General
Q: What is wraparound childcare?
- Wraparound childcare is the term used by Government to describe childcare provided outside standard school hours of 9.00am to 3.00pm. Extending the school day to 8.00am to 6.00pm (providing before and after school), during term time. Whilst it can also refer to provision in the school holidays, currently the national wraparound childcare programme does not include holiday provision
- The ambition to make wraparound available for every primary school
- As a childcare service, it is different from out-of- school activities, or school clubs, which are less frequent and can be one-off activities. Childcare MUST continue even if the staff are ill or the weather is bad. If the school is open, the wraparound childcare MUST be open
Q: Where can I get more advise and support about how to set up my childcare provision?
Q: What is a funded place?
A funded place is a full wrapround place (Mon- Fri 8am -6pm, depending on local need) which has been newly created due to funding, or a pre-existing place which has been expanded (hours, provision or number of places) due to funding and now meets the wraparound definition.
Q: Who can apply?
- The grant is available to all schools and trusts educating primary school aged children, private voluntary and independent (PVI) providers including early years settings and childminders
- If you are a PVI provider including early years settings and childminders then you must be registered with Ofsted or in the case of childminders with Ofsted or a relevant childminder agency. If you are looking to set up new provision you can apply for revenue funding to obtain registration with Ofsted which must be in place before any other funding will be released. For more information on what you need to do to register with Ofsted follow the link – Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted – Guidance – GOV.UK
- If you are a school providing wraparound childcare directly, as part of their governance arrangements, you do not need to register with Ofsted on either the GCR or EYR, however you must adhere to the same standards. More information on Ofsted registration, including exemptions, is available here: Registering school-based childcare provision – GOV.UK
- All grant applications must comply with the DfE criteria outlined in the Wraparound childcare guidance for schools – GOV.UK
Q: What are the types of Wraparound funding available?
- Creating places – where there is currently no provision
- Extending hours of provision– where you already provide wraparound, but it does not meet the 8am to 6pm expectation. For example, an after-school club runs until 5pm and you would be extending the provision until 6pm, or you already deliver a breakfast club, and you want to develop an afterschool club (or vice -versa)
- Expanding places –you already offer wraparound and want to expand. For example, you offer 16 places but want to expand to 24 places. Funding can be allocated for the additional places. You can apply for small grants of up to £1000, per breakfast or depending on the number of additional spaces you are creating and the need in the area
- Wraparound childcare can take various forms, each with unique characteristics, strengths, and challenges. The Department for Education2 (DfE, 2024) recognises several models, including:
- School-operated provision: Schools directly provide childcare services on their premises for their own pupils. This approach potentially allows for seamless continuity between the regular school day and extended care, sometimes leveraging familiar resources and staff.
- Private/voluntary sector provider-led provision: Independent businesses or organisations have an extensive track record of offering all types of childcare services and can provide on or off school grounds
- Community cluster model: Multiple schools can pool their resources to offer childcare at a conveniently and accessible centralised community location, managed either by a lead school or private/voluntary sector provider
- Childminders: Registered childminders already provide personalised, home-like care from their homes, and work with schools to provide a network of childcare, often bringing children to school at the start of the day or collecting children at the end. Childminders can apply to Ofsted to deliver 50% of their childcare time from non-domestic premises.
- This diversity of models allows for various approaches to meet the specific needs of communities, families, and children, and to fit neatly into the existing childcare provision in the local catchment area of the school.
Q: What is meant by an ‘over-supply’ model and what does it mean for you if you want to offer wraparound care?
- DfE have been clear they want to ensure all parents of primary school age children should be able to access wraparound care from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday during term time
- Providers of wraparound care, often find they have a few children who need care from 8am or up to 6pm so the cost is prohibitive. The funding available through this programme means providers can offset costs such as staff wages or buying new equipment and resources to make sure they can offer the full hours
- It is anticipated that providers should aim to offer 10-15 new places when looking at expanding or creating new wraparound care. In this way the one or two children who need the extra hours can take this up. The idea being, as parents realise the places are available, they will pick them up. Having funding available to providers to create these places means that by September 2026 when more parents are using the extended/ new places, they will be self-sustaining.
Q: How much funding can I apply for?
There are different models of funding depending on circumstances. Payments calculated 100% term one, 80% term two, 60% term three.
