General information
Please find below some valuable information about who we are, what we do and our setting policies.
who we are:
Munchkins After School Club is registered through Ofsted to provide after school and holiday childcare for children in classes Pre-school to Year 6. All settings are registered and regulated by Ofsted.
Our registration numbers are:-
Munchkins After School Club @ St Anne’s and St Anne’s Holiday Club - EY2536613
Munchkins After School Club @ Wicklea - EY2536612
Admissions:
Our settings have been set up to provide after school and holiday care to schools. Registrations are made by parents and carers online. Please register on our booking system to receive dates and information about when bookings go live.
Management and staff:
The clubs are managed by Fay Simcox and we have a Play Leader and Play Workers on each site. Our staff have experience in play work, childcare or with children. All staff go through rigorous recruitment checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Staff are supported and supervised by the management.
Sickness:
In order to safeguard other children we cannot accept children who are unwell or contagious. If a child has had sickness or diarrhoea we -like a school- cannot accept children in the club for 48 hours since the last episode of sickness and/or diarrhoea. If a child becomes unwell in our care we will call you to pick up and try to make them as comfortable as possible until you arrive, we ask that this is within a 30 minute period to minimise the risk of infection to others. If you are not available, we will contact those listed under Emergency Contact Numbers on your child’s Registration Form. For other illnesses or infections please refer to the Infectious Disease Manual. Please inform us straight away if your child is ill or cannot attend the club for any other reason.
Accidents and Emergencies:
Every effort is focused on creating a safe environment for your child to play in but accidents can happen from time to time. All our staff are paediatric first aid trained to deliver any necessary first aid. Any first aid provided will be logged and the parents/carers notified by email.
Absences:
If your child is absent for any reason, we regret that we are unable to refund any fees for the session(s) missed.
After School Clubs: Please inform us directly by text or email if your child is going to be off or picked up by someone else straight from school, or is going to a club before coming to Munchkins. This minimises disruption for staff and children at the start of the club/at pick-up and we don’t have to look for a ‘missing child’
Holiday Clubs and HAF Schemes: Please inform us directly by text or email so we know where children are.
Sudden Closures:
If the school has to close suddenly due to an emergency such as bad weather or an evacuation then fees will still apply.
Closure:
If the club has to shut for a planned school event or election then there will be no fees for that session. A refund will be placed in on the iPAL system if you have already paid which you can use for future bookings.
Cancellations and changes to days:
After School Clubs: Please give us one month’s written notice if you’d like to change or cancel your regular set days at After School Club. I’m afraid we cannot cancel the odd session (or swap it) if your child is off or away, this would be regarded as an absence and payment would not be refunded. Adhoc sessions cannot be refunded, moved or swapped.
Holiday Clubs: Please note that Holiday Club bookings are non-refundable and non-moveable.
HAF scheme: Please cancel well in advance. Regular cancellations within 24 hours, or two no-show days, will result in future bookings being removed. Trips are prioritised on good attendance.
Adhoc sessions:
After School Clubs: You can book extra adhoc sessions on yourself once you are signed up to our system. These will need paying at the time of booking to ensure you are correctly booked on.
Collection:
You may collect your child any time before the session ends. Only people authorised by the parents/ carers are allowed to collect children, unless we are otherwise informed. Please tell us of any changes in person and where possible in writing. Passing on information through a child will not be accepted. The setting will not allow people under the age of 18 to collect children unless it is an emergency and parents / carers give written permission. When a child is collected, our team will sign the attendance register on your behalf and mark who has picked up. If it is someone we don’t know, we will request your child’s pick-up password (case-sensitive). All children must be picked up by the end of the session.
Late pick-up:
If the person collecting the child/ren is unavoidably delayed, they must inform the play leader by telephone. We feel it is appropriate to enforce a late pick-up charge of £5 per 5 minutes, per child, due to delaying lock-up, extra rent costs and having to pay staff for overtime. This is an automatic late fee charged when you sign out. If the child/ren has / have not been collected within an hour and the parents / carers have not informed the staff of their delay, we will be required to inform the Duty Social Worker and/or police and will follow their advice.
Toileting:
I’m afraid we cannot take children who are still in nappies or having regular toileting accidents due to staff ratios when changing children. We also ask that children are independent and confident at toileting as toilets at some settings are down a hall. If a child did have the odd accident, we would provide them with dry, clean clothes for them to change themselves.
Safeguarding:
We share an objective to help keep children safe from harm and abuse. We strongly comply with local and national safeguarding procedures and ensure that all staff are appropriately vetted and trained to undertake their safeguarding responsibilities effectively. If you have any concerns please contact your Play Leader who is the Designated Safeguarding Lead on stannes@munchkinschildcare.co.uk or wicklea@munchkinschildcare.co.uk or you can speak with Chief Protection Officer Fay Simcox on fay@munchkinschildcare.co.uk.
Equal Opportunities:
Munchkins Childcare is committed to equal opportunities and aims to demonstrate, through our activities, that children of all ethnic origins, racial groups, religions, cultures, linguistic backgrounds and abilities are valued and respected. We aim to equip our children with an awareness of our diverse society and to appreciate the value of difference. Discrimination on the basis of colour, culture, religion, origin, sex or ability is not acceptable. The premises we use for our sessions is accessible to all and we will make every effort to accommodate and welcome any child with individual requirements although we cannot offer 1-2-1 care without additional funding. We frequently work and liaise with parents/carers and relevant professionals to meet a child’s specific needs within the club. Each case is assessed individually and risk assessed.
Behaviour:
We focus on creating a safe environment in which the children can experiment and develop, it is important to work within behavioural guidelines so that the children know what is expected of them. The rules are discussed and drawn up by the children and staff. Children are reminded of these rules frequently and appropriate behaviour encouraged through praise. We place an emphasis on respect, care and consideration between children, staff and visitors.
All anti-social behaviour will be challenged and discussed. In the case of violence or behaviour that poses an immediate danger a child is required to be collected directly; as an ultimate sanction, the child may be excluded from the club. Munchkins Childcare recognises that poor behaviour can occur from time to time for reasons that are not always evident, or as a result of special needs. We will strive to be flexible in order to accommodate such cases. Parents will be liable for any costs if children damage/break any equipment due to poor behaviour.
Medication:
A form will need to be completed for any child who requires medication during club hours. We cannot accept children without their medicine and paperwork. Also, without written consent we are unable to administer any medication. All medication must be clearly labelled with your child’s name and dose requirements, and all be in its original packaging with the filled in paperwork.
Complaints Procedure:
We always strive to provide the best service possible, it you feel we have not achieved this please contact your Play Leader or the Manager (Fay Simcox) who will look into the matter and find a resolution. If you still feel that it has not been dealt with appropriately then contact the Manager and we will log it as a complaint, keep a written record of the complaint and the action taken. Telephone number: 07384 362 086 or email fay@munchkinschildcare.co.uk Please see our complaints policy below.
terms and conditions:
Full terms and conditions are available to read upon registration, and have to be ticked and agreed with to register your child on our iPAL booking system. Only register and book if you agree with our terms and conditions. Once registered a copy of your T&C’s are also emailed to you.
POLICIES:
Child Protection Policy - click here
Complaints Policy - click here
Admissions Policy - click here
Equality Policy - click here
Behaviour Management Policy - click here
Confidentiality and Data Protection Policy - click here
Fee Paying and Booking Policy - click here
Anti-bullying Policy - click here
Health and Safety Policy - click here
Sickness Policy - click here
Uncollected Child and Pick-Up Policy - click here
Confidentiality and Data Protection Policy - click here