Out of school clubs and holiday playschemes

Holiday playschemes

Holiday playschemes run like out of school clubs but during school holidays and offer extra activities. There are a number of different schemes in Oxfordshire that run during school holidays, for example:

• Sessions at local nurseries that take school-aged children during the holidays
• Holiday playschemes running at local schools for all or part of the holidays
• Sports-based schemes often running at local leisure centres
• Shorter, activity based sessions running for a few days at local venues such as a church hall often run by volunteers.

The times and days of the week they run vary. Some run every holiday, others only in the summer.

Out of school clubs

Breakfast clubs and after school clubs care for children before or after school. They can be based on school sites, in community centres, church or village halls, nurseries or pre-schools. Opening times vary. Some provide snacks, and others offer a cooked meal.

Children’s Centres

Children’s centres provide a range of services for children under five and their families during school holidays centres may provide extra activities which can sometimes include older children.

Childminders

As an alternative to holiday playschemes, a childminder may look after your child for out-of-school sessions (before and after school and also in the holidays).

Paying for childcare

The cost of holiday childcare varies - the average is around £30 for a full day (£13 for a half day). You may be able to get up to 70 per cent of the costs of registered childcare paid for (the maximum you would get is £122.50 per week for one child or £210 for two children). More information can be found on our help paying for childcare pages.

Choosing out of school care 

As well as finding out where and when schemes are running, it is recommended that you find out from the provider what checks are made on their staff and what training and qualifications they have.  This is particularly important if you are using non Ofsted registered provision. You could start by asking:

• What activities are planned - what equipment will the children have access to?
• What food and drink will be provided?
• Are the children separated into different age groups?
• How much does it cost and what is included?
• How many staff are there and what is the ratio of children to staff?
• How will I know that my child will be safe?

Other activities

There are many other activities and events suitable for families with children in Oxfordshire. Museums and libraries often have special events for young children and families in the holidays. Play Days events are being planned round the county over the summer.