Introduction
ADASC is an Ofsted approved organisation that offers childcare. It is run by our experienced childcare team and offers out of school care and activities for children from Reception to Year 6.
Our aim is to provide friendly, safe environments for children that offers fun learning through play, comfort, and support during their time in our care. The individual needs of each child will be assessed, nurtured and respected.
Children will always be offered a choice of healthy food and drink. Age-appropriate activities will be planned so that your children’s time with us is enjoyable.
The club has 3 sites. One is based at Brunel Field Primary School for the children who attend there. The second is based at Ashley Down Primary School to cater for the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children who are based there. The third is at the annexe building in the car park of the Bristol Civil Service Sports Club on Filton Avenue which provides for the Year 3 to 6 children from Ashley Down Primary School. Staff from the club collect these children from Ashley Down Primary School and walk to them to the site which also houses our office and is referred to as the Main Site. Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs run term-time only Mondays to Friday from 7.45am – start of school and 3.15pm to 5.40pm. The Holiday Playscheme runs at the Main Site and is open from 8.30am until 5.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during selected weeks of the school holidays, subject to sufficient demand.
Governance
The club is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is managed by a committee of Volunteer Trustees, usually parents of children attending the clubs, who are elected each year at the AGM.
Staffing
We are proud to boast an excellent team who are very committed to providing a quality out of school care for you and your child. All members of the team responsible for the running of ADASC have a clear, up to date enhanced DBS certificate and the appropriate qualifications/experience.
Breakfast Club
We run breakfast club from the studio or school hall at Brunel Field school and the Tune Room or school hall at Ashley Down Primary School. The clubs start at 7.45am and runs until the start of the school day. Children who attend are served breakfast and have to opportunity to engage in free play. Just before the start of school the Key Stage 2 children will make their way to their classes. Reception and Key Stage 1 children will be delivered to their classes by a member of staff.
After School Club
We run three after school clubs, as described in the introduction above. When children arrive at the club they have a snack and drink and then participate in a wide range of play activities. The club is open until 5.40pm.
Holiday Playschemes
During the school holidays and INSET days (and potentially any other days when the schools are closed), the club aims to provide a holiday play scheme from 8.30am – 5.30pm depending on demand. The staff team plan a wide range of activities and publicise a schedule beforehand. The holiday play scheme is open to all children aged 4-11 and not just those who use the after-school club.
New starters
We ask new users to complete an All About Me Form. Please take to complete this form with your child and return before their first sessions. This helps the staff to know your child’s interests and therefore can support them better during their settling in.
Fees and payment
2023-2024 fees:
Afterschool Session fee: £11.00 per child
Breakfast Session fee: £6.00 per child
Holiday Playscheme fee: £32.00 per child
Session fees are to be paid monthly in advance. Our system will calculate the amount due per month and send a monthly reminder via email. We are not able to refund any sessions that your child does not attend, and sessions may not be changed on an ad hoc basis. Fees should be paid by electronic transfer or in the case of childcare vouchers a payment notification should be received by us by the date specified on the invoice. The bank details will be on the invoice. Other fees for late collection, late payment or additional ad hoc sessions may be invoiced on an ad hoc basis or carried over to your next term’s invoice. We do not accept credit cards, cheque or cash payments.
Giving notice
This is done on a termly basis. If you wish to give up your place you can give notice at any time up until two full weeks before the end of term and your place will expire at the end of that term. No refunds can be given for sessions not used, and any notice given later than two weeks before the end of term will mean you are committed to pay for the following term.
School pick up
Playworkers collect Year 2 to Year 6 children from Ashley Down Primary from the playground or classroom at the end of the school day, in line with the school’s normal collection procedure. Both the Playworkers and the children will walk to the Main Site wearing high visibility vests, in a safe ratio of adults to children, using crossings and recognised walkways where possible. All routes will be risk assessed prior to the first journey and the same route will be taken each time.
Non-attendance
If your child is unable to attend a session at ADASC, for whatever reason, you will need to communicate this to ADASC staff by email or text message before 2:30pm. Messages will not be checked after these times and therefore there could be some confusion at collection.
We cannot stress enough the importance of letting us know if your child is not attending. After school sessions can be delayed for up to 30 minutes while playworkers are trying to confirm the location of children on our lists. This can be very stressful for the children.
Collection from ADASC and the security of your child
Children will need to be collected from the Brunel Field. Main Site and Ashley Down by 5.40pm. Children who attend Brunel Field on Friday will need to be collected by 5.30pm
Any late collections service provided will be charged £15 for any period of up to 15 minutes. Each subsequent 15-minute block will be charged at £15. This will be invoiced on an ad-hoc basis.