Funding is calculated at a cost per hour over the year. Payments will be made as a multiplication of the number of hours funding being applied for. For details of how the funding is calculated re the guidance document Wraparound childcare: Wraparound childcare – Information for providers – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
Please note there will be a variation to these costs depending on which term you start, due to number of days in a term. The costs quoted below are annual costs per hour based on starting your provision in January 2024.
- One staff member model for schools – Hourly cost- £5800.00 (per year)
- Two staff member model for schools – Hourly cost- £9480.00 (per year)
- Two staff member model for PVI settings – Hourly cost – £8480.00 (per year)
- Childminder Funding – Annual cost – £1200
- Expanding places funding – £50 per place to a maximum of £1000. (Per Breakfast Club or After School Club, if applying for both the total funding is £2000)
- Sustainability Funding – £2000 once only funding
- Start-up Grant – for brand new setting – £1350
- Start-up Grant for expansion – £1000
- Start-up Grant childminder – £500
Q: What can I spend the funding on?
- General running costs e.g.
- Staff costs, recruitment, DBS, training, rent, utilities, insurance, registration costs (Ofsted etc), resources (e.g. toys, storage, consumables, tables, chairs, bean bags, Television, etc.). Marketing, posters, advertising, banners, transport (taxis, or lease for a vehicle/minibus).
- Resources – except where the equipment or supplies have an expected shelf life of more than one year where either the purchase price is more than £500 or is a group of lower value items where the combined value is in excess of £500 (Capital funding must be used for such purchases)- i.e. Revenue funding CAN be used up to the threshold of £500 for equipment or supplies which can last more than a year • Contribute to running costs while demand builds (provision will need to be self-sustaining by September 2026 • New providers – contribute to Ofsted registration
- Funding could support innovative delivery options and help meet shortfalls between expenditure and income from parental fees in the initial establishing phases.
- Funding will be tapered, 100% term one, 80% term two and 60% term 3. Funding may be extended to five terms at a reducing rate (if funding remains)
- The additional terms of funding are dependent on the sustainability of your provision. (Provision is expected to be financially sustainable through income from parental fees going forward)
- Fees and charges will need to take into account affordability for working parents and offer the ability for parents to access financial support through the government’s Childcare Choices. Parents/carers of primary school-aged children who are eligible for Universal Credit childcare (support for up to 85% subsidy of their costs) or Tax-Free Childcare (covering 20% of costs up to £2k a year or up to £4k for disabled children) can use this financial support to help pay for wrapround
- Schools and providers will be encouraged to sign up to accept these. Schools can also look at children in receipt of pupil premium and the terms that apply to this funding to determine whether it can be used to help pay for wraparound provision to help children attend school more regularly and support mental health, wellbeing, and safeguarding.
Q: What can I not spend the funding on?
- To fund anything related to the schools/setting’s normal day to day expenses
- To fund anything that is not directly related to the costs of running the wraparound childcare
- School trips
- Any capital item, such as kitchens, or buildings. There is Capital funding available please see the link: Childcare Expansion Capital Grant – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
- Purchasing a vehicle (vehicles are capital funding not revenue, a lease hire agreement is revenue)
- Holiday or weekend childcare funding
Q: Costs; how much should we charge for parents?
This question is difficult to answer, and we recommend all childcare providers complete a 3-term budget forecast.
- There are sample spreadsheets on the Early Years and Childcare website under “Management Support” and “Financial management” tools: Management Support – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk) for an editable version please request a 3 term budget document from the early years wrap around mailbox: educate.earlyyearswraparound-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
- Each provision will vary according to staff wages, SEND take-up, rent, transport costs if needed and the fees charged.
- Breakeven point varies according to each school:
– One staff model = 7-8 pupil’s average
– Two staff model = 12-14 pupil’s average
- Most settings calculate either a cost per hour or a session rate
Things to consider:
- If you charge split session fees and most children leave by five. You may only have few children to six, but you are still paying your staff
- Staff or governor discounts- means you have a reduced income, but this may be required to attract staff
- Sibling discounts may mean you are offering highly subsidised places or free places
- Child sickness fees. Do you charge if the child is ill?
- Ad-hoc verses regular booking fees
- Late collection fees. (If parents are late collecting, you will be paying 2 staff wages after 6.00pm, this may also impact on your insurance.) We suggest you charge a high late collection fee
Q: What monitoring will you expect if I am given funding?
