After School Care/Club

[MrsAmaretto]

Does your school have after school care/ club and if so who provides it? Is it a private business, local authority or community run? Which L.A are you in?
Thanks! It’s for a parent council thing

Renfrewshire and it’s a private business

Local out of school club caters for 3 schools (collects them from the other 2). Run as a charitable company limited by guarantee, iirc. Dh was the one that was more heavily involved - he was Chair for a number of years and then continued doing some paid consultancy work for them for another couple of years.

Gets funding from Glasgow City Council - although that is reducing every year and may go to nothing next year (or the year after) as GCC has to make so many cuts.

Thanks!

The extension of nursery hours starts with us in October (physical nursery extension will be complete) But it’s actually causing a fair amount of annoyed parents as the nursery kids can be looked after until 4:30pm but the primary kids have to be collected at 3.15. There is 1 LA run out of school club 15miles away, but no childminders locally (and non with a space for after school kids in the whole county!) Just wondered what kind of out of school clubs were in other areas and whether it’s worth our while looking at setting up a community one?

Next year some parents will be in the position, which seems ludicrous of having to cut their working hours as their children are starting school and there is no childcare.

Hope you get something sorted.

The Out of School Club that ds went to (and dh was involved with) picks the kids up at 3/3.15 (the 2 schools that require being walked from to the OSC finish at different times) and the children need to be picked up by 5.45.

Ours is a community group. As brilliant and cheap and flexible as it is I think the days of community group childcare is limited. Like all volunteer groups it relies on a committee and these days it’s really difficult to get people to commit. Particularly as the parents on the committee work full time ( hence the need for childcare!)

The main thing problem is the recent increase in qualifications required for staff. They have to have a ridiculous number of qualifications, particularly the manager who needs to have, or be working towards a degree in childcare ( a degree in teaching or nursing etc won’t do!) . This requirement plus the part time hours means it’s very hard to hire or retain staff. And continuous recruitment puts a huge strain on the committee.

Council don’t have money for ASC so I think trying to encourage a business to get involved is your best bet

That's exactly the same for ds' old Out of School Care.

The manager needed to be working towards/has got a degree in child care. Dh had a big argument with one of the board members when she actually got her degree as this member didn't think that the manager should get a pay rise as she who was really well paid hadn't had one for years. Being a charitable company limited by guarantee meant that they needed a full board (aka committee) of parent members - and as you say, the very reason that they're using the Out of School Care is because they work full-time So every AGM was painful, getting the necessary volunteers.

Dh actually had to step down so that he could get paid some consultancy money after years of helping them almost full time (I was earning a good full time salary up until then so in a sense could "subsidise" him - but once ds stopped needing to go, dh could step back officially).

He really helped them get onto a solid sound footing (when he first got involved they were arguably trading insolvently as they didn't have enough to cover statutory redundancy). He helped them rebuild their reserves through a combination of ensuring that people paid what they were supposed to (debtors hadn't been chased ), raising the fees, getting the maximum out of GCC and accessing as many different suitable funds that they could find. And then making sure that the accounts were written in a way that didn't overstate the reserves. This took about 5 years - the first three (iirc) unpaid as Chair, the last 2 getting a nominal amount as for consultancy support (which he more than paid for). He mentored the manager so that she learnt to do a lot of what he did. She still has lunch with him occasionally (and pays ) to pick his brains

I doubt that they're going to be getting much/any from GCC next year - but they are in a robust enough financial position to cope.

It is a charity (very recently). Managed by someone who has a BSc in Childhood Studies.

Thanks everyone, it’s such a mountain to
climb. Lots to think about and research.

We're in East Dunbartonshire and all of the after school provision around here is private companies. They pick up from school and then take the kids to various community centres, scout halls and similar. None operate inside the school building.

Highland. It’s CALA (care and learning alliance) that run after school club and holiday provision at our primary and several other primaries in the area.

East ayrshire, Run by a company called peace. They provide a breakfast club and after-school until until 6 pm it is located within the school building and has use of the PE hall for activities they also have access to kitchen facilities to provide a warm snack such as soup or pizza.