The St Joseph’s Breakfast and After School Club is run exclusively for pupils of St. Joseph’s Academy. We are based in the De Trafford room of Our Lady of Victories’ Catholic Church, on Fairfield Road, adjacent to the school.

We are open Monday to Friday during term time as follows:

· 7.30am – school start time – Breakfast club

· 3.15pm to 6.00pm – After school club

Children can be booked in on a regular basis each week or at the start of a school year or term, however we are exceptionally popular so booking in advance is highly advised. We work on a first come first served basis with our waiting lists.

We welcome all children, please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss any specific needs with us.

Who are we?

The club is run by a committee and is made up of parents whose children attend the club or have attended the club in the past, the Club manager, members of staff and the school head. Our Club Chair is Mrs Tracey Green.

Our team of three full time staff members ensures that children develop positive relationships and have stability during their time at the club. EYFS children have a named key worker to support them through their first academic year.

The club manager is Mrs Jess Peacher, who has achieved a BA (Hons) Degree in Early Childhood Education; Integrated with Working with Children and Families and has worked in the Club since 2016. Jess is the club’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the main point of contact for all enquiries and questions.

The deputies are Jane James who has over 10 years’ experience in working in Early Years leadership and management, is level 3 qualified in Early Years and Alison Kolić, who is a qualified teaching assistant and has many years of experience in working in local schools. Alison is also the Club’s Special Educational Needs Officer (SENCO), whilst Jane supports the team as the EYFS Co-ordinator and facilitates the needs of our youngest children. We have our playwork assistant, Gemma Vye, who is highly qualified to Level 3 in Early Years Education and works at the Montessori nursery opposite the club, before joining us each afternoon.

We occasionally have previous pupils support us with volunteering roles, who are all fully DBS checked and complete safeguarding training and suitability checks prior to working with us.

The Club works closely with the school, to ensure communication is effective and children are kept safe. Our team is small, yet very experienced, and are all trained in Paediatric First Aid, and safeguarding awareness. All staff are DBS checked.

We provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, whilst ensuring the usual standards of behaviour are consistent with school policy and are adhered to. It is a thriving environment in which the children have opportunities to build new friendships with other children of different age groups within the school.

Our aim is to help children achieve their potential through play and social interaction whilst being cared for by members of staff in a holistic and respectful manner. We encourage independence during play, eating and personal hygiene, whilst recognising when children may need support.

What we do

We have a stimulating, fun environment where children are involved in choosing which activities and games they would like to enjoy whilst attending our Club. This includes a wide range of small world play, arts and crafts, den building, board games, amongst many other resources.

We also have a cosy corner indoors for children to relax in.

On our busier days, we open the Kavanagh room in the church for the older children to complete homework in. From 5pm each day, we have our ‘mindful’ room open for children to relax and wind down, with low lighting and calm music. They are always supervised, and we have strict rules regarding the use of these devices.

We have use of the school playground every day for more physical games. Our after-school club sessions are usually outside in the spring and summer terms and are extremely popular with the children. We have a wide range of sports equipment and focus on children centred play rather than adult led games. During the colder weather, we try to be outside as much as we can, weather permitting.

We celebrate an array of multi faith festivals throughout the year.

Refreshments

The Club provides a healthy snack every afternoon and caters for all reasonable dietary needs, giving the children plenty of choice through self-service. Staff who prepare the snacks have completed Food Hygiene training. Our latest inspection from the Harborough Council in November 2019 resulted in us maintaining our 5-star rating.

At our Breakfast club, we provide a range of low sugar cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruit, and water; plus, a range of toasted foods.

Ofsted

The After-School Club’s Ofsted registration is EY440666. We are currently rated as ‘MET’. With no further recommendations (January 2023). We are very proud of our OFSTED report.’ You can access details of our last inspection below: ·

https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50207840

Costs

The After-School Club costs are as follows:

· Single Sessions: 3.15 to 4.30pm = £6.50 (WEF August 2023)

· Double Session: 3.15 to 6.00pm = £10 (WEF August 2023)

. Please note, the price of a double session applies if a parent/ carer collects from us after 4.30pm.

The Breakfast Club cost is:

· £6.00 per morning from 7.30am, inclusive of breakfast.

The children are escorted to school by us.

Contact details

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss your child joining us or if you have any questions.

Mobile: 07967 431698 (Between 1:30-3pm) Email: stjoesasc@gmail.com