- Monitoring is required half termly. The Headcount week will be two weeks before the end of term (or half term) to allow time to process the next payment for the following half term
- Payments will be made half termly, and without the monitoring form being returned the payments will not be released
- Monitoring will be on an electronic form, and require details of;
– Actual attendance at your setting for each day of week on head count week
– The fees you charge
– Number of staff employed
– If you were open before you started the funding period i.e. if you extended hours or places, the number of places offered the
term before the funding period.
- This information will be submitted to the DFE.
Monitoring Timetable Head Count Weeks:
- Spring Term 2025 – 3rd – 7th February and 24th – 28th March
- Summer Term 2025 – 12th -16th Mayand 7th – 11th July
- Autumn Term 2025 – 13th – 17th October and 8th – 12th December
- Spring Term 2026 – 9th – 13th February and 16th – 21st March
- Summer Term 2026 – 11th -15th May and 6th -10th July
Q: What are the criteria for funding?
The wraparound childcare programme will only focus on:
- Primary school-aged children from reception to year 6, (Early years children can attend but they are not part of the funded places)
- Monday to Friday during term time i.e., breakfast clubs from at least 8am and after school club until at least 6pm*
- Provision should cover a 10-hour day, enabling parents to work a full day with travel time
- Note * evidence must be provided to show a “need” for any hours varied to this. e.g., parental surveys, data etc.
- Priority will be given to settings with a “Good” or above Ofsted outcome, as we want to provide high quality childcare.
This does not mean that providers cannot offer all year-round provision or spaces for early years children, just that the funding is not linked to those types of activities.
Q: Why do I need to talk to my childcare advisor before applying for wraparound childcare?
The Early years and Childcare advisors are the specialist in childcare, they can advise you on what is required to set up childcare, but they also know their own areas and know other providers in the locality. We do not want to set up a childcare provision that is not needed or will put existing childcare at risk. They can also advise what needs to be included in the application form.
Q: There is no need for childcare on Fridays or beyond 5.30pm in my school, can I still apply for funding? / I only have a few parents asking for care until 6pm do I have to offer care until 6pm?
- We can only fund settings who are offering the “Full Offer” 8.00 am – 6.00 pm five days a week
- The funding is designed to build a “surplus of places” to give parents the confidence to change working hours or start training
- The focus of the funding, if you “create the spaces, people will come.”
- If there is another provider that can offer the days, you are not offering, for example a childminder. Then we could still fund as a “community” partnership with the different providers working together to provide the full hours for the school.
Q: I only have one parent asking for care until 6pm and I cannot pay staff to stay for just one child, do I have to offer care until 6pm?
- The funding is for precisely this situation – you can apply for funding for staff costs to open your provision until 6pm with a view to creating demand between now and April 2026
- If there is no need in your area for the extended hours we require evidence. For example, if your setting is only running 3 days a week till 5.30 pm, and you want to expand to 5 days a week, we would expect you to run until 6.00 pm every day. The funding will cover your staffing costs. We recommend you run the first term until 6.00pm, and review hours and attendance at the end of the term
- If you have strong evidence e.g. registers for the previous term that show no children are attending after 5.00 pm this would be strong evidence. We would also expect you to question the parents at regular intervals to ensure the need has not changed over time.
Q: I already offer some before and after school activities, are these wraparound childcare?
No. Many schools already offer enrichment and extra-curricular activities before and after the school day, but these are not delivered in a way that meets the government definition of wraparound care as they are not usually consistently available 8am to 6pm five days a week during term time. Provision needs to be “reliable and dependable”. This means the clubs are not cancelled if the staff member is absent. The government recognises that there may be opportunities where enrichment activities can interact with, complement, or support delivery of wraparound childcare provision.
Q: What are the quality expectations if we are awarded funding?
Devon County council will be offering support and advice to settings via the Early Years and Childcare Advisors. We also have wide range of training available to wraparound staff: Training website – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
- Premises and facilities – are safe, suitable, and meet children’s needs
- Environment – is safe, welcoming, non-stigmatising, and inclusive
- Staff-child interaction – when working with children, those who provide care are empathetic, considered, and child-focused
- Voice of the child – those who provide care facilitate child-led, choice-based activity and play
- Resources – are safe, stimulating, varied, age appropriate, and able to meet children’s needs. 6. Inclusion – provision is accessible to all children. (Wraparound handbook page 40)
Q: How and when will I be paid?
- Payments will be half termly in advance on the condition monitoring forms have been completed and returned. Failure to complete the monitoring forms means future payments will cease
- Start – Up Grants are made at the beginning of the first term
Q: Will funding be clawed back if we close for any reason?
