Breakfast and After School Club

Breakfast Club and After-School Club Handbook & Guidance 

This guidance is designed to inform staff, parents/carers and the wider community about the rules and procedures in place for the Breakfast and After-School Clubs. 

Aims 

The aims of both clubs are: 

• To provide a welcoming, safe and secure environment for pupils before the beginning of the school day and at the end of the school day 

• To provide an affordable, self-sustaining, childcare facility for parents/carers during term time

• To continue to build positive links/relationships with parents

• To provide children with a nutritious breakfast at the start of the day -if arriving before 8:15am -and where the children attend after 4:30pm, a nutritious snack

• To provide a calm play environment in which children can engage socially with children from other year groups, therefore strengthening relationships in the school community. 

Support for children who have an Educational and Health Care Plan

Where parents/carers require the services of the Breakfast and/or After-School Club and their child has an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP), then the provision must be discussed first with the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) or a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). This is because the school may need to make reasonable adjustments to the provision in order to accommodate a child with an EHCP. 

Costs & Times

Initial booking of the Breakfast or After-School Club

Booking of the clubs is made through the school office.  

Booking Arrangements

Places are pre-booked and each club is filled on a first come, first served basis. Bookings can be made so that there is one working day between the booking and attending the club. 

If a child does not attend after the booking has been made, the parent will still be charged. You will be able to cancel up to lunchtime the day before the booking to receive a full refund. As an example, for a Wednesday booking, the cancellation needs to be received by 12pm on Tuesday. It is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to cancel any unwanted sessions. 

Emergency bookings for Breakfast Club

The school appreciates that sometimes things change and a child may need to be booked into the breakfast or after-school club at short notice. Were this to happen for Monday’s Breakfast Club and the booking needs to occur over the weekend, then the parent/carer will need to leave a text message on the club mobile so they are aware that the child will be arriving on Monday morning. This would also be used where, for example, a shift is changed at short notice and the parent/carer finds out after the school office has closed that they require Breakfast Club.  These emergency bookings will be monitored to ensure that it is being used appropriately. 

Use of the club mobile to contact the staff 

The following phone number should be used if you are unable to contact the clubs using the intercom 073544 33385. It must not be used for any other purpose. Should a parent/carer wish to speak to a member of staff for a longer discussion than can be completed during collection / drop off or to register a complaint, then the procedures at the bottom of this policy will need to be followed. 

Charges

The club must be sustainable. The cost per child will cover staff costs, administration and resources. The cost will be for each child and no discounts will be available for siblings. There will be no reduction for less than a whole session for either the Breakfast Club or After-School Club. The charge for the Breakfast Club is £5.00 per day and starts at 7:45am. Children can arrive any time after this, but breakfast will only be available until 8:15am. After-School Club is from the end of the school day until 6pm and will include a snack. This costs £10.00. We do allow free places for staff members to allow them to complete their duties before or after school. However, on days when staff are not working or are absent for any reason, normal charges will apply. 

Staffing

There will always be a minimum of two Breakfast Club staff at each session. In addition to Breakfast Club staff, the cleaning team will be on site, as well as members of the Senior Leadership Team. There are also a number of teachers and teaching staff on site. There will always be a minimum of two After-School Club staff at each session. The After-School has an After-School Supervisor who is responsible for the club. This is because, in theory, the After School’s staff may be the only staff on site, although in practice this is rarely the case.

Dropping Off Arrangements for Breakfast Club

Parents/carers should not drop off their children earlier than the start of 7.45am as there will be no supervision of children arriving earlier. The children should be dropped off at club doors and the register must be completed for each child before the parent/carer leaves. To alert the club staff that you are waiting, please use the intercom located at the entrance to the office in Mungo Park Road. Please note that there may well be a short delay while the staff member makes their way to the entrance/when they are answering the intercom. 

Collection from After-School Club

The children need to be collected from reception. To alert the club staff that you are waiting, please use the intercom located at the entrance to the office on Mungo Park Road. Please note that there may well be a short delay while the staff member makes their way to the entrance/when they are answering the intercom. The collection of a child can only be undertaken by someone on the contacts list. Therefore, should you wish someone new to collect a child, the parent/carer must notify the office in advance (before 4pm as this is when the office closes) and the new person will need to bring with them a form of ID, ideally photographic ID. The club shuts at 6pm promptly. Where there is a delay in collecting a child, two members of staff will wait with the child, with one member of staff attempting to make contact with the priority person on the contacts list as well as other people on the contacts list. Should this become a regular occurrence with the same family, then a meeting will be arranged between the family and a member of the SLT to discuss a way forward. This may include the family no longer being able to access the After-School provision. Where a child has not been collected by 6:15pm or where we are unable to contact anyone from the contacts list, then the Out of Hours Emergency Duty Line will be called (0300 5551373) to seek advice on the school’s next steps. The police may also be informed at this point or contacted should the school be unable to contact the Out of Hours Emergency Duty Line. 

Cancellation of Breakfast Club and After-School Club

The only possible cause for cancellation would be school closure due to adverse weather conditions or problems with the building, e.g. no heating or water supplies. In the event of closure, a member of school will contact individuals by telephone. During adverse weather conditions, any school closure will be reported on the council’s website, our own website and local radio. 

