Starlings Care Club

1. Starlings Care Club Prospectus This prospectus was published in October 2010. It was correct at the time of going to press but Government legislation, County Council Policy and the particular circumstances of the care club might create the need for some organisational changes and adjustment of policy. Click here to visit the Starlings’ section of the Burnham Copse Website

2. Index Click the Starling to return to the index About our Care Club Starlings Staff Facilities Price List Communication Policies Activities

3. About our Care Club Click the Starling to return to the index As a care club, we are qualified to care for children from the age of 4 up until 14. All of our facilities, activities and collaboration allow us to cater for this vast age range and encourage children to have fun during their time with us. We are able to offer a wide range of activities, from cookery to football and art and craft to recreational games. Starlings Care Club was set up in 2007 when Burnham Copse Primary school started their existence. However the staff have run care clubs previous to this on the premises of Burnham Copse Junior and Infant school. Club Details Manager: Jackie Gregory Phone: 0118 9814821 Opening Times: Monday – Friday 7:30 – 6:00 We are open most holidays and INSET days We want all parents and carers to feel confident about leaving children in our care, knowing that they will be encouraged to enjoy their time with us. It is our aim to provide safe play and care of the highest possible standard. We believe that children learn and develop through play. We want your children to grow into caring individuals.

4. Starlings’ Staff Click the Starling to return to the index Jackie Gregory (Manager) Linda Stewart Christine Jenkins Donna Wallace Julie Aldwinckle

5. Facilities Click the Starling to return to the index As Starlings is based at Burnham Copse Primary School, we have full use of their facilities. This includes the food technology room where, on special days, the children can prepare their own food. This is often linked to a themed day, such as the Caribbean. The school’s science park is also used extensively by Starlings. Many activities can be done in here using both the water and the sand. There are many opportunities for outdoor play in all weathers! The children are encouraged to use many different types of play in the school surroundings.

6. Price List Click the Starling to return to the index Term Time 1 child for a morning session - £3.50 2 children for a morning session - £6.50 3 children for a morning session - £9.00 1 child for a single afternoon session - £3.50 2 children for a single afternoon session - £6.50 3 children for a single afternoon session - £9.00 1 child for a double afternoon session - £7.00 2 children for a double afternoon session - £12.00 3 children for a double afternoon session - £17.00 Opening Times Breakfast – 7:30 – 8:30 After school – 3:20 – 4:30 (single session) After school – 3:20 – 6:00 (double session) Holiday Club / INSET Days ½ day for 1 child - £14 ½ day for 2 children - £22 ½ day for 2 children - £30 Full day for 1 child - £25 Full day for 2 children - £40 Full day for 3 children - £55 ½ day is up to 5 hours Full day is over 5 hours During the holidays we are open from 7:30 until 6:00

7. Communication Booking Forms While we understand that circumstances may change at the last minute, we do encourage parents to book a place for their child a month in advance. Booking forms are sent out with each monthly bill to be filled in and returned as soon as possible. We do accept bookings over the phone when circumstances do change. Click the Starling to return to the index Newsletters We send out a half termly newsletter to our parents. This aims to keep parents updated with the club’s latest news as well as giving reminders about forthcoming holiday dates and INSET days. The March 2010 newsletter can be found in the appendices section. Annual General Meeting (AGM) The head teacher of Burnham Copse Primary school chairs an AGM in October every year, where parents are invited to come along and share opinions and ideas, vote on issues and listen to updates about the club. The minutes of these meetings are then sent home with the next set of bills. School Website Starlings Care Club has its own section of the school website. All regular communications can be found on the website and downloaded to view and fill in. Monthly Bills The treasurer aims to get the bills to the parents and carers by the first Monday of the month. If this happens to fall on a school closure, then the bills will be ready by the next school day. In return we expect bills to be settled by the third Monday of the month. If this doesn’t happen then payment reminders may be sent out. We also offer the parents the option of receiving their bill and communications via email. A copy of a blank bill plus late payment letter can be found in the appendices section. Posters We are keen to get bookings in for the school holidays as soon as possible. Although we endeavour to open throughout most holidays, if we do not have enough confirmed bookings then we may have to close for certain days. Posters are displayed around school in windows and corridors to remind parents to book for the forthcoming holiday.

8. Policies Click the Starling to return to the index Due to the fact that we work collaboratively with Burnham Copse Primary School, a number of our policies are the same. We do have some Starlings specific policies, which can be found on the school’s website. www.burnhamcopse.co.uk

9. Activities Recreational Games We are housed in the music room at Burnham Copse, which doubles up during the day as the year 6 privilege room. Our facilities, which include a pool table, football table, giant connect four and air hockey, allow the children to play recreational games. Click the Starling to return to the index Outdoor Play We encourage the children to play outside as much as possible, therefore we give the children time to play in the sand pits, climb on the climbing frames and use the field, weather permitting, for various sports games. Cooking We are very fortunate to have a food technology room on site, which we are able to use before and after school. In the morning we are able to provide children with breakfast and after school the children get the chance, to plan, cook and taste their own food in a purpose built environment. The children use the vegetables grown at school. Art and Craft The children get a number of opportunities to do art and craft. The care club is adjacent to the school’s art and craft room, so children are able to use this frequently. Past art and craft work has included making 3d clay models of hands, creating bonfire displays using materials found in the school grounds and free drawing. A lot of the art work can be seen displayed around the care club. Themed Days / Weeks During the holidays the club will run themed days and weeks. These encourage the children to dress up, role play and do art and craft related to the topic. Recent themes have included Woody and Jessie Week, Caribbean Day, European Day and Great Britain Day. Board Games We have a large number of board games that the children are able to play such as Chess, Frustration and Trivial Pursuit. We encourage the children to develop their ”play” skills in a variety of contexts and with a variety of ages. All our activities are run by qualified staff in safe and secure surroundings.