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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reception age children in after school club.

23 replies

SpaghettiMeatballs · 18/01/2016 17:41

My DD starts school in September. I am not worried about her starting school but I feel a bit panicky about before / after school club.

I work 3 days per week with a long commute so i will need childcare. DD has always loved nursery and I have been very happy with choosing nursery over a childminder but now I'm worried about the range of ages in the school club and how a 4 year old will cope with that.

I am wondering if a childminder might be better? I could try to find one now and pay a deposit that I would obviously forego if we didn't get the school we expect to be allocated.

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LieslVonTrap · 18/01/2016 18:08

This reply has been deleted

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HortonWho · 18/01/2016 18:13

I used a childminder when mine were small and while she was good taking care of the little ones, her after school care was to let the older ones sit glued to the tv. It took me a while to work out they were actually mindees and not just friends of her children.

BikeRunSki · 18/01/2016 18:22

DS started after school club when he started school; he too had previously done 3 long days a week at nursery since he was a year old.

He loved, and still loves, after school club! Plenty of other young Reception/Y1 and the play workers really focussed on the little ones. The big boys and girls tend to keep themselves to themselves a bit, with homework/football and often do an activity club first, so are only in afterschool club for a short time.

Afterschool club also means than DS has friends and allies in other classes/year groups, not just his class.

BernardsBum · 18/01/2016 18:31

DD started school in September, and we went for a childminder rather than breakfast/after school clubs despite DD going to nursery from 18mo. I checked out a couple of childminder and the clubs before making the decision though & went with the one we liked the best.

Happydappy99 · 18/01/2016 18:33

My DS is in reception and does afterschool club. He loves it! He gets to play with his friends for longer and complains if I pick him up early:)

yetanotherdeskmove · 18/01/2016 18:33

Ds has always been at a cm (and school hours preschool) prior to school but I changed him to after school club when he started reception and he loves it. There are a fair few other reception children at club but I also like the fact that he mixes with all ages while he's there.

Bounced · 18/01/2016 18:35

I'm happy with it for my 4yo once or twice a week, but not more than that as she needs one to one attention from an adult sometimes, too. It's a big jump from the ratios at nursery to being one of 30 with a teacher and a TA, and I think that makes her more inclined to want / need focuses adult attention after school. She goes with her big sister, which helps, and she sees it as a play date of sorts with some of her friends.

JimmyGreavesMoustache · 18/01/2016 18:44

both of mine started at ASC for two afternoons a week immediately on starting school. The elder one, who's quite shy, did struggle for a couple of weeks as she was nervous about mixing with the older children. However within a couple of weeks she was fine, and complained if she was picked up early. The younger one was in like Flynn from the start, and I think it helps them settle to having lots of friendly faces around school, which the ASC kids all experience.

our ASC is very good at providing a range of different activities, including quiet, comfy spaces when the little ones can snuggle up with books, or zone out in front of a DVD, as well as all the more structured stuff.

Inkymess · 18/01/2016 18:46

Our after school is rammed with nursery, R and Yr1s. A lot of the older ones do sports / choir and other stuff so are less represented. In total about 90 children attend ours on any particular day. There is a private after school club on same road that takes about 50 children also. The upside is continuity, mixing with other children and convenience. Mine have always loved it

FlightofFancy · 18/01/2016 18:52

My DS was full time at after school club in year R (and only isn't this year in year 1 as I'm on mat leave). I chose a nursery-based club to start with as it only took up to end of infants so there weren't huge 10 year olds there and it was very 'nurturing'. He was fine and I'm actually moving him to a bigger club with older children when I go back to work as he needs more lively activity. Clubs have to differentiate what they do for different ages anyway, especially year R, so good ones split ages anyway (often 4-6, 6-8, 8-13 or similar).

littleducks · 18/01/2016 19:08

I think it depends hugely on the school, club leaders and individual children. I tried a CM for before school for a term for dd (yr 5 now) and was so unimpressed O wouldn't use a CM again. I was basically paying ££££ for her to sit in a car for an extended school run.

Currently our school doesn't have a breakfast club. But the afterschool club is great. DS wanted to go there after nursery he want dissed about starting school just thrilled about staying ASC.

Like pp the older children tend to go off to clubs and are in the actual ASC for less time

WidowWadman · 18/01/2016 19:13

My two have been in after school club 5 days a week from reception age and enjoy it. They like being able to play with older children as well as their own age group and the wide range of activities offered. They used to be in full time nursery before school, so being in a child care setting didn't come as a shock to them.

ijustwannadance · 18/01/2016 19:22

My 4yo goes a couple of times a week to after school club. Before she started school she did full days at private nursery. She is the youngest there but settled in fine. Those two evenings a week cost me less than an hours pay for a childminder.

