Payments

When are payments due?

For Permanent Bookings: Monthly bills, for the exact amount of that month’s childcare, are processed in advance on the 1st working day of each month. Therefore, your first bill for a booking starting next academic year will fall due on Monday 2nd September.

For Ad-Hoc bookings: Payment is due at the time of booking, in order to checkout and complete the process.

What payment methods are available?

We can accept payments via Card, the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme, or any other Childcare Voucher provider.

How do I pay via the Tax-Free Childcare scheme (or Childcare Vouchers)?

Once you have registered an account on our online booking system (which will be invited to do when we advise of your booking availability in the 2nd week of July) you can simply start sending TFC or CCV payments to your school or childcare provider.

When a payment reaches our bank account, the funds will be credited to your Account Balance in our booking system. Your Account Balance can then be used as an available payment method against bookings.

N.B. Please allow up to 2 days for TFC and 4 days for CCV payments to reach us. To avoid any delays: Please ensure you have added your child’s unique TFC reference to child profile in our booking system; or use your child’s full name as the reference for any CCV payments.

Can I send Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare payments without making a booking?

Yes – you can send TFC or CCV payments at any point. Indeed, most customers maintain a surplus in their Account Balance to prepare for their monthly bill or avoid waiting for individual payments to clear when making ad-hoc bookings.

Should you reach a point that you no longer need to use the wraparound care, you can request the return of your Account Balance at any time.

How do I register a Payment Card?

Once you have registered an account on our online booking system (which will be invited to do when we advise of your booking availability in the 2nd week of July) you will be prompted to register a card.

Once logged in, you can register (one or multiple) cards; and set your Default Payment Card for monthly bills.

How is payment processed for Permanent Bookings?

On the 1st working day of the month, our booking system will automatically process monthly bill payments in the following order:

In the first instance – from your Account Balance (it is the booking holder’s responsibility to ensure sufficient funds have been received and added to your Account Balance by the billing date).

For any remaining balance – from your Default Payment Card.

Any failed Card Payments will be automatically re-attempted daily, up to 14 times. If full payment has not been processed successfully after 14 days, the Permanent Booking will be cancelled with access to the wraparound care withdrawn.

Is it possible to view my Monthly Bills in advance?

Yes. Once your account and booking has been set up, you can simply login into your account and:

Select the “Finance” Tab along the top of the page, then “My Monthly Bills”.

Click “Edit” and then “View Monthly Bills” next to the event.

Bill amounts are then available to view by Month/Event/Attendees.

INTERESTED?

Get in touch

Find out how we can help you increase your school budget and remove all of the associated admin.

Call our team on 01444 523335
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