According to the Office for National Statistics there are currently 4.9 million mothers with dependent children in work in England 2017, up from 3.7 million in 1996 – so is it any surprise that there’s been such an increase in demand for out of school clubs?
When evaluating its own ‘Extended Schools and services’ research (see tinyurl.com/ dfe-ext-schools), the government stated that primary schools need to either offer wraparound childcare themselves, or else signpost parents local providers to help them balance their work and family commitments.
There might be little legislation around before/after school care, but it’s still vital that primary schools are able to offer a high-quality wrap-around service.
At Kids Collective, we’ve been providing out of school care across Cheshire and South Manchester for over 13 years and seek to maintain exceptionally high standards that far outweigh those set by the DfE. As such, we believe there are certain areas that primary schools should focus on when providing quality care of their own.
Variety
Children should be offered diverse opportunities for relaxing and having fun, both indoors and outdoors. A choice of activities should be made available for different age ranges, alongside a variety of resources and equipment to support the all-round development of all those children present.
Defined areas
These might include a quiet place with books and cushions, an ICT area (containing a tablet, laptop and potentially a games console) and a ‘Junior Area’, for older children who might prefer socialising with their friends.
Ownership
Encourage the children to actively direct the club and give them a sense of ownership. Provide forums in which the children can speak, be heard and share opinions – examples might include a school club council, a suggestion box or a comments book.
Evaluations
Aim to consistently evaluate how your service is doing, and actively seek the views of parents, staff and children so that it’s responsive to their needs.
Supervision
There’s no minimum requirement for qualifications in this sector, but it’s best practice for the manager of an out-of-school club be qualified to level 3 or above in childcare or playwork, and to possess experience of working with children.
All staff should undergo mandatory training as part of an induction process – key areas include basic safeguarding, health and safety, food hygiene, behaviour management and paediatric first aid.
Staffing
Aim for higher than the statutory staff-to-children ratio of 1:30. Kids Collective works to 1:15, which gives staff more time to supervise homework, manage free-flow play between indoor and outdoor areas and speak with parents. Working to higher staffing ratios will ultimately bring about a higher quality service.
