Public Liability Insurance and Employers Liability Insurance (if you employ staff) are the absolute minimum levels of cover you will require. Beyond that though, what cover you need really depends on numerous factors. Factors including:

Do you own or are you responsible for actually insuring your premises?

Would you like the contents of your nursery covered so in the event of a theft, fire, flood or other insured peril occurring, you would be protected?

If you don’t know what cover you require or just want some free, expert advice, simply call NCi Nursery now on 0800 046 1446 and we’ll do our very best to make sure you get the cover you need at the very best possible premium.

NCi Nursery employ staff who understand the nursery sector and therefore are able to provide you with advice, help and support when it comes to making sure you and your nursery is protected. Beyond that, we have negotiated with the UK’s leading insurance companies and have created what we believe to be the very best nursery insurance policy available in the UK today. This policy provides levels of cover which are generally higher than those available elsewhere at the same time as giving UK nursery owners access to great value children’s day nursery insurance.

NCi Nursery rates every single nursery individually and by doing this, you can be safe in the knowledge that we are doing all we can to provide you with the best possible cover and premium. To find out exactly how much insurance for your nursery will cost, simply request a nursery insurance quote using our online form or call now on 0800 046 1446.

We are contacted on a regular basis by people who have previously worked in the childcare industry and now want to go it alone or by entrepreneurs who see running a nursery as a way to make a living.

For this reason, we have created a specific section on the site dedicated towards setting up a nursery and running a children’s day nursery. For information on a range of topics including funding, regulation, marketing, risk management and insurance, visit the Setting up a Nursery section of the website. 

The nursery insurance market is a little different to other forms of insurance in that there are only a small number of providers who claim to be experts. For this reason, there is every chance that each provider will be able to give you some excellent advice. Beyond this though, there are still some ways in which you can decide which insurance provider is likely to be the best fit for you and your nursery.

Here are 4 secrets which insurance providers seldom share with customers but which we believe will help you make the right decision for your nursery:

Secret Number 1

The first secret to making sure you get the right cover at the right premium is perhaps the one that most people will find hardest to believe but it really works.

Are you sitting comfortably???   Here it is:

When you find yourself ringing around for quotes the chances are you will be asked “What’s your current premium?” or “What’s the best price you’ve had?”

The single biggest mistake people make when asked this question is to not tell the person asking the question. That’s right, when you are asked the best price you’ve had TELL THEM.

Most people assume that by telling an insurance provider your premium you are at a disadvantage. The truth is the opposite is true. Let me explain:

If you tell a good insurance provider your premium they should pretty much know straight away whether the premium is too high, too low or about right.  Armed with this information they could give you an immediate indication if they can get a lower premium. If they know they can’t they can tell you and save you time.

Another reason you should tell the person if they ask your premium is because the vast majority of insurance companies won’t give you the best price unless they have something to beat. Let me say that again, if you don’t give your broker or company a price to beat, the chances are you won’t get the best premium. However, if you do tell them, they can use this information when dealing with the insurance company which ultimately can save you money.

One final tip on this matter is, don’t be tempted to make up a price. For example, Mrs Blogs is looking for Nursery Insurance and she has a best price of £2500.00. She thinks it’s too much money so when asked the magic question of “What’s the best price you’ve had so far?” she decides to go in low at £1800.00. By doing this most companies will know the price seems low and many won’t even provide a quote. Whereas had Mrs Blogs been up front and said £2500.00 there’s every chance she could have saved some money.

Therefore Secret Number 1 is be totally honest when looking for insurance as it’s the best way to make sure you get the best premium. Give it a go...it really works.

Secret Number 2

Secret number 2 is common sense but so many Nurseries fail to make sure it happens because they are focusing on the price. The second way to ensure you get the right cover is therefore to use an insurance provider who has an understanding of your requirements.

You can establish this by listening to what questions they ask, how they ask them and how they react to what you are saying. If they enter into a conversation about your Nursery it’s likely to be because the more information they have about your circumstances, the better cover, the better premium and the better service they can provide you.

