About The Nursery

The Nursery is constituted as an independent company, limited by guarantee and without share capital. It is also registered by the Charity Commissioners as a charitable organisation. Details of the company are contained in the Articles and Memorandum of Association, a copy of which is available for reference from the University library or the Chair of the Management Committee.

Any parent or guardian of a child currently attending or about to attend the Nursery is invited to become a member of the Association. Only members of the Association may attend the AGM, nominate and elect members of the Committee or be nominated to serve on the Committee. If you wish to actively participate in the management of the Nursery and express your views at the AGM you must fill in a Membership Registration form and return to the Nursery Management Committee Company secretary.

The Management Committee consists of a maximum of ten ordinary members, of whom four are officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer); a further two ordinary members may be co-opted. The Nursery Manager is an ex officio member of the Committee.

The Nursery is independent from the University and is wholly dependent on fees, fundraising and grants for its finance. Fundraising plays an important part in enhancing the Nursery’s facilities and parents are asked to help in this as far as possible. The University’s General Purposes Fund provided a grant to cover the cost of the conversion of the original building in the late 1970’s and has also made a number of grants over the years towards specific items, such as new and replacement equipment.

When the Nursery was rebuilt in 1988 following a fire, the University and the General Purposes Fund provided additional funds. At present the University provides some support for its staff using the Nursery through the Fee Subsidy Scheme. (Details of how fees are calculated are given on the Fees Information sheet.) It is perhaps worth noting that the Nursery’s independence means that there is no connection at all between your own University work and any aspect of the Nursery’s provision. Demand is high for the relatively few places in the Nursery, especially for babies. This means that a waiting list operates for parents who have applied for a place. Generally, admissions are made on a first-come, first-served basis, determined by the date on the application form. However, priority is given to children who have older siblings already in the Nursery and also to the children of staff members.

Further Information

There is a general Information Leaflet.

There are also eight (more comprehensive) Information Sheets available.