Out of school clubs include after-school clubs, breakfast clubs and holiday clubs or playschemes. These settings are designed to help parents balance work and family commitments, whilst providing children with a secure and fun place to spend their time outside of school, with dedicated professionals caring for them.
All schools are expected to provide access to wraparound childcare if there is sufficient demand, either on their own premises or nearby, from 8.00am to 6.00pm. That is not to say that all schools have to provide out of school care themselves, some do, but others outsource the provision to a private provider. If schools can demonstrate that there is little or no demand for such services, they are expected to signpost to other local provision, such as childminders or nearby out of school clubs. More about choosing an out of school club >
Support for setting up out of school clubs is sometimes provided by the childcare and early years team of your local authority. Additional support and advice is offered by us, the Out of School Alliance, the national organisation for providers of out of school care.
More about setting up an out of school club >
More about services from the Out of School Alliance >
Most out of school clubs that provide wraparound care are registered with and inspected by Ofsted, and have to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) if caring for children of five years or younger (ie children in the reception year). Some types of provision are however exempt from registration with Ofsted which usually means that parents are unable to claim government support with the cost of childcare via Tax Free Childcare, Universal Credit or legacy Childcare Vouchers.
More about registering with Ofsted >
More about staffing ratios >