AstridPeth · 18/01/2016 19:24

I am a T.A in a reception class. I also help to run the after school care club . Several of our lovely reception children attend the after school care club and they all love it. As well as being able to stay and play with their friends for longer they also get to mix with the older children.
It is lovely to see the older children taking the little ones under their wing. Reading with them and playing games with them.
Their friendship groups get much bigger when they have the opportunity to play with children from different classes.

Coldtoeswarmheart · 18/01/2016 19:25

DS did after school club in Reception and regarded it as an extra playtime. He was tired, but fine. Good club though, with a good range of activities and a big snack.

Original poster

SpaghettiMeatballs · 18/01/2016 19:51

Thank you! Really reassuring posts with so many small children enjoying their clubs.

DD isn't shy but she has never mixed with much older children. It's a good point about activity clubs. Initially I thought that made the after school club a good idea as it would mean DD could do the same as she gets older.

I think the best thing would be to see if it is possible to visit the after school club once we know for definite which school she is allocated to and see how it works. We asked about it when we looked around the school but that isn't the same as seeing it.

LeislVonTrapp, both schools said the first 4 days are mornings. I've booked two days off work as I want to take her and collect her on her first two days, then it's my day off and her godmother has very kindly booked the Friday off to collect her. Hopefully that will all work out.

OP posts:

MrsHathaway · 18/01/2016 19:56

Our ASC/holiday club takes children from 3 so there's plenty of EYFS-friendly equipment and staff.

I was a bit sniffy about how unstructured it is, but actually it very closely mirrors what the children could be doing at home. Some are just chilling out, or playing pool, or running about outside, or reading. They might do a craft but they don't have to. It's a very relaxed environment and I know of at least one emotionally young R child who absolutely thrives in club five days a week.

Depends totally on the setting. A childminder who does two school runs in a big people carrier then squeezes eight children into a normal house for a biscuit and Frozen won't be offering a better environment than our club.

trinitybleu · 18/01/2016 20:00

My DD did before and after school club full time from Reception and loved it. To be fair it was an infants school but they did take siblings from the junior school too. They would all eat together but then split into age groups for activities. She then moved to a primary and same thing there, plus the big kids love "taking care" of the younger ones

trinitybleu · 18/01/2016 20:05

Oh and food wise ...

Club 1 - 1 biscuit and as much fruit as they wanted at half 3. Send a packed tea if they want it.

Club 2 (new school) - biscuit at half 3. Hot small meal at 4:30 i.e. jacket potato, soup and roll, cheese on toast.

Club 3 (club 2 closed) - fruit at half 3. Home cooked, proper meal and dessert at 5 i.e. lasagne, roast dinner, fajitas.

Interestingly, each club has got cheaper and club 3 is cheapest by nearly a half ...

FlopIsMyParentingGuru · 18/01/2016 20:12

DS went for two nights a week in reception and loved it. But definately visit one and get on waiting list asap.
It completely depends on the club. One we visited had a load of "younger" girls who looked completely disinterested and were just there to tell the bored looking kids to sit back down at the table and keep quiet.
Unsurprisingly it's easy to get a place on this one.
The after school club that DS thankfully got a place at had a long waiting list but has three times the space, loads of tables with different activities for kids to roam around, open playground in summer and sports hall in winter and most importantly is run by a load of "older" but active ladies who are like a bunch of interested energetic grannies who really care for the kids and sit with them and chat. DD(2) is already desperate to go despite denying she ever has to go to school!

Original poster

SpaghettiMeatballs · 18/01/2016 20:22

The only option here is the school breakfast / after school club or a childminder. I didn't realise there were other options in other areas of the country.

We've been told at our second choice school we will almost definitely get a place. They know they have a large number of leavers and it's a small school. First choice should be OK as they have just expanded provision. We can't get on a list until we know for definite where she is going.

trinity DD is one of the oldest in the year and loves taking care of the 'little ones' as she calls the youngest at nursery. She will be well into looking after the smaller children as she gets older!

AFAIK it is a light meal but hot. They gave beans on toast as an example when we viewed schools.

To be fair the childminder I've been reading about only picks up from this school and picks up on foot so she wouldn't just be driven around. Guess that would mean she couldn't do activities in the future though.

OP posts:

trinitybleu · 18/01/2016 20:58

spaghetti she will indeed!

All 3 clubs have also picked up after clubs, even current one that is at the other end of the village (other 2 were in the same complex, but separate). Someone goes up and collects them at half 4 and then they go straight in for tea, pretty much.

(DD then has an other dinner at home at 7 )

Mrscog · 18/01/2016 22:10

Our after school club is for ages 2-11, my 3 year old goes sometimes and he lives it! You wouldn't think it works but somehow it does and he's always super happy after.

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