Notice period in nursery

[Shalini5959]

Hello, my query is with regard to my experience at my child's nursery. She attends a 38 week nursery and I gave them a notice of leaving two weeks after spring term started. They are asking us to pay ONE ENTIRE FULL TERMs NOTICE. Which seems only right. However, to my shock they want me to pay both spring and summer terms fees. The reason stated is since I didn't give the notice at the start of spring term it can't be counted as an entire term of notice served. Thus they need us to pay both spring and summer terms fees. That would be a total of 6 months of fees to be payed. And they further stated if we don't make the payment in a days time they will add a surcharge of 20%. Problem is the contract is very ambiguous. It says a full terms notice must be served in case of termination but doesn't mention what is the protocol if we serve it mid term. Is there any hope for me? Or am I bound by it?

Thanks in advance

I don’t know about nurseries, but I know this is how some private school contracts work as a friend was caught out by it. If it says a full term’s notice then unfortunately that sounds to me like you’ll struggle to pay less.

Could you request that they attempt to fill the place and if they fill it by Easter you don’t pay the summer term? I do think it is very cheeky for any business to demand costs if they fill the space!

It says a full terms notice must be served in case of termination but doesn't mention what is the protocol if we serve it mid term.

You’ve literally typed it right there what the protocol is if you serve mid term - you have to give a full terms notice, so it’s quite clear. You are liable for a full term after this one. Really rubbish of them to try and actually enforce that if it’s just a few days into the term, but that’s business for you.

It's a full term's notice - exactly what it says on the tin.

Not a period of the same number of weeks at a different time. An actual term.

This is entirely standard in contracts for private schools and nurseries, and has been upheld as fair, because of how planning, staffing and budgeting is arranged on termly cycles.

So you have to give notice no later than the day before the start of a term for that term to be your notice period. It's a real bugger for you, but the school's position is the correct and entirely normal one

Thanks for reply. I think I will just make the payment and move on. To be honest this whole thing has been a nightmare.

Thanks for reply. At the time of signing the contract it seemed so harmless. But I have learned a good lesson.