Holiday Club
OOSC HOLIDAY CLUB - OPEN TO ALL LOCAL PRIMARY-AGED CHILDREN registered with OOSC
FULL TIME during all holidays (excluding bank holidays) from February - October Monday-Friday 8:00am - 6:00pm
The Club Classroom, St Helen's Primary School, Alveston
HOLIDAY CLUB HOURS MOBILE: 07935 055351
Ofsted inspection 2018:
As OOSC manager, on 29th August I was fortunately at home to receive ‘the phone call’ saying we were to be inspected on Thursday 30th August at 7.30am! Luckily, Mandy Tomlinson who was having a well-earned break after running the holiday club over the summer and Hannah Meade, After School Club leader, were available to drop their holiday plans and join me at the club for a very rigorous inspection. The inspector, Amanda Burn was known to me from our Outstanding inspection at St Mary’s Bradley Stoke Club in March and was obviously expecting the same high standards. She was not to be disappointed!
The inspection report highlights so many positive aspects of the club:
The ‘skilful staff thoroughly enjoy devising new and challenging activities, which are highly motivating and beneficial for the children’. Mandy, Hannah and the team are ‘successful at creating routines which support and meet children’s needs to a high level’.
The team ‘respect and value all children as unique individuals’
‘Children’s behaviour is exemplary’
‘Opportunities to develop physical, creative and problem-solving skills are excellent’
‘Staff get to know, understand and listen to children extremely well. They demonstrate great respect for children’s thoughts, ideas and choices’
The inspector and myself were required to complete a joint observation, so Viv Heyes led an exciting slime-making activity with Stuart where ‘staff praise them for taking the initiative and children thank them too, which adds to their confidence’.
For me, the phrases which sum up our ethos at OOSC are:
‘Positive and effective relationships and partnerships are at the heart of the provision’
‘Everyone is included, and all exude great happiness, emotional well-being, independence and self-confidence’.
Many thanks to the parents who were interviewed on the day and the amazing feedback we received.
Thank you to Mandy, Viv and Freda for all their hard work devising exciting activities for the children over the summer and on the day of the inspection. For Hannah who came over from Wales to be rigorously interviewed about the amazing After School Club she leads; Stuart, Abbie, Lauren, Teresa, Renata, Ruggiero, Georgia, Mia, George, Robyn and Sid (the summer holiday club team), plus Jenny, Elaine and Anya (after school) who all make the holiday club and after school club such a great place to be!
Please note the number quoted on the report of 173 relates to all children registered with the after school and holiday club and the inspection is only completed on children in the 4-8 age range. The number of places available relates to 25 holiday club places we have available, whereas after school club accommodates 30 children.
Cath Purchase
OOSC manager
Ofsted (2015) commented:
‘Staff are skilled and knowledgeable about the children’ who have ‘stimulating experiences’ and ‘encourage their independence and social interactions’
The children ‘behave exceptionally well’ and are ‘fully involved in preparing club rules’
Staff ‘encourage children’s risk taking’ and ‘encourage children to make independent choices about their play’.
There is ‘an abundant range of stimulating toys’ and ‘children benefit greatly from a well-equipped outdoor environment’
‘staff encourage children’s understanding of safe practices exceptionally well’
Children ‘have a good sense of belonging’
The children ‘comment positively on how they like meeting new people and the friendliness of the staff’
Children may be dropped off and collected at any time during the opening hours.
The holiday club has use of all the school's outdoor facilities and is run by our team of qualified and experienced OOSC staff. The cost is £26 per day.
We offer a large family discount, with 3rd and 4th children half price. We accept Childcare Vouchers.
The cost includes all activities, insurance and regular drinks and snacks. There is a wide range of activities on offer including:
- cooking
- craft
- construction
- snooker /pool table
- table football
- all-weather pitch
- fun in the woodland area
- plus free choice of indoor and outdoor play
Children may bring their own packed lunch (NO NUT PRODUCTS), or may pay an extra £2 for a light meal such as wraps, pasta, beans on toast, etc, plus fruit, snacks and yoghurts. This must be booked in advance.
The holiday club is open to all Primary-aged children in the locality. Once OOSC registration has been completed you will be able to book sessions online, using the Sessions Calendar, Sessions List or Quick Bookings menu. Holiday Club bookings can be now made up to 10PM the day before the session date.
We require a Holiday Club Registration Form and Medical Form to be completed for each child attending the Holiday Club. These Forms are available online to logged-in customers.
HOLIDAY CLUB HOURS MOBILE: 07935 055351
Holiday club Supervisors and Playworkers : Mandy, Viv, Freda, Cath (Leaders), Jackie, Robyn, Sid, Ali, Sarah, Freya, Giulia and Ali.
Fees
Fees are £26 per day./ £28 including lunch.
Jan 2019: We have made the decision to keep our fees at this price for the fourth year running. We will not be running our 10% off promotion but advise early-booking as places do fill up quickly.
Large family discount where 3rd and 4th child are half price.
If paying by childcare voucher we require payment by the session date. Please remember Childcare voucher companies take up to 5 days to process payments.
We accept payment by credit/debit card, PayPal or employee childcare voucher transfer provided you have registered with us to accept them.
