Wraparound childcare revenue funding handbook for all funded providers

About this document

This document is designed to help and support you to run a successful childcare program. We do recommend you read this. If you have any questions which are not included here please contact us on the email above so we are sure to have included all relevant information.

Devon wants to promote high quality childcare, this document will help to guide you to consider high quality practice and procedures. As a wraparound childcare provider you are responsible for the children in your care and to make the club sustainable in the longer term, you will need to have a robust set of polices specifically designed for childcare and a secure bookings and fees system.

Devon Early Years and Childcare advisors, Early Years and Childcare Service – meet the team – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)  are your first stop for day-to-day advice and support. Within your first year or operation all wraparound funded childcare providers will receive visit from your local EYCA.  This is so we can observe your practice and staffing. If you have been funded for a two staff model, we would expect there to be two staff on duty.  We do understand if many of the children have left by 5pm it may be worth reducing staffing for the final hour but this would need to be risk assessed, and there should be another staff member on site within sight and sound of the childcare provision.  

Please see the Devon Early Years information pages: For providers – Information for childcare providers. There are templates and information for all aspects of setting up childcare.  

Any questions please contact:
educate.earlyyearswraparound-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

Overview actions to check

• If the school is managing the childcare, then the schools finance officer must be informed of the changes, and hours of operation
• If the childcare is on the school site, the school’s insurers will need to be informed of the hours of operation on the school site as it may impact the insurance cover
• It is advisable to provide temporary staff contracts for the hours working in the wraparound provision, especially if the staff are already employed in the school for other rolls, as there may be redundancy liabilities if the club does not continue after the funding period. We advise all childcare providers schools or PVI to take advice from HR, ACAS or an employment specialist

Funding  

For parents to change their work, or training patterns there needs to be reliable childcare available.  We are working on an “over supply” of places. When parents know they can rely on the service it is hoped numbers will increase over time.  By providing the funding this reduces the financial risk for schools and providers delivering wraparound provision:  National Wraparound Childcare Programme Handbook – a guide for local authorities 

• You will receive your funding each half term as described in your award letter 

• You will be asked to feedback on a head count week to be able to monitor the success of your provision.  The Headcount week will be one or two weeks before the end of term to allow time to process the next payment for the following half term.

• Department for Education (DfE) requires a  Management Information return every half term.  We will send you information about this

• Failure to complete the monitoring forms will result in delay in your next funding payment

• We will be using the data to feedback to DfE. We do not require personal data from the children, we will ask about
  – Attendance
  – Staffing ratio
  – Fees   

Monitoring timetable –  head count weeks 

• Autumn Term 2025 -  13 to 17 October and 8 to 12 December 

• Spring Term 2026 -   9 to 13 February and 16 to 21 March 

• Summer Term 2026 – 11 to 15 May and  6 to 10 July 

Registration forms / parental agreements

It is recommended that you have a registration agreement when children are booked into the club, this would be a document parents sign to agree to your terms and conditions of your childcare club, things that could be included.  

• Children’s details including medical and dietary requirements – although as a school you will have this information, the staff in the wrapround will often be different to school staff, it is confidential information (adhere to GDPR regulations). Staff in the childcare will need to know these details to support the children 

• Emergency contacts – it is recommended you have a code word for the collection of the children in case the parent or guardian is unable to collect

• Photos permissions– many settings like to take photos during sessions for publicity, but you need parental permission to photograph children. You also need to be clear what you will use the photos for, and how you will store them

• Booking conditions –  due to staff ratios and space constraints you may not be able to take every child every session, will you allow ad-hoc bookings, or advanced bookings only?   

• Fees policies, see below.  

Financial management and fees 

Programme funding can be used for covering costs including: 

• Staffing 

• Training 

• Transport (hire not purchase) 

• Resources 

• Contribution to running costs (but not for existing wraparound childcare places) 

It cannot be used to subsidise the cost of places. 

• You will need to create a business plan for your new provision. Details of how to do this are available on our website Management Support – Information for childcare providers 

• On the wraparound website Wraparound childcare – Information for providers – Information for childcare providers. “apply for wraparound provision” , there is an example childcare business plan which will help to calculate how many children you need a day to break even.   

• We advise you have a robust fees policy, which is shared with parents when they register their child.  This gives you something to refer to in the case of a dispute with families as  both you and the parents have a full understanding of the fees.   

Charging parents – things to consider

Your fees structure can be the difference between being sustainable or not. Funding cannot be used to subsidise parent fees.  

• Do you have parents owing fees?   

• Do you charge in advance or in arrears?  

• Do you charge if children are ill?  

