Applying for a place for your child/children at Willow Cottage
If you would like your child to attend one of our nursery settings then we would be delighted to hear from you. We are sure that you will understand when we say that we do not show prospective parents around our settings unless we have first established that we have a place to offer them.
Once we have established that we have a place offer you we will be delighted to show you around the setting of your choice. This process may take two or three weeks.
The first step then is to complete an Availability Request form. This gives us the information we need to check the availability of a place for your child. We will then contact you to let you know and hopefully to arrange a mutually convenient time and date to visit the setting of your choice. After your visit and should you wish to join us we will be able to arrange mutually acceptable starting date.
The Process of Applying for a Place at Willow Cottage
- Step 1: Complete an Availability Request form. This lets us know all the information we need to work out if we might be able to offer your child a place.
- Step 2: The Admissions Officer will contact you to let you know your application has been passed on to the manager of the setting of your choice (This can take about 1 week).
- Step 3: The setting manager will contact you to arrange a visit and discuss your childcare needs (This can take 2-4 weeks).
- Step 4: After your visit the setting manager will contact you to offer you a place or should you wish to join our waiting list.
- Step 5: If you wish to take up the place for your child you must do this within 5 days of our offer.
Our admissions process can take a few weeks to process which is frustrating particularly if the childcare you require is immediate. We will however do our best to speed things along for you.
To start this process please complete the Availability Request Form.
Further Information and Frequently Asked Questions
For further information about arranging a show round please see below.
When Should I Start Thinking About Applying for a Place at Willow Cottage?
Most children join Willow Cottage at the age of around 6 to 10 months. These children will fill the nursery and will usually stay with us until the age of school. Most places are therefore filled by young children joining Willow Cottage and we have relatively few places that become available for older children.
We recommend that you start the process of applying for a place during the mother’s third trimester if you have an idea of when you might like your child to start (For example if you know when the mother will return to work). Places are usually filled 8 to 10 months in advance.
How soon can I have A show round?
The admissions officer will get back to you within a week to let you know that they have passed on your detail to the appropriate manager.
The admissions officer will check the information you have sent us and let you know if there is very little chance we will be able to help you. If there is a possibility we will be able to offer you a place they will pass on your details to a manager who will subsequently make contact with you to arrange a show round. You will usually expect to hear back from a manager within a month.
The manager will take into account our current predicted occupancy, our waiting lists, other show rounds and the other parents currently being offered places when they decide if we might have a place for you child. This is a very time consuming process and a quick response is hard to offer.
What are the factors that affect availability and waiting lists?
Most places become available for our youngest children (from around 6 months) in our nursery department. These children will join us and the majority will stay until they are ready to leave for school. This is why places for older children are harder to get.
Some days of the week are more popular than others. The more flexible you are able to be about the number of days and the particular days of the week you require the more likely we will be able to offer you a place.
Children who are already with us who wish to pick up an extra day will be given priority over new parents.
The availability request form can be found here.
How Soon Can I Have A Show Round?
Most children join Willow Cottage at the age of around 6 to 10 months. These children will fill the nursery and will usually stay with us until the age of school. Most places are therefore filled by young children joining Willow Cottage and we have relatively few places that become available for older children.
We recommend that you start the process of applying for a place during the mother’s third trimester if you have an idea of when you might like your child to start (For example if you know when the mother will return to work). Places are usually filled 8 to 10 months in advance.
How soon can I have A show round?
The admissions officer will get back to you within a week to let you know that they have passed on your detail to the appropriate manager.
The admissions officer will check the information you have sent us and let you know if there is very little chance we will be able to help you. If there is a possibility we will be able to offer you a place they will pass on your details to a manager who will subsequently make contact with you to arrange a show round. You will usually expect to hear back from a manager within a month.
The manager will take into account our current predicted occupancy, our waiting lists, other show rounds and the other parents currently being offered places when they decide if we might have a place for you child. This is a very time consuming process and a quick response is hard to offer.
What are the factors that affect availability and waiting lists?
Most places become available for our youngest children (from around 6 months) in our nursery department. These children will join us and the majority will stay until they are ready to leave for school. This is why places for older children are harder to get.
Some days of the week are more popular than others. The more flexible you are able to be about the number of days and the particular days of the week you require the more likely we will be able to offer you a place.
Children who are already with us who wish to pick up an extra day will be given priority over new parents.
The availability request form can be found here.
What are the Factors That Affect Availability and Waiting Lists?
We recommend that you start the process of applying for a place during the mother’s third trimester if you have an idea of when you might like your child to start (For example if you know when the mother will return to work). Places are usually filled 8 to 10 months in advance.
How soon can I have A show round?
The admissions officer will get back to you within a week to let you know that they have passed on your detail to the appropriate manager.
The admissions officer will check the information you have sent us and let you know if there is very little chance we will be able to help you. If there is a possibility we will be able to offer you a place they will pass on your details to a manager who will subsequently make contact with you to arrange a show round. You will usually expect to hear back from a manager within a month.
The manager will take into account our current predicted occupancy, our waiting lists, other show rounds and the other parents currently being offered places when they decide if we might have a place for you child. This is a very time consuming process and a quick response is hard to offer.
What are the factors that affect availability and waiting lists?
Most places become available for our youngest children (from around 6 months) in our nursery department. These children will join us and the majority will stay until they are ready to leave for school. This is why places for older children are harder to get.
Some days of the week are more popular than others. The more flexible you are able to be about the number of days and the particular days of the week you require the more likely we will be able to offer you a place.
Children who are already with us who wish to pick up an extra day will be given priority over new parents.
The availability request form can be found here.