Fees for bookings cancelled within one week of the session date are non-refundable. NO BOOKINGS MAY BE ACCEPTED ONCE WE REACH OUR DAILY MAXIMUM NUMBER of 25
Welcome Letter
OCTOBER 2019
Dear Parents
Thank you for your holiday club booking (or interest in booking!). For those of you who have previously attended the club you will know some of this information already but please take time to remind yourself of the requirements of the club. The holiday club is situated at the rear of St Helen’s school in Alveston, and we are lucky to have use of our own club room, all outdoor areas, all-weather pitch and wooded area.
LOCATION / ACCESS
For those of you unaware of the location of the club, the school is situated just off the A38 in Alveston, next to the church - postcode BS35 2QX.
This holiday we are located in our club room.
Access to the holiday club is via the upper playground gate.with a coded lock attached (code emailed separately). This will be located behind the school car park. (Facing the bins, walk round to the right, then left and you will see our gate with the lock attached). We are located in the end temporary classroom across the end of the playground, next to the wooden decking area. Please reset the code each time you pass through the gate for the safety of ALL children attending and do not share with anyone except ADULTS collecting children.
You will need to make contact with a staff member and sign your child in and out. Drop-off and collection may be made at any time between 8am and 6pm.
WHAT TO BRING
Children will need to bring a water-bottle, and wellies! Please send children in casual clothes and shoes that you do not mind them playing in - that's why they are with us! If you choose not to take the option of a club meal for £2 extra (pre-booked) you will need to provide a packed lunch. NO NUT PRODUCTS please, as we have a child with a nut allergy attending. The children will be given breakfast and regular snacks and drinks throughout the day (see below) so please do not send them in with sweets or chewing gum as it leads to competitive behaviour and we will have to ask children to hand in their snacks to a member of staff for the child to take home at the end of the day. Children will NOT need to bring computer games, ipods or mobile phones - we have all your contact details and if you need to contact us for any reason please ring the holiday club mobile number below. Spare clothes/ muddy boots may be left at the club if required.
FOOD
There will be breakfast provided between 8.30am and 9.30am consisting of cereal, toast and fruit. There will be a snack at 10.30 of fruit and drinks, and lunch will be 12-1pm. There is a light snack at 4-4.30pm of toast, crumpets and fruit and drinking water will be available all day. We are able to provide a range of lunches for £2 per day – we will serve meals such as tomato pasta, cheese/ ham/salad wraps, beans on toast etc with yoghurts, fruit and snack bars. If you haven’t booked a lunch online, please let us know in advance, by email or at the club at least 48 hours before if you require club lunches. You cannot book on the day. Payment will need to be made in advance, by Childcare Voucher or BACS to OOSC xxxxxx97 xx-xx-32.
We no longer accept cash or cheques for payment. We will have all your child's medication information on site, but please let us know if they have any food allergies or concerns on the Registration form.
ACTIVITIES
There are a large number of activities available for the children to enjoy. If your child wants to paint or make junk models all day, or design and make an enormous lego model, that's fine! Children need 'down time' in the holidays and we will provide opportunities for them to relax as well as play. There will also be a range of structured activities on offer such as cooking or craft, as well as outdoor games and den-making in the woods.
We are committed to providing an environment where children take ‘managed risks’ and learn new experiences. We are aware how much the children enjoy taking part in activities such as toasting marshmallows around a bonfire, den-building and climbing trees, and encourage children to carry out these activities under close supervision.
Please note:
- All activities will be closely supervised by experienced club Playleaders with a high ratio of children to adults.
- Only OOSC qualified adults will light a fire in the wooded area and the fire will never be left unsupervised.
- All areas will be risk-assessed daily before children use them.
- Children may not use their own bikes or skateboards
- A first aider will always be present with the club phone, contact details and a first aid kit.
STAFF
The staff you will meet at the club are experienced OOSC staff members from our clubs at St Helen's, St Mary's, Bradley Stoke, Frenchay and St Mary's Thornbury: Mandy will be leading the sessions with Freda, Cath (Leaders), and the team of Sarah, Jackie, Robyn, Giulia, Sid, Luke, George, Freya and Ali. There will always be at least one qualified Paediatric first aider on site.
FEES / BOOKINGS
If you wish to make additional bookings the best way is online at www.oosc.co.uk
Bookings may usually be made in this way up to 10PM, two days before the session. However if we reach our limit on that day, the booking will be unavailable. If you are having any difficulty with booking online, please give us a call 07935 055351 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Please be aware we cannot accept children at the holiday club without payment in advance. Please do not put the staff in a difficult position of having to turn children away.
Due to the necessity to maintain staff ratios and the difficulty filling session places at the last-minute, fees for bookings cancelled within one week of the session date are non-refundable.
Please remember the club closes at 6pm and collection after this time is fined at £3 per child, increasing by £3 every 5 minutes.
PHONE CONTACT:
Please contact 07935 055351 during club hours or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any further queries.
If we have not received this already, please complete the Holiday Club Registration form and Medical Form to ensure we have all your details and consent for activities on the premises at all times. If your children are new to the club it would be lovely if you could complete an All About Me sheet with them so we can develop their interests at the club.
Kind regards
Cath, Mandy and the OOSC Staff team
PS Don’t forget...
We take Childcare Vouchers
