clubs and activities at school

[SqueakyCat]

My chidlren aren't yet at school, but I've jsut started looking round, and noticed that very few offer much / anything in the way of after-school clubs and activities. I was wondering how these tend to operate. I mean specific clubs like chess club / tennis / nature club / etc. I was wondering whether it was possible to get anything going. Do your children go to clubs at school, and if so:
who runs them: teachers? external bodies?
do you pay: how much? termly? are you committed to it?
Is it that you pay for the external clubs but the teachers are expected to offer their clubs for free?
how long do they last? do they offer a useful form of childcare or is it just for the learning / activity?
who is reposinsible for your child?
how many children go?

or is it just an out-dated idea I remember from my childhood but isn't part of life now? (like school ties).

At primary school clubs tend to be teacher led & lunch-time etc. School Choir, netball, football teams etc. Some Mums used to run an after school netball - think it's stopped now. These are free.

Our school alsoi has visiting Judo & Rugby teachers, after school, paid termly. If you wanted to start a club, talk to Head, but have to arrange caretaker to lock-up etc.

At secondary school DD goes to LOADS of clubs, lunchtime & after school. Science, DRama, Tranpolining, music etc etc.`All free. We don't pay for minibus when playing on school teams either which some schools charge for. The only thing we pay for is Duke of Edinburgh, £18pm for 10 months but covers all books, residential weekends (4) final assessment etc etc.

When I was at primary school there was a lunchtime recorder club, and that's about it! Oh, I think we did cycling proficiency after school for about 6 weeks in top juniors.

My boys' school has quite a few extra-curricular clubs: tennis, football, science club, art/crafts, drama, Italian, philosophy for children, Saturday Club, chess club, etc. Some clubs just run for a short series of 5 or 6 weeks, some are run by teachers, others by outside organisations, some at lunchtimes, but most are after school. Most of them you have to pay for half termly in advance. When my boys sign up to do something they are committed to it and turn up regularly.

It rarely counts as 'useful childcare' though, as it is usually just for 30-60 minutes, and doesn't often involve both boys - so you end up doing two school runs instead of one.

In our school extra-curric opportunities for Keystage 1 (4s-7s) are pretty rare, and very limited. IME these young children are exhausted by a full day at school and don't need anything else extra at the end of the day.

HTH

Our primary has after school activities every day, plus lunchtimes. Of course dd's don't go to them all (thank goodness I'd be bankrupt!!). Have to contribute to all the after school ones like yoga, gymnastics, art club etc half termly.

big problem at my school was always convincing adults to run clubs - i was one of only 2 teachers to give up some free time and teaching assistants, etc, wanted to be paid for the extra hours. we relied heavily on parental help.

We have a school tie!

Ok, we have football clubs after school run by parent volunteers, free but they asked for a voluntary donation to buy new equipment

Tae Kwon Do after school, run by a parent who happens to be a black belt instructor, DS2 is in the Tots group still so it's about £35/40 a term

Netball club, after school run by a parent, free

Fame Academy (sort of stage schooly thing) run by parent after school, think it's about £4.50 a session paid termly.

The infant classes take turns in having 'Games Club' after school which teaches basic skills, like catching, using a bat and ball etc, free and run by a TA.

We also have music lessons during the school day (mandolin, piano, guitar) You pay the music teachers directly. DS1 does guitar and pays £5 for half hour 2 on 1 (if there's someone the same level and they don't play about!) or 15 minutes 1 on 1. That's a new thing as it used to be £10 for half hour 1 on 1 only, which we couldn't afford.

The people who run the clubs are responsible for the children, they won't release them at the end until they've seen you.

I'm really lucky, DS1 has football on Mondays when DS2 does Tae Kwon Do, and Netball on Tuesdays when DS2 has his football. The teachers send the children to the clubs at the end of the day so I have a nice late school run on those days. Last year they didn't have things on the same day and it was a pita. I live to far to go home and come back, so would have to hang around the school for ages.

My boys go to do the activities, I'm a SAHM so it's definitely not for the childcare (we have afterschool childcare anyway!) All the clubs are pretty popular. For some reason the stageschool one even has a waiting list!

I think yrs 5 and 6 can do Greek dancing and Icon painting after school to but I don't really know much about those (mine are too young)

HTH!