Children may only be collected by the two primary carers named on their registration form, or by the emergency contacts with prior notification or another party with prior notice. Ideally this should be by email. If we are not aware of this it may result in collection being refused.
Children’s Act 1989
We believe that ADASC’s activities should be open to all children and families and to all adults committed to their education and care. We aim to ensure that all who wish to work in, or volunteer to help with, our ADASC have an equal chance to do so. We also believe that it is in the best interests of the ADASC and parents that complaints should be taken seriously and dealt with fairly and in a way that represents confidentiality.
Safeguarding children
Our first responsibility and priority at ADASC is towards the children in our care. If we have any cause for concern we will report it, following the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. The relevant local procedures that are held by ADASC are available on request. We understand that there are many forms of child abuse including physical, sexual, emotional and neglect, or a combination of these. We are required to notify Ofsted of any allegations of abuse that are alleged to have taken place while the child is in our care.
Liaison with other bodies
ADASC operates in accordance with guidelines laid down by the registering authority. Confidential records kept on children about whom ADASC is concerned will be shared with the Social Services Department if we feel that adequate explanations for changes in the child’s condition have not been provided.
Information about your child’s health and needs
Please provide any information about your child that we should know such as allergies, dietary requirements, health problems, social or emotional concerns etc. We will also need to know if your child needs any medication, Epi-pens or inhalers etc. It is important we have this information in order for us to fully support your child. It is also good for you to let us know about any significant life events, i.e. births, deaths, house moves etc, as these can unsettle children so us knowing means that we can help them through this time. You can our registration system (iPal) online at anytime and we will be notified of the additions.
Medicines will only be administered when it is essential: that is where it would be detrimental to a child’s health if the medicine were not administered during our opening hours. Medicines must be provided in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions of administration. We will not accept medication that has been taken out of the container or make changes to dosages or times on parental instruction.
We will generally not administer non-prescription medicines to children. Parent/carers will need to discuss individual circumstances with the Play Manager. We will never administer non-prescription medication that contains aspirin.
ADASC will only administer medication to your child if you have completed our Administration of Medication Form. We do not hold non-prescription medication onsite (for example ibuprofen or Calpol).
Confidentiality policy/Data protection
ADASC’s work with children and families will sometimes bring us into contact with confidential information. To ensure that all those using and working in ADASC can do so with confidence, we will respect confidentiality in the following ways:
· Parents will have ready access to the files and records of their children but will not have access to information about any other child.
· Staff will not discuss individual children, other than for the purposes of curriculum planning/group management, with people other than the parents/carers of that child.
· Information given by parents/carers to will not be passed onto other adults without permission.
· Issues to do with the employment of staff will remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions.
· Any concerns/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety will be kept in a confidential file and will only be shared within the team.
· All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of ADASC which is to the safety and wellbeing of the child.
· Confidentiality will be maintained in line with current legislation.
Policies and procedures
ADASC operates in accordance with policies covering every aspect of the operation, its staff and the EYFS. These are available to parents to view at any time upon request. We have selected key policies, that we have summarised, to share with you in this pack.
They are:
· Child Protection Policy
· Behaviour Management Policy
· Equalities Policy
· Health and Safety Policy
· Play Policy
Should you like to see the full version of these or any of the other policies that we work within, please get in touch and we will be happy to supply you with them.
Safeguarding children (synopsis)
ADASC has a responsibility to
recognise that abuse does occur in our society. We have developed a clear
procedure which we will follow if we have any reason to believe that a child in
our care is subject to emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect.
ADASC has a duty to report any signs of abuse to the police in an emergency and otherwise to the Local Authority which has a duty to investigate such matters. We will follow the procedures set out in the Bristol City Council Child Protection and Safeguarding Procedure and Guidance:
· Any sign of a significant or unusual mark or injury on a child when will be discussed with the parent/carer and recorded.
· Any concern about emotional abuse, neglect or domestic violence will be discussed with the parent/carer and recorded.
· Any observed instance or disclosure of sexual abuse will be recorded and reported to the ADASC manager.
· Any disclosure of historical abuse will be treated in exactly the same way as a disclosure of current abuse.
· Any sign of Female Genital Mutilation
· If there are any unresolved queries regarding an injury, unusual behaviour or a disclosure, we will contact First Response
We place a high value on confidentiality in all our relationships. However, confidentiality may not be maintained if the withholding of information will prejudice the welfare of the child. All information will be kept locked and secure and limited to the appropriate staff. In the event of an investigation other agencies may also view this information. The parent/carer has the right to access any records on their child, although depending on the risk to the child this may not be appropriate.