• Split session fees or hourly rates – whilst charging parents for the hours the children actually attend is helpful for the parents, if most children leave by 5pm you may be staying open with just a few children and two staff members which means you are not covering costs  

• Sibling discounts – these can be very helpful for parents, but you will need to calculate if you can afford this, it could mean you are offering free spaces

• Free places for staff children – it can be a positive to attract staff to work in the childcare provision, by offering free places to their own children, consider ratios, and if you are offering free places these children are still included within your ratios, are you turning away paying children for free children? Some schools like to offer childcare for school staff or governors, again you need to look at the space available in the club, if you are turning paying children away for free places, it can seriously affect your long term sustainability

• Late collection fees – if parents do not collect by 6pm, you are still going to have to pay staff, (could be two staff members), may also impact on your insurance. We recommended a high late collection fee, which is publicised to the parents through your policies. There are always issues when parents could be delayed, traffic etc, but the parents should be in contact with the staff.  Often friends or family could collect in an emergency. (this is when the code words for collection of the children are needed).  If the child is not collected then you have a duty to safeguard the children which may mean you need to contact social services

Suggested wording for a late collection policy:

The school expects children to be picked up promptly at the end of the childcare session, (6.00pm). If this does not occur, the childcare provider will assume an emergency has caused the delay and will instigate child protection procedures, unless parents make contact to let the childcare setting know they will be delayed. If  children are uncollected  x number of minutes after the end of the wraparound, and the staff have exhausted all efforts in contacting parents/guardians and emergency contact numbers, the provision is legally required to contact Children’s Social Care, for advice and guidance.  

A late collection fee of XXX will be charged.  

Safeguarding

All schools and childcare providers should have robust safeguarding policies in place. Childcare settings should ensure the safeguarding policies will cover the childcare hours, as well as the school hours.  

For more information see documents below.  

• Understanding and dealing with issues relating to parental responsibility – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2 

Premises

The space used for the wraparound care should have:

• An area to hygienically prepare, serve and store food, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools 

• Easy, close access to toilets 

• access to outside and inside space with room for the children to run-around or play.  A normal classroom layout may not be the best place for out of school care as wraparound care is focused on free play  

• Outside space is a good resource to have, but think about your staffing models as not all children may want to be outside at the same time, you may need to consider having a member of staff inside and one outside

Communication  

• Many schools who run childcare provision rely on a mobile phone or intercom system for the parents to be able to contact the staff and for entry into the school. Remember school staff will not be in the office in after school clubs, so therefore other systems will be required for the parents to gain access

• The use of a walkie-talkie to communicate between the staff members in the different areas is helpful

Transport  

• Many provisions require taking children from one school to  another  for childcare.  Sometimes this could be via a walking bus, it is advisable to have a Risk Assessment for the walking bus, and provide florescent tabards for the children to wear

• When too far to walk a mini-bus or taxi may be required. The DCC transport teams, can offer advice. Key issues to consider include 

• Organisations that provide transport on a not-for-profit basis can apply for permits under section 19 or section 22 of the Transport Act 1985. These permits allow the holder to operate transport services for hire or reward without the need for a full public service vehicle operator (PSV ‘O’) licence

• Section 19 and 22 permits and obligations: not for profit passenger transport – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, as parents are paying for the wraparound childcare, this classes as “payment or reward”.  Therefore, you need to have drivers with a Minibus licences and a PSV
• Driving school minibuses: advice for schools and local authorities – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 
• Driving a minibus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 
• DCC Transport pages for parents are here: Primary school transport Archives – Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)   

Policies  

If a school is running the childcare, many use the school policies for the out of school club, however it is preferable to have polices specifically for the childcare. Especially inclusion and SEND policies as the children’s needs in childcare provision will be different from those required during a school day.

What activities should we offer? 

Out of school clubs should be fun. When the club is dynamic and stimulating children will want to attend. There should be a wide range of activities which are changed regularly. Activities could include,  

• Sports, Outdoor play,  Arts and crafts 

• Board games,  team games, toys,  and books

• Cooking

• Quiet area with soft seating to relax

The Playwork Principles

An understanding of the Playwork Principles will help  with the development of your club:

1. All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and wellbeing of individuals and communities.  

2. Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.  

3. The prime focus and essence of playwork is to support and facilitate the play process and this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training and education.  

4. For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas.  

5. The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.  

6. The playworker’s response to children and young people playing is based on a sound up-to-date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice. 

7. Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.
   
8. Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and wellbeing of children.

• This video outlines the playwork principles.
• Convention on the rights of the Child. Convention on the Rights of the Child text | UNICEF 

Promoting your club

Even if you are running the best possible wraparound childcare, if parents don’t know about won’t they school’s use it.  

• Make use of  school’s websites, book bag messages, social media etc.  

• Register on Family Information Service – Devon County Council 

• Offer promotional vouchers e.g. 

• free trial to all children, (make sure dates when the “free sessions” are offered are really good fun).  

• “Bring a friend for free”  

• Theme nights/weeks e.g. pirates, storytelling. 

• Child consultation. re activities and resources, what do they want to do?  Can they fund raise for play equipment they want?