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Original poster

School clubs

35 replies

manyhatson · 29/06/2012 16:48

What sort of after-school (or before school) clubs you have at your school?

My DD will be in Yr2 of a state primary school next school year and I am thinking ahead a bit so I can start to plan my working hours etc. Next term's list hasn't been issued yet but here's the list of this school year's clubs for Year 2 including those run by the school (free) and those run externally (paid for).

Below is THIS year's list for example:

Ballet (paid)
Tap (paid - not sure this is running next year)
Tri Golf = (paid)
Chelsea Football (paid)
French Club (paid)
Library Club (free)
Country dancing (free I think)
Until recently we had SCL Club Energy (paid) but that stopped due to lack of interest.

What do you think of this selection...? It seems very sparse to me - there's no gymnastics, rounders, or general sports clubs run by the school. There's no cooking, sewing, chess, drama, or general music clubs either. And the majority of clubs are paid for. As for the free ones, I'm not sure on 'Library Club' but as far as I know, it's just a chance for the kids to use the library after school with a teacher present - something they do in the school day anyway. And I'm not sure Country Dancing is a free class but I'm presuming so. They have 'Infant Choir' during a lunch hour so I've left that out of this list.

How do we compare to your school's offering...? I think ours is quite poor.

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RaspberryLemonPavlova · 29/06/2012 17:09

I'm not sure of all but the ones I know for our 2 form entry Junior. These have no charge.

Chess
Gym clubs x 4 - ordinary and competition
Orchestra
Choir
Gardening (seasonal - spring/summer/early autumn)
Film Club (seasonal - autumn/winter)
Drama (Y5 only)
Newapaper (Y6 only)

At various times there are also:

Tennis
Netball
Multi-skills
Computer Club
Photography Club
Origami Club
Tri-golf
Running Club

I think there is also to pay for football coaching session as well but am not sure

RustyBear · 29/06/2012 17:15

If you are planning to organise your working hours around free clubs run by teachers, remember that if the teacher is ill, in an urgent meeting or called away for some other reason, it may be cancelled - most schools don't have the staff to find a substitute at short notice. These clubs often don't run every week anyway - at the school I work at, they don't normally start until the second week of term. Also, if they are a popular club, they may have several groups, with each group taking part for say half a term.

BackforGood · 29/06/2012 17:28

You're having a laugh aren't you ?
These children are 6 and 7 years old! I suspect the truth is there are not many clubs run for infant age children. Quite rightly IMO.

iseenodust · 29/06/2012 17:33

Our school runs more clubs than that but as Backfor says not many are open to the KS1 kids.
Ones that are that I can think of
football, judo, dance, recorder, running (summer only).

ByTheWay1 · 29/06/2012 17:39

Our KS1 have no clubs other than paid ones - gymbobs type.....

KS2 - Y3 have no clubs - too much work to settle in to juniors - but then we have something available most nights netball/rounders/tag rugby/football/table tennis/science/chess/knitting/sewing - all school run.... then paid ones gym/dancing/build a book etc...

So not much til Y4 here....

ByTheWay1 · 29/06/2012 17:39

(oops missed out drama and choir run by school...)

MDM · 29/06/2012 17:46

Hello ladies, do these clubs tend to be run by interested parents, or outside professionals?

BackforGood · 29/06/2012 17:52

MDM In my dd's Junior school, there is a mix.

Well, a teacher takes responsibility for the couple who have a parent come and help, there are no 'purely' parent run ones.
Some are run by outside companies, employed by the school which the children don't pay for (eg they employ a music teacher to run the choir but thee is no charge to parents)
Some are run by outside people and you pay... they just happen to be based at the school
Some are run by local Sprots Teams coaches who come into the schools (they get lottery grants to employ a coach on the condition that they spend x number of hours serving the community type arrangements)
Some are run by teachers (voluntarily)

BackforGood · 29/06/2012 17:53

Oh, forgot, there are two where a local volunteer comes in and runs them, just someone who loves the sport and is trying to encourage participation and a love of sport in the children

GateGipsy · 29/06/2012 18:13

the KS1 clubs have been reduced this year at son's school due to reasons of space (they're in a new building). They have:

  • African drumming
  • Gymnastics
  • Film club
  • French club
  • Multisports
  • Football
Original poster
manyhatson · 29/06/2012 18:59

Thanks for your comments.

BackForGood What do you take me for some kind of over-pushy, over-zealous mother??! Oh, I forgot, you don't know me. And, oh yes, I don't know you. Wink No, I'm not having a laugh. To be clear, I'm looking at the choice available. There's nothing arts related in house for example apart from dance and almost nothing for games/sport unless you like golf or football. Maybe I'm remembering wrongly but I thought there was more going on after school when I was that age in the mid to late 70s. Maybe not though...

I wouldn't necessarily send DD to ALL of the clubs. I have friends who send their Reception aged children to after school clubs every night and that's not my style at all. However, DD is sociable, wants a couple of play dates a week at least and they don't always happen, so it's good to have a couple of after-school clubs in the routine for balance. She's also open to trying new things so I want to encourage that. Age 6 is a good age IMHO to let them try different sorts of hobbies and sports and gently see what they show an aptitude for, particularly in music and sport. She just got picked for the school team for an inter-school mini-olympics for example and I was shocked to see how good she is at running. I'm not in the least sporty, see, and I'm keen to nurture this sort of thing if she shows an interest.