Use of Registers for the Breakfast Club

Children will be registered as they are admitted via the club’s main door by one of the Breakfast Club staff on duty. The register will be kept in the Breakfast Club room during the session, and stored in the school office outside of club hours. The children will be registered again once they have entered their classroom (for the school’s register). The children will be escorted to their classrooms/ to a point in the school where they are able to access their classroom without needing to use the outside of the school. 

Use of Registers for the After-School Club

The children will be escorted to After-School club by a member of school staff and a register will be taken for each child placed in the care of the After-School Club’s staff. Where children are not on the register, they will remain with the After-School Club until the office have been informed and the parents/carers have been asked to collect the child/children. 

Food provision

Only staff who have Food Hygiene training will be permitted to serve food to the children. Parents/carers will be responsible for informing the staff of any allergies/ food intolerances that the children have. These details will be provided to the clubs via the school office. Therefore, parents/carers will need to ensure that the details the school holds on their child/children is accurate and updated whenever there is a change. Food will be visibly inspected before being served and the use-by-dates will also be checked at the start of the day. If bread is frozen and then subsequently defrosted, a sticker will be placed on the bread with the time it was taken out of the freezer. Bread can be frozen for up to six months. It will also have a sticker placed on it to show when the bread was frozen. 

The children will be able to choose from the following (subject to availability): 

Drinks - (Breakfast and After-School) Milk Low Sugar Squash Water 

Breakfast Cereals - A choice of cereals will be available Toast/Crumpets Marmalade, jam and marmite will be available. 

After-School Snack - Sandwiches with either ham, cheese, jam or chicken. Toast/ crumpets Marmalade, jam and marmite will be available. 

Whilst we are happy to listen to the groups wishes regarding likes and dislikes we are unable to accommodate individual requests. 

Medication

Inhalers: During Breakfast Club and After-School Club, inhalers are kept in the school office. If a child needs an inhaler, a member of staff will escort the child to the school office and observe that the medication has been taken correctly. The school office staff/ after school club/ breakfast club will let the parent/carer know that their child has used an inhaler. All other medication administered will follow the existing school policy (the Illness and Medicine Policy). If in doubt as to the application of this policy, parents/carers are encouraged to contact the office for clarification. 

Accidents and First Aid

The Accidents and First Aid Policy will be followed. Wherever possible, there will be a qualified first aider at both clubs. Where this is not possible, there will be a first aider on site. In the very rare situation where there are no first aiders on site, then the members of the club will have access to a member of staff who will be on standby should there be an accident requiring first aid support. In all emergency situations, adults must ultimately act in the interests of the child and whilst they should follow the policy, they must exercise their common sense in making judgements. 

Medical Plans

A small minority of children have a medical plan. If a medical plan is in place, a copy of this will be provided for the Breakfast Club and After-School Club staff. It will be kept in the club files which are easily accessible by the staff. If required, additional training will be organised for the staff in order for them to be able to manage the specific medical needs of the children in their care. 

Behaviour

Wherever possible, the staff will be giving out rewards rather than sanctions.  Scargill Infant School behaviour policy is to be followed.

Rewards:

1. Verbal praise – to promote high self-esteem staff will always attempt to reward children with verbal praise and non-verbal encouragement for positive behaviour including: ➢ good work/effort ➢ promotion of learning values 

2. Breakfast Club and After-School Club Reward Chart - Every child who attends Breakfast Club and/or After-School Club will have their name on the reward chart. 

They will be awarded a point for: 

➢ Exceptional positive behaviour 

➢ Sustained effort or achievement 

➢ Sustained good behaviour at the club 

When the reward chart is completed, the child will receive a certificate. At the end of each half-term, ‘Star of the half-term’ prizes will be awarded for children who have shown sustained good behaviour at the club. Prizes may include a pencil, pen, eraser or ruler. 

Fire Procedure

In the event of a fire, children and staff will follow the normal school procedures, leaving the building in a calm orderly manner via the closest exit. They will congregate on the grounds at the front of the school at the fire assembly point.  The club register must be taken outside and all names checked. There will be a fire practice once per term during normal school hours with an additional one per year for the Breakfast Club and the After-School Club in order to support staff who are only employed at these clubs. Please refer to the Fire Safety Policy. 

Confidentiality of Documents

Confidential documents are kept securely in the school office. 

Safeguarding

In accordance with safeguarding arrangements, as detailed in the Safeguarding Policy and Procedures for Scargill Infant School, all staff involved in the running of the Breakfast Club and After-School Club will have current DBS clearance, and other required recruitment checks completed. These records are held in the school office. The staff will follow existing school policies and procedures for child protection and will follow the code of conduct. Where ICT equipment is used, they must also follow the school’s acceptable user policy (AUP) and procedures. The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the Breakfast Club and After-School Club is the same as Scargill Infant School. Therefore, in their absence, concerns should be raised with a Deputy DSL. 

Appointments to Speak to a Member of the Breakfast Club or After-School Club

Parents may make appointments with a member of the Breakfast Club or After-School staff to discuss matters/issues pertaining to the Clubs. Alternatively, the parent/carer may wish to discuss their issues/ matters arising with a member of the SLT. Appointments will need to be made via the office. 

Complaints

All complaints should follow the procedures set out in the school’s Complaint Policy.  A copy of which can be obtained from the school’s website or by contacting the school office. 

Updated: September 2025