In the current difficult economic climate many settings are considering ways to increase income.  One which is increasingly popular (especially for school hours/term time only settings) is to increase hours by running a breakfast club and/or an after-session club, as well as perhaps a holiday club.  This may make the difference in a parent deciding to use your provision if they are working and need that extra cover.

If you are thinking of setting up an out of school club to meet the needs and demands, you first need to consider the existing provision in the local area. Are you located near a school or on a school premises which already has current provision?  Often schools run their own clubs for school aged children but it’s always worth checking how viable they are.  It may be that by combining early years and school age children you can make it cost effective where the school alone can’t, or you may find that you have enough demand purely from children within your setting and those attracted because of the extended hours.

If you are also thinking about running a holiday club remember it doesn’t necessarily have to run for the complete duration of the holidays.  For example you could offer three days at Easter and two weeks over the summer.

Below are some common questions.

Do we need to register the out of school club with Ofsted?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/childminders-and-childcare-providers-register-with-ofsted/the-ofsted-registers

This link provides information on the different registers.  If you’re currently a registered EY setting and you intend to take school age children then you will need to add to your registration for the older age group.  If you are purely extending your hours then your settings nominated person must email Ofsted with the updated opening times.

If you are intending to run your additional hours (either extended or holiday club) somewhere other than your registered premises you will need a separate Ofsted registration for this.  For example if you usually run from a building on a school site, but intend to run the holiday club in the school hall this will require a separate registration.  

Qualifications required

If your out of school club is only for EY children then you continue to follow the requirements for staffing set out in the EYFS.  This includes ratios, SENDCo and Safeguarding Lead.  You will also need to have staff with paediatric first aid.

If you are caring for children at reception age or older, you must have a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) on your staff team, as well as at least one staff member with paediatric first aid and a safeguarding lead who has completed appropriate training (in Gloucestershire this would be Level 3 safeguarding through the local authority).   All staff should have some safeguarding training and be able to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse, be familiar with the setting’s policy and procedures for dealing with concerns. 

If you are providing snack or food options then the staff dealing with the food should have an up to date food hygiene certificate.    

Whilst there are no legal requirements (Since September 2014) for staff to be qualified for school age and older children, it is best practice for at least one member of staff to have a Childcare Qualification.

Number of staff required?

For EY children the standard ratios apply (see the EYFS for more information)

Although the staff to children ratio for school aged children has now been raised to 1:30 from 1:8, it is recommended that out of school clubs continue to operate at a ratio of around 1:8 for children up to the age of eight. A ratio of around 1:10 is recommended for children over the age of eight. Most insurers will require these ratios for you to operate safely and be properly covered for insurance.

Remember to always follow safer recruitment procedures when employing staff and carry out DBS checks and monitor Ofsted guidance as they may change over time.

Which Policies and Procedures are required?

If you are already an EY setting then you should have all the required policies in place.  You will need to review them to make sure that they cover both your extended hours and extended age range.  You may need some additional procedures to cover the running of the club and you will need to complete risk assessments of all activities.

How can we check if the premises are correct for an out of school club?

If you’re planning on running the club from your existing premises or from a school (e.g. if you share a site but the club will be in a school hall rather than your own setting rooms) it’s likely that you’ll already have an area which is suitable to use. You can tailor this to activities and add posters, furniture, rugs etc as necessary.

You’ll need to keep in mind that the EYFS sets out space requirements for EY children but there are no statutory space requirements for older children.  However, do keep in mind that older (and therefore larger!) children will need space to let of steam after a day in school!

What additional equipment will be required for setting up an out of school club?

Out of school clubs should be tailored to allow all children to play and a space should be created to encompass this. Many settings will already hold a large amount of equipment that is already recommended for out of school clubs, which includes:

• Craft materials
• Games (e.g. draughts, bingo, snakes & ladders, Connect4, chess, etc…)
• Construction (e.g. Lego, K'Nex)
• Sports equipment (balls of all sizes, goals, skipping ropes, bean bags, hula hoops, bats, etc…)
• Small worlds (e.g. cars, dinosaurs, Playmobil, etc…)
• Role play (e.g. dressing up clothes, bags, sunglasses, hi-vis jackets, play money, etc…)
• Quiet area (e.g. rugs, cushions, blankets, books)
• Den making (e.g. blankets, tarpaulins, camouflage netting, ropes, cardboard boxes)

If you are operating an out of school club with mixed aged groups, you will have to consider how you will run the club. Running mixed aged groups can be beneficial as younger children can build up strong bonds with their peers, encourage good behaviour, enhance their child development and create a happier more engaging environment. Whilst the challenges of how you separate or integrate the children into activities require careful planning in terms of space and activities, these can be outweighed by the benefits.