RustyBear you're right of course. I work for myself very part time (I have a 3yo DS too) so I'm very flexible with what I do, when. Actually my after school time is currently more about doing stuff withmy 3yo, doing the cleaning, cooking and ironing as I usually work in the mornings when DS is at pre-school. All swings and roundabouts - this is more about starting to see a general shape of how things might be.

Sorry for the long post. I'm grateful for your comments and thoughts.

OP posts:
alana39 · 29/06/2012 19:21

I think that's alot of choice for that age.

DS2 is just at the end of Y2 and they can do
Football Y2 only free
ICT club Y2 only paid
French club all infants paid
Gym club from Y1 paid
That's it.

Juniors have something everyday after school (ict one day and various sports all the others) plus cheerleading at lunch and tennis before school.

AICM · 29/06/2012 19:42

Parents have no right to expect teachers to give up their own time to entertain your children. If a teacher does be grateful.

flexybex · 29/06/2012 19:45

Free clubs depend on teachers' expertise, and whether they can spare the time after school to run the club. (Personally, I would rather get it over and done with at lunch time.)

Also, I just think it's worth mentioning that it isn't in any teacher's contract that they have to run a club. They all do it voluntarily to add value to their schools.

jelliebelly · 29/06/2012 19:50

This term ours can do any of the following:-
Recorders
Tap
Modern
Spanish
Gardening
Story theatre
Tennis
Mouse club
Art club
Cricket
Library

redskyatnight · 29/06/2012 20:35

Are there more clubs for older children? That sounds like a lot for Y2 tbh.

At DD's infants school the Y2 children are restricted to French, Football, Dance, Art and Gardening. And they are all paid for (art and gardening are nominal charge).

There is much more choice at DS's junior school though many of the clubs run at lunchtimes rather than after school.

Original poster
manyhatson · 29/06/2012 20:56

AICM and flexybex I am very grateful to any teachers who spend their time running clubs and don't take this for granted at all. And I'm happy to pay for clubs by the way - and I do. I don't want this thread to get into a discussion about how grateful I am for the amazing work teachers do however - that's a whole other post! :)

redskyatnight there are other clubs for the juniors. Perhaps I just need to be more patient.

I was looking to calibrate my expectations really, and to set a benchmark in my mind. There's a decent spread of differences here from people who think that we have loads to people who have a more broad range of clubs that we do. It's really useful to see this information, so thanks again.

OP posts:
rabbitstew · 29/06/2012 21:21

I'm sure they'd love you to volunteer to run a chess club Wink.

Have you looked at alternative venues for after school activities for your dd, of which there are usually tonnes around even in a small town, particularly musical or sporting, or was the emphasis on them being free and at her school????....

flexybex · 29/06/2012 23:16

Inevitably, if teachers haven't got a particular urge to run a Latin or art club, one won't be available! Next year, if you get a classics graduate teaching Y1, I daresay they may have Greek or Latin clubs. The 'free' expertise available is luck of the draw.

I agree with Rabbit! If you have a particular interest, I'm sure the school would like you to share it with the children!

Original poster
manyhatson · 30/06/2012 19:41

rabbitstew logistics mean that I'm more interested in school clubs atm.

flexybex if I didn't have a 3YO in tow I would. But I have, so I can't :)

OP posts:
chancer · 30/06/2012 20:15

You are all lucky, my son's school run none!!

An0therName · 30/06/2012 21:21

my DS school for KS1 has
very cheap
tennis
Music -not this term
fencing! - just this term - and before school

then pretty expensive - so same as doing it else where in my view
Yoga
Taekwondo
Dance
Drama

for the afterschool clubs someone parent/carer has to pick up DCs so makes childcare more complicated - it did sound like you were looking for child care from school clubs from your OP
That's plenty for my DS - he does football on saturdays and beavers and had done one school club

UniS · 30/06/2012 22:09

Yr 2 art club

Thats it.

Y1 cookery club on a rota basis so each child gets 6 sessions across the year.
Y3 photography(winter) and athletics( summer). choir, chess ( lunchtimes)
Y4 Athletics, cricket, choir , chess.
Y5 &6 Football, netball, choir , chess .

There are 2 other parent volunteer led clubs that are cross ages but can only take very small numbers so children are offered 5 weeks each of that club .

All these clubs are free to children, but materials need to be provided for cookery

so to me, your choice of year 2 clubs looks HUGE.

MWB22 · 30/06/2012 22:27

Your opening post does come across as if you have unrealistic expectations about school clubs. How many clubs in a week do you think teachers / schools ought to provide? Several on each night, if there are all the clubs you are worried are missing. I'm sure you are just needing to set up child care so your child can attend the clubs they want; but your OP could read that you want more clubs so you can have free child care every night.
I get frustrated when my child, who really wants to attend a particular club, doesn't get a place at an over-subscribed club, but a child who does get a place doesn't like the subject and moans all day at school about having to go, but was signed up by their parent because then they didn't have to pay a child minder that night.

MDM · 30/06/2012 22:41

Is there much red tape around offering to run a club at a school (I am an interested parent) does anyone know?