Out of school care
What is an out of school club?
Out of school clubs are facilities that provide day care for children under eight which operate during one or more of the following periods:
- Before school
- After school
- During school holidays (see holiday playschemes)
A main purpose of the provision is to look after children in the absence of their parents. This form of care can include children from three years old and children over eight may use it too.
Are out of school clubs registered?
Out of school clubs need to be registered with Ofsted if:
The total care provided is for more than 2 hours in any day and for more than five days a year. Download a copy of Surestart Out of school care, National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.
Out of school clubs do not have to be registered with Ofsted if they only provide care for children above the age of eight.
When do out of school clubs run?
Out of school clubs run all throughout the year depending on the type of out of school service offered. Before and After school clubs generally run during term-time only, while holiday play schemes are run during half-term and school holidays throughout the year.
The operating hours for after school clubs are from the end of school until around six in the evening, the specific hours for each group may vary slighly from this. Settings which offer a breakfast/before school club, will operate in the morning before the child has to start the school day.
Where are out of school clubs located?
Out of school clubs are based at schools and private premises as well as being located in nurseries. Most out of school clubs will have specific schools that they cater for. Where the out of school club is located off the school premises, they will usually arrange a pick up from the school. It is a good idea to find out which out of school clubs are willing to pick up from the school your child attends and to contact them to put your child's name on the waiting list.
Where can I find an out of school club?
The children's service finder holds detailed information on child related topics and services in the Richmond Borough. To search the childrens service finder please follow the link to the childcare search page or visit the West London Childcarelink Website
Where can I find out more?
'Looking for Childcare' is a very useful leaflet that is produced by surestart that has information about all types of childcare including out of school care, to view the leaflet visit the Surestart website