Blog musing on life as a manager of an out of school club

Welcome to our blog where we muse about about all things related to running an out of school club: activities for the kids, approaches for dealing with common issues, tips for managing your Ofsted inspection and anything else that occurs to us!

One month on from the spring budget statement

Find out what we now know a month on from the Chancellors Spring Budget announcement in March.

18th April 2023

Spring Budget Statement 2023

Click link to read full statement in response to the Chancellors Spring Budget announcement of £289million investment in Local Authorities to encourage school based wraparound childcare in every school from Septmber 2026.

16th March 2023

Random acts of kindness

17 February is Random Acts of Kindness Day, and now is the ideal time to get children involved in thinking about how they might be able to help others. In these unsettling times, it seems more important than ever that we look for ways to help each other.
3 February 2021

Get set for success in 2021

It’s the time of year when traditionally we start thinking about what we have achieved over the past year, what our highlights and triumphs have been and set some goals or resolutions for the year to come. As a business coach and as a business owner myself, I’m a big fan of setting goals but not so much a fan of resolutions. In this article I’m going to share with you some hints and tips to put 2020 to bed and look forwards to what you can achieve in 2021.
4 November 2020

Treat yourself

With so many reasons to be worried at the moment, it's no wonder that many small business owners are suffering from symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. That is why it is important to take a bit of time out for yourself, and focus on something outside of your immediate concerns. Just for a little while, try to stop thinking about your family, your business, the children and your staff, and dedicate a little time to just looking after yourself.
5 May 2020

Making the most of lockdown

During these very strange times it is tempting to hide under the duvet for the duration, and only emerge when Coronavirus is but a dim and distant memory. Unfortunately, this is probably not the best policy for your business, nor for your sanity. Instead, try using the time to get ahead on some of those must do tasks, that you usually struggle to find the time for.
6 April 2020

Shortfall in school funding threatens out of school clubs

While clubs that run on school premises have been at risk of schools taking over their business for some time, this issue has really accelerated in recent months, as schools struggle to find ways to plug the shortfall in their budgets due to inadequate government funding. Now one of our members, Sandra Ogden, is ready to take the fight to government and is looking for supporters.
6 July 2019

Are your food allergy procedures sufficient?

The recent news coverage of the inquest into the sad death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse following an allergic reaction to sesame, is a stark reminder to all out of school clubs to check their food allergy procedures.
26 September 2018

Is it OK to give children a cuddle?

Is it ever appropriate to give a cuddle to the children in your care? This is a tricky question and the answer depends on many variables: the age of the child, the circumstances, who is doing the cuddling, and why?
1 June 2018

Marketing your club

As we all know, the summer term usually starts off quite calmly, then descends into utter chaos as the academic year hurtles towards its end. So you need to start marketing your club to new parents as early as possible, before you get overtaken by other events.
25 May 2018

All things red, white and blue

You may have noticed that Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle are getting married on Saturday 19 May 2018. If you are looking for activities to celebrate this event at your club, we've put together some ideas to get you started.
14 April 2018