If the conversation is very scripted and they either don’t understand what you’re looking for or don’t ask the type of questions you would expect, there is every chance it’s because they don’t have a real understanding of your business.  If this is the case you risk not getting the right cover and ultimately not being correctly insured.

Secret Number 3

Secret number 3 is ask questions. So many people ring around looking for Nursery insurance, Pre-School Insurance or Kindergarten Insurance and spend the entire conversation answering questions. Secret 3 is therefore to ask questions to find out if they provide not only the right cover and premiums but also the right level of customer service. Types of question you might want to ask are:

• In the event of a claim what will they do to help you and to ensure your claim is settled as quickly and as favourably as possible?
• Are they experienced?
• How long have they been trading?
• If it’s a Broker, which Insurance companies do they use?

By getting answers to these questions you can then a make a decision on whether you would like to deal with them (and whether you trust them to act on your behalf.)

Secret Number 4

The fourth and final secret to making sure you get the best from your insurance provider is another which may not seem right as Insurance is one of the most price sensitive purchases a Nursery, Pre-School or Kindergarten will make.

With this in mind many Nurseries, Pre-Schools and Kindergartens make the decision on where to place their insurance on price alone. I would advise anyone looking for Nursery insurance, Pre-School Insurance, Kindergarten Insurance or indeed any kind of Business Insurance is NOT TO ASSUME THAT CHEAPEST IS BEST.

Whilst getting a low premium is one of the most important things to look for, a really cheap premium without a combination of other factors is probably cheap for a reason. Things you may want as well as a low premium are:

• Are they friendly and approachable? (we all prefer doing business with people we like)
• Who are the insurance company? Have you heard of them?
• What is the excess? Make sure the excess is one you agree on and not one given just to give you a low premium
• Do they have a good reputation?
• Do they listen to you and explain things in a way that you understand?
• Is the cover they offer what you need and want?
• Are they financially secure?

If you follow these 4 simple secrets there is every chance your experience when dealing with Insurance for your Nursery, Pre-School or Kindergarten will improve. And whilst I cannot guarantee that Insurance will become your number 1 hobby (in fact we’d be a little concerned if it did!) there is every chance the cover you get will be what you want, the premiums you pay will be less than you’ve paid before and the service you receive will be one you would be happy in giving and one you would be happy to recommend.

NCi Nursery rates every nursery risk we see individually which means we don’t currently have a specific minimum premium. We have negotiated terms with our partner insurer so we offer you great value nursery insurance combined with the highest levels of cover, service and support.

Yes. You can benefit from a no claims discount of up to 15% for being claim free so call us now on 0800 046 1446 or request a nursery insurance quote and find out exactly how much you could save.

Yes. As long as the out of school or holiday clubs operate from the main premises, then cover can be included at no extra cost.

If they run from different locations, just let us know, and cover can be amended accordingly although an additional premium maybe required.  

Our insurance partner, Ecclesiastical, operate a claims service which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a loss, a new claim can be reported 24/7 by simply calling 0845 603 8381.

Ecclesiastical like to keep claims simple. When you claim, they’ll look at your cover to see how they can best help you. They’ll work swiftly and deal with your claim fairly.

If they can resolve your claim when you first make contact, they will. But if it’s a little more complicated, we’ll make sure you always know what’s going on.

You will also have direct access to the expert claims handler dealing with your claim, who will be able to make key decisions about your claim. In short, we’ll show why you made the right choice of insurer from the moment you claim, which is why 92% of Ecclesiastical customers are very or extremely satisfied.*

*Source: Claims Satisfaction Survey 2008, Ecclesiastical.

For legal expenses claims please call the DAS helpline on 0117 934 2000.

No. Cover for your building can be included within the Ecclesiastical Nursery policy, making your administration easier and possibly saving you money. If you already have separate buildings insurance in place, we can add the premises to your policy at any time.