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Original poster

Starting a preschool and after school club- help please!

18 replies

thesearetherichesofthepoor · 05/08/2021 12:10

Hi all,

I'm currently a TA with many years behind me running nurseries and settings for children with SEN.

Over the holidays I've been training to teach yoga to kids/teens and really like the idea of running preschool sessions, after school clubs etc.

I'm just stumped as to how to approach schools to see if they're willing to offer it as an after school activity etc.

I've found some local halls I can hire to run daytime kids sessions. I know I want the sessions to involve a lot of movement, play, singing and fun.

I'm just unsure if I'm being ridiculous because I just want out of my current school and how to approach this as a brand new business to schools and settings.

If anyone does similar and can advise I would be really grateful!

OP posts:

Gardenwalldilema · 05/08/2021 12:16

I'm a bit confused to be honest. Qre you aiming to sell your services to existing breakfast and ASC, or set up your own? Or sell the lessons in school time as the PE lesson?

Original poster

thesearetherichesofthepoor · 05/08/2021 12:31

Sorry that was a bit rambling really.

Both. I'm thinking of offering it as an external provider for after school or lunchtime clubs but also as something that schools can purchase as a weekly in school session.

OP posts:

FluffMagnet · 05/08/2021 12:46

If you are looking to seel your services to schools/nurseries/ASCs, I would stop worrying about sourcing halls. I can't see that any of the above are going to want the responsibility of moving kids from their own setting to another setting. Have you figured out pricing - do you charge the school etc. a fixed sum and allow them to charge a per pupil fee to parents, or do you pay them for access/renting premises and deal with parents direct? Have you contacted similar local providers (but in a different field, so you wouldn't be directly competing - our local school has external ballet and football providers after school) to ask how they do it? If you are currently a TA, I would start asking your network within the school what they would be most receptive to and go from there. Use your contacts!

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Childcare & nursery

MyDcAreMarvel · 05/08/2021 12:48

I doubt many schools would agree to offer yoga as many parents would not want their children to take part.

Parker231 · 05/08/2021 12:51

@MyDcAreMarvel - why don’t you think parents would want their DC’s to take part? I would have said the opposite - a great opportunity to try something new which can be very beneficial.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 05/08/2021 12:53

I think your best bet would be an after school lessons in a hall accessible to children from multiple schools.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 05/08/2021 12:54

@MyDcAreMarvel

I doubt many schools would agree to offer yoga as many parents would not want their children to take part.

Both my children have done yoga in pe lessons... led by either their teacher or the school pe teacher.

Original poster

thesearetherichesofthepoor · 05/08/2021 13:11

My initial thoughts were offer to schools as an external after school club or an in school booking. External would be paid for by parents and in school would be down to the school.

Then alongside this book a hall maybe 2/3 mornings a week as a preschool class.

It'll be yoga but not an hour of boring stretches and silence as, children. It'll be games, working together, building up self esteem etc with a yoga foundation. And obviously would be offered as a free trial session as I know the amount of times my kids have wanted to try something then not wanted to go, I'd be really annoyed if I'd paid for 6 weeks or something for them to then hate it.

OP posts:

Polkadots2021 · 05/08/2021 13:31

@thesearetherichesofthepoor

Sorry that was a bit rambling really.

Both. I'm thinking of offering it as an external provider for after school or lunchtime clubs but also as something that schools can purchase as a weekly in school session.

OP what I learnt after setting up my own business is that you've got the idea, now you need to place it aside, and unemotionally work out the finance, logistics, client lists, cost of marketing, etc. It needs to be viable financially.

Maybe a good first step would be to identify which is more feasible - a breakfast club, after school yoga club(s), after school care, holiday club, and/or a mix.

This will identify your staffing needs & equipment requirements and who you will contact as clients.

This will also identify the premises needs.

Then decide how you will market the business.

That's a good first step.

As with many ideas, it's often the execution, not the idea, that decides if it succeeds and fails.

MotionActivatedDog · 05/08/2021 13:37

Not what you asked OP but have you considered also approaching local home education groups? I’m part of a large one and they have all sorts of providers offering things like this during normal school hours. Might provide some extra income and fill those hours that aren’t being used by schools. I expect it would be very well received in HE groups too.

Whinge · 05/08/2021 13:38

@thesearetherichesofthepoor

Sorry that was a bit rambling really.

Both. I'm thinking of offering it as an external provider for after school or lunchtime clubs but also as something that schools can purchase as a weekly in school session.

You work in a school so think about the clubs that are offered and how popular they've been. Could you see your current school offering a club like the one you're proposing?

We don't have enough time or space during lunchtime to run a club like this. After school might would be a possibility, but it would need to be held in a classroom as we already run an after school club which uses the hall. The cost would also need to be cheap enough to compete with clubs that staff already run.

BendingSpoons · 05/08/2021 13:41

I can't answer your questions but my DD does yoga at her infant school with an external teacher. She loves it!

nancy75 · 05/08/2021 13:45

We offer tennis in local schools, usually as after school club that parents pay for but occasionally as something done in school time.
The first step is to email the head &/or head of PE.
Explain what you’re offering, when you can do it, how many kids can attend & how much you will charge.
Make sure you e got all the required safeguarding, insurance etc.
Before you email check their website for clubs already running - no point offering Mondays if the already have something else in their hall on Mondays.
How will you invoice & collect payment?
They’ll be more interested if there is minimal extra work for them (we deal with all bookings, payment etc, school just lists the club & contact details in their newsletter/website)

nancy75 · 05/08/2021 13:47

As someone above mentioned, don’t write off home Ed - there are only so many suitable hours you could do after school but home Ed kids are free during the day & usually have a network of other home educators so can be great word of mouth advertising for you.

nancy75 · 05/08/2021 13:54

Last point, we also do a weekly session in a local nursery (childcare not play school type) they pay us, not the parents. Depending on where you’re based a nursery that offers extras like yoga are very popular, no home on approaching them too.
For the nursery we just charge an hourly rate to cover a coach rather than price per child

OhMrDarcy · 05/08/2021 14:01

DDs school has someone come in weekly to give a 30 min yoga class to the kids - she actually does three or four classes a time for Reception, Year 1 &2, 3&4 and then 5&6 year groups. So starts at 3pm and goes till 5pm I think. Charge is £3.50 or £4 a time as it is an independent school the charge gets put on the end of term invoice.

smileandsmilesomemorey · 05/08/2021 14:21

Private nurseries often have sessions that parents pay extra for so approach the big chains. Setting up in a hall is tough going once your age group is over 1 years as a lot of parents go back to work. So you could do mummy moves type group in a hall with young ones ( walking upwards?) but I expect you'd need to run a few sessions to cover the hall set cost.

If it's more school age then prob just an extra activity parents take them to separate from school.

Original poster

thesearetherichesofthepoor · 05/08/2021 14:44

Thank you all!

I hadn't even thought of home Ed parents so that's definitely something to consider.

We've a few big nursery chains round here so that's definitely a place to enquire.

And my school runs lunchtime and after school sessions with an external provider. Not yoga but football, dodgeball etc.

It would be a case of parents log on, book and pay for sessions online so minimal hassle for the school. Then if they wanted to book it and pay then a flat fee for 30-60 mins times however many times a week they would require it.

It's the phrasing the initial contact email- will they be put off that I'm new? I have a DBS (and will be taking out a separate one for this), I'm paediatric first aid trained, very up to date on safeguarding and will have insurance in place.

OP posts:

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