Understanding Fees, Invoicing & Contracts for Little Doves & Nursery

At Whitecote Primary School, we want to ensure you have a clear understanding of the fees, invoicing, and contracts for your child's place at Little Doves or Nursery. This guide explains what to expect and who to contact if you have questions.

Your Child's Paid Place & Contract

If your child attends Little Doves or Nursery on a paid basis (this includes any sessions beyond government-funded hours, often called 'top-up' sessions), their specific arrangements will be detailed in a formal contract.

• Costs: 

Full Day fee - £35

Half Day fee - £19

Session fee - £16

Lunchtime fee - £3

• Contract Agreement: A formal contract will be issued when your child starts at Little Doves. This document contains all the relevant information for you to agree to regarding your child's attendance.
• Changes to Sessions: If you wish to make any changes to your child's agreed sessions or days, a new contract will need to be created and signed. You will be made aware of this when you sign your initial contract.
• Annual Review: All contracts are reviewed annually and may be updated if there are changes to costs or Leeds City Council Childcare guidance.

   

Understanding Your Weekly Invoice

We use the Arbor app for all our invoicing and communication regarding payments.

• Invoices for your child's sessions are generated and sent to you at the beginning of every week via the Arbor app.
  • If there's a bank holiday, teacher training day, or any unplanned school closure, invoices will be sent on the first working day immediately following the break.
• Invoice Content: Each invoice will:
  • Be sent to your child's account.
  • State the "week commencing" date (e.g., W/C 09.06.2025).
  • Show the correct price for the sessions your child will be attending.
  • State the VAT amount as 0% (exempt).
• Important about Extra Sessions: If you add an extra session after an invoice has already been sent for the week, a new, separate invoice will be created just for that extra session. You will be informed that two invoices have been issued that week for this reason.
• Payment Due Date: You have until the end of the working week to pay the outstanding balance on your invoice. 

Managing Payments & Outstanding Balances

• Payment Reminders: If a payment is not made by the end of the last working day of the week, a reminder message will be sent to you via the Arbor app.
• Future Sessions: If payment is still not received by the end of that working week, your child will not be able to attend any future extra sessions until the outstanding balance is paid. We will follow up with you at the start of the next working week.

• Weekend Payments: If agreed with the school office beforehand, payments can be made over the weekend.

• Payment Plans: If a payment remains outstanding after approximately two weeks (10 working days), or if you proactively contact the school because you are falling behind, we can discuss setting up a payment plan.
  • Any payment plan will be agreed upon in writing using a formal "Payment Plan" template. This plan will detail the agreed instalment amounts, payment dates, the total outstanding balance, and the consequences if the plan is not followed.
• Debt Recovery: If two consecutive payments are missed from an agreed payment plan with no communication, or if a parent explicitly refuses to engage or pay, the matter may be escalated for debt recovery. This involves sending the relevant details to Leeds City Council Debt Recovery team.