Wraparound childcare in primary schools
High quality childcare combined with activities such as arts and sports can help raise educational achievement and children's wellbeing. By enabling parents to return to work it can also help to reduce poverty. Working parents, particularly lone parents need access to year-round childcare and schools can help to provide this. To make it easier for parents and children schools will need to link in some way with their local Sure Start Children's Centre through their local authority. This will help to ensure that there is a network of community services for children aged 0-19 and their families.
How can schools provide access to childcare?
Schools and local authorities will need to assess current provision and consult to see what else is needed (it may be that consultation shows that childcare is not needed 8am to 6pm). It's important that schools and local authorities ensure that they do not duplicate existing childcare. Government is not expecting all schools to provide childcare on site but rather to work in partnership with local providers. Read Devon County Council's approach to providing this part of the core offer.
There are several ways that schools and providers can deliver childcare, many schools will use a mixture. Information for governors on the different options, including case studies, can be found in 'Extended Schools: a Guide for Governors'.
Direct delivery
Sections 27 and 28 of the Education Act 2002 gives governing bodies the power to set up childcare — read the accompanying guidance here. The Education Act 2002 also gives governing bodies the power to set up school companies, independent legal entities.
Read how Balham Nursery School is providing childcare.
Delivering through local private and voluntary providers, including childminders
Read specific guidance for childcare providers on developing services in and around schools, including case studies.
NCMA have produced a guide for schools working with registered childminders
and other home childcarers. Read further guidance
and case studies on linking with childminders.
Read how Kings Park Primary School in Bournemouth is working
with local providers, including Bouremouth Football Club to provide after
school clubs.
Read how Schoolfriendetc, private charitable provider is supporting
schools to provide access to childcare.
Working in clusters with other local schools
Many schools are sharing resources such as a childcare manager to develop services and/or rotate responsibility for childcare over holiday periods. Read how a group of schools North Solihull are providing childcare.
Providing care for younger children
Some schools will also be able to make high quality provision for the early years by, for example, co-locating with a children's centre which makes provision and support available for children from birth as well as wider support for families. Read case studies on how school are doing this.
Providing childcare during the holidays
Read case studies of how schools and local authorities are providing access to holiday clubs.
Inspection
Daycare facilities for children under the age of eight provided directly by schools are registered with, and inspected by, Ofsted. Ofsted's registration and inspection is based on an assessment of compliance with The National Standards for Under Eights, Day Care and Childminding. Following the Education Act 2005 all inspections of early years education are being combined with childcare inspections so that the majority of providers, including schools, get a single inspection event and report every three years.
Advice
Each local authority has a Children's Information Service which provides advice about what childcare is available locally and how to set up childcare provision.
Sure Start is the Government programme to deliver the best start in life for every child, bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support. Sure Start Children's Centres are key to the programme ensuring that all children and families with children under the age of 5 (including pregnant women) have access to integrated services, offering combined childcare and early education, health services, support with employment, outreach and access to drop in services.
4Children provide advice and guidance on setting up and sustaining childcare provision.
Big Lottery Fund Research into out of school care
Out of School Hours Childcare: lessons learnt and themes for the future, May 2006
Key findings include:
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There have been a number of economic and social benefits to the provision of extra out of hours childcare, particularly for parents living in disadvantaged areas. This includes helping unemployed parents become ready for work.
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However, clubs operating in disadvantaged areas face a number of barriers to creating viable and sustainable childcare provision.
Evaluation of the round three Out of School Hours Childcare programme, Nov 2005
Out of School Hours Childcare evaluation, August 2004
A guide to sustaining out of school hours learning 2004
This page was last updated on the 6th August 2007.
