Out of School Club Information

WELCOME!

We look forward to welcoming your child to Jigsaw Curzon House Out of School Club which is open during the school holidays as a holiday club.

Starting at the Nursery

A member of the team will explain to you and your child/ children what will happen during their time in our Holiday Club. They will also be happy to answer any questions about the service we provide.

Arriving at the Out of School Club

All Children will be welcomed into the Club and shown a variety of activities in which they will be able to engage.

All information gathered from you during your child’s visit will be shared with the rest of the team working with your child, so that your child’s individual needs are fully understood the catered for.

Arrival and Departure times

The Out of School Club is open during the school holidays from 8.00am - 6.00pm.

Uncollected Child

If a child is not collected from the Out of School Club, the nursery manager will use the details on the ID form to clarify the situation. If none of the people on the ID form can be contacted after a duration of 1 hour with no contact, the only solution may be to contact the local authority Social Services, it will be necessary for the manager to provide the social services officer with a copy of the ID form.

Please be aware our responsibility for children begins when they are handed over to a member of staff and ends when the parent or designated person collecting them meets the child for collection.

Belongings

Jigsaw Out of School Club will endeavour to take good care of the children’s belongings and will encourage all children to do the same. However, we will not take responsibility for any loss or damage to any personal items or belongings.

Healthy Snacks

Healthy snacks are provided for the children during their time in the Out of School Club. The Out of School Club  has a commitment to provide a healthy balanced diet and a fresh, cooked on the premises meal is provided at lunchtime, full of fresh fruit and vegetables. We believe that establishing healthy eating habits in early life are essential. You may provide a packed lunch for your child if you prefer.

Staff

The quality of our trained staff is of prime importance to us. All persons, including volunteers and students, who work in the Out of School Club for any period of time, are CRB checked, either by us or by the college or association they are working for.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning is carried out at the end of the day by the staff and the cleaner. All rooms are mopped, vacuumed and all surfaces cleaned. All toys and equipment are washed every two weeks.

Outings

From time to time the Out of School Club arranges outings for the children. These are generally local so we travel in our mini bus equipped with suitable child seats and seat belts. Before any such trip parents will be given a permission letter with the outing’s details and if any financial contribution is required. This must be returned to Out of School Club, signed and with any fee, for your child to participate.

Bookings

To be allocated a place in the Holiday Club, a booking form needs to be completed and returned to the office at Jigsaw.

As there are limited spaces available in the Out of School Club we work on a first come first served basis and you will be sent confirmation of the days booked.

Each year a new form must be filled in for requested days in the Out of School Club. No child will be given priority for the Holiday club because they have attended before; we work on a first come first served basis. Once you have booked and had confirmation of your child's days in the Holiday Club, 4 weeks notice must be given if you wish to terminate your allocated place.

Fees

Fees are paid a month in advance. An invoice will be given to you and your payment can either be paid by vouchers, cash or cheque. Failure to pay on time will result in late payment charges.

Late Payments

Fees that are paid against an invoice should be paid in full within seven days from receipt either by cheque, standing order, vouchers or cash. If payment is not received the child’s place may be withdrawn and proceedings will comment to collect payment as per the details below:

Step 1:  Reminder invoice sent out
Step 2:  A follow up letter advising 7 days to pay or commencement of court proceedings
Step 3:  The child’s place will be withdrawn
Step 4:  Commencement of court proceedings

Temporary absence and Holidays

We do not reimburse fees for periods of absence but would request that you inform nursery of any absence due to sickness etc.

The nursery is closed bank holidays and approximately one week over the Christmas period. The exact dates of holidays are published in the Out of School Club newsletters.

Extra Days

If any extra days are booked but not attended by your child please be aware that these days must still be paid for in full.

Insurance

We have comprehensive insurances covering the following:
Public Liability
Employer’s Liability
Group & Personal Accident cover
Personal belongings for children and staff
Nursery Equipment and Premises

No smoking policy

Jigsaw Day Nursery Out of School Club operates a strictly no-smoking policy throughout its premises.

Partnerships

At Jigsaw we welcome outside external professional into the setting to help with the child’s development and support families, such as Health visitors carrying out developmental checks on the premises.

Policies and procedures

Special Needs

We cater for all children with special educational needs. We are always happy to discuss parents’ concerns before their child starts at Out of School Club and any issue will be handled sensitively. Working as a team with parents we will be supportive and seek professional advice when necessary. We have a more detailed policy on Special Needs, please ask if you wish to read it.

Equal opportunities and inclusion

All children will be respected and their individuality and potential recognised, valued and nurtured. No child will be excluded from the Out of School Club on the grounds of class, disability, colour, ethnic origin, culture, religion or belief.

In order to promote equal opportunities we aim to provide resources and experiences that will allow children to explore, acknowledge and value similarities and differences between themselves and others. We have a more detailed policy on Equal opportunities, please ask if you wish to read it.

Health

Parents will naturally wish for an infection-free Out of School Club and we would ask for their co-operation in achieving this. Children must not attend the Out of School Club when they have tummy upsets, vomiting, diarrhoea or other symptoms of ill-health. Children must be kept away from the Out of School Club for 48 hours after the last bout of vomiting or diarrhoea. It is very important that any childhood diseases such as measles, mumps chicken-pox etc are reported to the Out of School Club Manager and that the child is kept away during the infectious period. The infectious period can be clarified by your local GP or the Out of School Club manager.

Should a child become ill during their time at the Out of School Club, we shall look after them in a quiet place, but would expect that they be collected as soon as possible once contact had been made with the parent or emergency carer to minimise the spread of any infection.

Medicines and Medical Emergencies

If your child needs prescribed medicine (e.g. antibiotics) administering during Out of School Club hours we will be happy to do so following your written instructions. A medicine administration form must be filled in when dropping off your child and this will ensure the medicine is given at the times requested by you. At the end of their day you will be asked to sign a medicine completion form which will state the exact time and dose given.

Should a medical emergency arise we wish to have the authority to take a child to hospital or to a doctor if the parent or emergency carer is unavailable.

Children’s Behaviour

In Out of School Club we seek to encourage positive behaviour by setting clear boundaries and actively praising good behaviour and we believe it is important at this stage to encourage a positive self-image. Bad behaviour often occurs when the fundamental needs of the children are frustrated therefore it is imperative that we provide a loving, caring and stimulating environment in order to meet these needs. Parents will always be consulted if there are areas of concern. Should you wish to read more about our behaviour policy please ask and a full copy will be provided.

Discipline

Children will be encouraged to understand the concept of good behaviour by the positive use of praise. Our staff will aim to avoid clashes by pre-empting such situations by distraction and by removing a child from a potentially tense situation. We shall be kind, but firm, without raising our voices. Staff will talk to parents should a problem arise. However the Out of School Club cannot accommodate constant disruption and we reserve the right to ask parents to remove a child if absolutely necessary.

Missing child

If a child is found missing the officer in charge will be informed and a full search of the building and grounds will commence. The parents of the child will be contacted and the police informed of the missing child.

Complaints

Any complaints will be dealt with in confidence. Staff will inform the officer in charge and the matter will be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. A record will be made of the complaint and the action taken to resolve the issue.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome there is a procedure laid down by OFSTED where you can take the complaint. The telephone number is as follows: 0845601 4771

We trust that this document provides any information as required, however should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact the Out of School Club Manager.