Here are some top tips for running out of school clubs of mixed ages:

• Older children can be put onto a junior training scheme where they mix with the younger children helping to run activities, pack away and effectively becoming an older sibling to the children they are assisting. Designating older children responsibilities engages their interest and can extend their confidence in social situations.
• Children can come together at snack time, or the beginning or end of sessions before they break up into activities, which mimics the social times within a family of varying ages.
• Role Play and the quiet area allow children of all ages to interact as the differing ages allow the children to take on different roles at the same time as developing the area of child development specific to their age, such as language, communication and social skills.
• Having the correct resources as listed above allows a range of activities to be carried out over a wider age spectrum. i.e., using open ended materials for sports equipment or den making, children can develop their own imagination and tailor the activity to their age.
• Looking at the setting through the eyes of a child can help you arrange the space i.e. is it appealing in terms or seating (cushions, chairs, tables), activities.
• Be flexible. Listen to and communicate with the children’s needs. This will lead the activities that the children will require for the session and engage their interest.

What does it mean for children under EYFS attending out of school clubs in terms of their learning?

The EYFS states (footnote 5, Paragraph 1.1) that,

”Providers offering care exclusively before and after school or during the school holidays for children who normally attend reception (or older) class during the school day do not need to meet the learning and development requirements. However, providers offering care exclusively before and after school or during the school holidays for children younger than those in the reception class age range, should continue to be guided by, but do not have to meet, the learning and development requirements.”

So if you are an existing Early Years setting, you must continue to meet the learning and development requirements for children who are registered with you.  If you are only providing before or after school provision for them then you should be guided by the requirements.  For older children there are no such requirements.  

Will funding be required to set up the out of school club?

Out of school clubs can be started up on existing funds held within the setting or applying for grants or charitable funds. A good place to start is by contacting your local councils Early Years Team. If you are looking for charitable funds the National Lottery Awards for all or Coop Local Causes could help.  Your main cost initially is likely to be staffing, and possible increases in rents (depending on your current building and lease contract). For further information on fundraising, refer to the PATA Members area of the website under Finance and Fundraising.

How much do I charge per session?

This will depend on wages, rent for premises (if any), cost of craft and food. You need to ensure you cover these costs against the number of children to attend per session. The PATA Cash Flow spreadsheet can help you determine your costs, whether you are able to offer discount to children who attend a number of sessions, or pay in advance etc. The cost per session does not necessarily need to be the same as fees already charged for attending sessions during normal operating hours and you can chose to charge per hour/half hour or session depending on what you think will best suit both your business position and your parents.   If you are running a holiday club it’s quite normal to charge a ‘per day’ price.  It’s worth looking at what other holiday club providers are charging as you might be surprised at how high it is!

Do I need a separate charity to run out of school provision?

If you are a charitable setting who holds the PATA constitution you do not need to change anything to run additional provision as it falls within the stated aims.  However, your committee should minute a decision to increase the provision at a committee meeting.   If you are a charity which doesn’t have the PATA constitution you will need to look at the stated aims and see if they are wide enough to cover extended provision (particularly children of school age if that is what you are planning on offering).  If your constitution doesn’t allow for this contact us to have a discussion about whether it would be in your interests to adopt ours.  For other types of organisation you will need to consider whether your governing documents allow for this.

How can I market the extended provision?

Obviously your existing parents are the first place to start.  Explain to them what you are doing and why and offer them the first option for registering.  Then use all other channels open to you!  If you have links with a local school ask them to send out your marketing to all of their pupils, even if you are only offering EY provision.  There may be families with younger children who are going elsewhere because they need longer hours.  Use your social media accounts including paid for advertising if necessary.

What if my staff team aren’t interested?

It’s always worth asking!  You may have staff who might prefer to work compressed hours, so doing 4 long days rather than 5 short but until you ask you won’t know (and they may not have ever thought about it).   If you are including EY children then you do need qualified staff (as explained above) so by far the easiest way is to use at least some of your current team.  You can take on additional staff though, including to mix in with your existing ones.  The same goes for holiday clubs where you may be able to pick up students (including student teachers) who are looking for a few weeks work. 

You can lead from the front by being excited about the new opportunities.  But ultimately if this is about sustainability and extending the provision is the only way to stay open then you may need to lay this out clearly for your staff.

It’s not a decision to jump into lightly but there are many benefits so definitely something worth considering.