The story so far
In autumn, 2007, a group of parents were concerned that there was no local provision for after-school activities at Dobcross Holy Trinity School.
The school had started a before-school club, which was proving a great success, but after-school provision meant the children had to be transported to Delph School via taxis.
This was difficult for the school staff and not satisfactory for the children, especially as it also meant they could not attend school activities such as choir, sports etc if they needed after school care.
Julia O’Hara called an initial meeting of interested parents, and we decided to set up a before and after out-of-school activities club run by a committee with a constitution.
We approached the Governors at Holy Trinity for support. We have continued to operate as an independent committee and pay rent for using the premises at school. We are making a positive contribution to the school’s income.
First steps involved making a proposal to take over the morning sessions and start after-school activities. Unfortunately, because of limited space at school, the after school club had to be housed at Sandy Lane Church. We applied for a grant from the LEA and once funding was confirmed were able to interview and appoint appropriately qualified staff, arrange insurance etc.
From Februay 18 this year, we took over the morning session at school, but had to wait until after the Easter break to start the after school session from April 4, becauses we required additional Ofsted approval for the Sandy Lane premises.
Ofsted
We have been inspected by Ofsted and have a certificate of registration. We are compliant with their requirements, including the provisions of the Childcare Act 2006. Our holiday club has also been inspected and we have separate registration for that provision. We plan to offer that facility during the holidays, subject to demand.
Numbers were small to begin with, but have gradually increased. We were pleased to be able to run a summer club for four weeks and also an October half-term club for four days at the school.
We have also had a change of location for the after school activities. From November, 2008, we moved to the Band Club in Dobcross. This will provide us with accommodation on one level, and, most importantly, a quiet area for the older children to do homework etc.
Overall we are very pleased with the progress we have made. We remain committed to providing high quality out-of-school care with a variety of activities and a focus on healthy eating. We are a non-profit organisation.