If an allegation is made against a member of staff this will be recorded and the Local Authority Child Protection Unit will be contacted. Any allegation will be treated seriously and objectively.
The Prevent Duty
All staff will have undertaken training to identify children who may be vulnerable to radicalisation and what to do to report it.
FGM
All staff have completed training to identify signs and symptoms of FGM and the procedure for reporting any concerns they have.
Any concerns will be referred through First Response (0117 903 6444) in the first instance.
Electronic Devices
Mobile phones must not be used whilst on the schools or ADASC premises. Cameras or other photographic/ audio equipment other than those belonging to the ADASC must not be brought into ADASC or taken on outings.
Responsibility
The senior staff member at each site is responsible for Safeguarding Children. The Designated Safeguarding Lead for the whole organisation is Haidi Haskins and the Trustee who is responsible for Child Protection is Julia Hodgson.
Main Contacts
If the child is at immediate risk we will call the Police on 999
Otherwise we will contact First Response – 0117 903 6444
Other Contacts: -
Out of hours Emergency Duty Team - 01454 615165
Local Authority Designated Officer – Nicola Laird –0117 903 7795 or 0779 509 1020
Ofsted – 0300 123 1231
Prevent Duty - The police are involved in Bristol:
channelsw@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk 01278 647466
Behaviour management
Below are the 3 principles that support our approach to promoting positive behaviour management at ADASC:
· ‘The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.’
· ‘Playworkers recognise their own impact on the playspace and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.’
· ‘Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well-being of children.’
Staff and children will work together to develop and maintain a clear set of ground rules governing all behaviour in the setting. They will also ensure that the individual child feels valued and respected at all times.
Our rules are as follows:
• Treat everyone with respect
• Look after each other and the equipment
• Listen carefully and follow instructions
• Keep our hands and feet to ourselves
• Use indoor voices and walk when we are inside
• Be kind to each other
Incident forms will be completed by staff and parents will be asked to sign these. This form is not only to act as an aid to inform you of the incident, they are audited for us to see if there are any patterns. It might be a problem always occurs at a specific time, between certain children, us not providing enough activities that meet the needs of the child. The forms can highlight this.
Staff can also use the traffic light cards to assist the children to understand the behaviour expectation. Green cards can be shown when children are exhibiting positive behaviour. Amber can be used to let the children know the types of behaviour that could cause a problem and the red for things they shouldn’t do,
In situations that require adult intervention, playworkers will consider the most appropriate response dependent on what led up to the behaviour, the type of behaviour, age and level of understanding of the child
When staff have had to intervene, they may complete an incident form that details what happened and how it was dealt with. Parents will be asked to sign to say they have read the report.
The Play Manager/Deputy Manager will happily work with the child and their parents to formulate a plan to help them to reduce the incidents
Recurring inappropriate behaviour
Where inappropriate behaviour is ongoing, the above interventions have not been successful or an emergency situation is reached, actions that staff will consider a further range of actions. These may include:
Calling parent/ carers to pick up the child.
Suspension from the scheme for a short period of time.Admissions and membership
Our setting aims to be open and accessible to every family in the community. All places are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Information
We will aim to make information on our setting as accessible as possible to all users, potential users and interested parties.
Inclusive practice
We aim to provide an environment, play opportunities and activities that are inclusive and accessible for all children and for all children to feel welcomed and valued.
Harassment
We will not tolerate incidents of harassment or abuse and will address any complaint or occurrence of harassment or abuse promptly. This includes harassment by third party and harassment directed at others.
We will deal with incidents sensitively, with a view to supporting both parties involved in the incident, that is the person who has been harassed and the perpetrator. We will work with the perpetrator with the aim of helping them to overcome their prejudice and understand the effect of their behaviour.
Cases of harassment will invoke disciplinary measures for the perpetrator. For staff and management this will be in line with our Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. In the case of parents exhibiting discriminatory behaviour, we will remind them of their need to comply with this policy. If further incidents occur, this will result in them being asked to leave the premises and prevented from returning until written assurance has been received stating that they will comply with it.
All incidents of harassment or abuse will be recorded as an incident on the appropriate form and if necessary, Ofsted will be informed.
Health and Safety Policy
Our policy is to provide and maintain safe and healthy environments for all of those affected by our activities, especially children and their families, staff and management members and visitors to the club.
The policy will be kept up to date. To ensure this, the policy and the way in which it has operated will be reviewed every year.
Our settings also have public liability and employer’s liability insurances.
Staff and management responsibilities:
· The management and staff will ensure that health and safety remain our first priority.
· Each staff member is responsible for health and safety and must notify the appropriate person named above if they notice a health and safety problem that they are not able to rectify.
The management have an overall duty to act upon and oversee any health and safety problem that is bought to their attention. They need to ensure that risk assessments are completed, and the appropriate policies are in place and implemented.
As a team we will strive to;
· create an environment that is safe and without risk to health
· prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health.
· Use, maintain and store equipment safely.
· Ensure that all staff are competent in the work in which they are engaged.
Fire
We will abide by current legislation in regard to our settings roles and responsibilities in the event of a fire, including having the appropriate fire detection and control equipment which is in working order where the safety of the children and workers is the top priority. We will also complete fire risk assessments for the premises
Premises and outdoor space
We will abide by regulations as laid out in the EYFS and other current legislation when it comes to the Health and Safety of our premises and outdoor space. We make a commitment to ensuring our premises, outdoor space and equipment are safe and appropriate for their use.
We will ensure rooms used by the setting will be used solely by the setting during the hours of operation. We will also ensure that space allocation is appropriate for the number of children using it.
Materials and equipment
We believe a child’s play experience will be considerably enhanced if they have access to a wide range of materials. All materials used in the setting will be children friendly and without exception the manufacturer’s instructions of their use will be followed.
Staffing and Supervision
We will abide by current legislation in regard to necessary staffing qualifications, safe recruitment and vetting of staff and staff induction training.
Staff will be taken through an induction when they start with the club which includes a clear explanation of health and safety issues. Records of these inductions will be kept, and new staff and volunteers asked to sign these records to confirm that they have taken part.
We will abide by current legislation in regard to staff to child ratios
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)
We will abide by the COSHH regulations to prevent any employees coming into contact with substances hazardous to health. Wherever possible, we will avoid the use of substances that have the risk of being hazardous to health. We will hold a COSHH Register, COSHH Risk Assessments and further information i.e. safety data sheets on any chemicals that are used in the setting. We will make staff aware of this information and train, support and monitor them in carrying out safe working practices.
Record keeping
We will abide by current legislation in regard to documentation, providers records, registration and information of children, staff and visitors. We will also ensure that all records will be held securely and kept confidential (except as legally obliged).
First aid
We have a comprehensive First Aid Policy that can be viewed on request. Staff who hold a valid Paediatric First Aid certificate will be the ones to administer First Aid. Each site will have at least 1 member of staff who holds the certificate on duty at all times. Staff will complete an Accident Form for all injuries that occur whilst the children are in our care. Parents/Carers will be asked to sign the form on collection. If this does not happen parents will be emailed a copy of the form and then asked to sign it at the next collection,
In regard to allergies/dietary needs/medical requirements/care plans a record will be kept of all allergies and specific dietary or medical requirements of registered children. As parents, you are responsible for ensuring that the information that is held on file is up to date. You should also ensure that any medication your child requires is provided to the setting and that the relevant forms have been completed. We are not able to administer any medication if the paperwork is not in place.
The shift leader will make all Playworkers aware of any allergies or specific dietary or medical requirements of children in attendance at each session. We are happy to take children’s likes and dislikes into account when serving food. By sharing information with us enables us to support your child and meet their needs.
We also hold a number of other policies and procedures that support the general Health and safety of those who work in, attend and visit our provision, including:
Drugs, alcohol and no smoking policy
Recruitment policy and procedure
Missing child policy/procedure
Uncollected child procedure
Arrival and departure policy and procedure
First aid policy
Child protection policy
Safeguarding overview
Photography, mobile phone, video and e-safety
Confidentiality policy
Risk assessments
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
Insurance certificates
Staff handbook
Record of completed fire drills.
Staff/child/parent induction
Visitor’s book.
Registration forms
Play Policy
Aims
· To run in accordance with the playwork principles
· To support and facilitate the play process within our setting
· To create a space which enables children to access freely chosen play
· To foster independence and self-esteem.
Policy
Our responses to children and young people playing will be based on a sound up to date knowledge of play and reflective practice. We will support staff to undertake playwork training and to keep up to date with developments in playwork.
Our Playworkers will work with children and young people to help extend their play. All playworker intervention will balance risk with the developmental benefit and well-being of children. Playworkers should recognise the importance of free play with minimal intervention whilst keeping children safe from harm.
Our Playworkers will aim to create a varied and interesting environment that stimulates social, physical, creative, emotional and intellectual play. We will plan activities and provide resources that are based on children’s interests and support individual children’s needs, that children can select to develop their own play. We will regularly evaluate practice and resources and renew these when necessary. We will consult with children and parents about the provision in a variety of ways on a regular basis. Consultation methods will include discussions, children’s questionnaires, a suggestion box and observations of children.