- As you are only being paid half termly, we would expect you to have used the funding per half term. We will not need to claw back funding. If the club does not start, we would require the funding to be returned
- If you have been funded for a 2 staff model and we do a visit, to find only one staff member has been employed. Funding will be reduced on your next half terms payments
Q: If I run the childcare, but must stop for personal reasons before the end of the funding period e.g. I become ill; can I transfer the funding to another provider to continue with the club?
Due to the legal agreements with the funding, we cannot transfer funding to another provider. However, if the new provider completed an application form and explained in detail the reasons for them taking over the club, we could stop payments to the original provider and pay the remaining funding to the new provider. On the condition that all the eligibility criteria are still met. The funding would stop for the current provider.
Note this would not be classed as a “new” starter and we could only transfer funding that was remaining to the original provider.
Q: I am a private provider can I apply for more than one school?
- Yes, but we expect to see evidence of need. Results from parent surveys etc.
- There should not be another provider for the school unless the numbers in the school would warrant two provisions. Need to consider the childcare sufficiency reports: Childcare sufficiency – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
- You will only be able to apply for the lower start-up grant even if the school you are working with does not have an existing provision.
- An application for each school is required and monitoring for each school separately with actual data provided for that school
Q: If a school has an external provider who is offering to set up a breakfast and after school club, what are the options we have regarding applying for the funding?
- If the private provider is managing the childcare, and will be hiring /paying the staff directly, collecting the fees from the parents, the provider will need to apply for the funding
- Schools can charge a rent to the private provider
- Alternatively, the school applies for the funding, collects the income, but employs the private provider to run the club. This is more complicated and more work for the school. But you would have an input into the activities and the way the club Is run
- Or the school could manage the club completely, and pay the wages of the private provider, the school would be the employer and employment law would apply. Advice should be taken from school/trusts business managers, DCC schools finance teams, or ACAS.
Q: Breakfast clubs: What is the difference between the National Wraparound Childcare Programme and the free breakfast club’s programme?
- The National Wraparound programme has already started to improve the availability of before and after school childcare, which parents are able to pay to access. Local authorities are playing a key role identifying and working closely with school and private providers so they can provide childcare to support parents and fulfil their statutory duty in ensuring that parents have access to the childcare they need. The voluntary programme has seen schools receiving funding so they or private providers are able to setup or expand provision in their communities to ensure parents can access childcare between 8am and 6pm, contributing to kick starting the economy and breaking down opportunities by reforming the childcare system
- The free breakfast club offer will build on this by not only providing parents with more affordable childcare choices and supporting families with the cost of living but importantly regardless of where you live in the country, reducing the impact of poverty, by providing children with a breakfast every morning to make sure all children start the school day fed and ready to learn.
When will free breakfast club provision be available to all?
From April 2025, free breakfast clubs will be available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a test and learn phase in advance of a national roll out. Further details on the national roll out will be available in due course. It is hoped the full roll out will be from September 2025 but we are waiting for more information from DFE.
How much funding will early adopter schools receive to cover the costs of the free breakfast clubs?
Schools will receive funding as part of the early adopter’s programme. Further details about the early adopter rollout will be announced by the Department for Education in due course. Schools that are interested to find out more about becoming an early adopter can sign up here to be notified as soon as further information is available
Will funding be available for early adopters to expand space on their premises and /or buy new equipment?
Further details about the early adopter rollout will be announced by the Department for Education in due course. Schools that are interested in finding out more about becoming an early adopter can sign up here to be notified as soon as further information is available.
Q: I am an early years childminder working with assistants and I want to claim funding to run wraparound provision can I do this?
Yes, you can. You will need to show in your business plan which schools you are working with to offer the care for and to show that this is creating or expanding the current wraparound provision.
Sustainability
Q: As the wrap around care allows Reception children to attend – does it need to comply with staffing ratios as set out within the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework? What have other schools done to overcome this barrier?
You do not need to follow the EYFS guidance if the children are of statutory school age. If you have any EYFS children attending the session the EYFS rules do apply, you need to calculate if you have nursery children present, or not, and work with the 1:8 staff ratio for children aged 3-5. But if the children are reception or above and attending the wraparound childcare. The EYFS rules are stated below:
For the older children ratios can vary, we would recommend 1:10- 1:15 staff ratios, the SEND needs of the children present, will affect the ratios as some children will require higher staffing levels. You will also need to consider the premises you are using, (are you always within sight or sound of all children?) Current risk assessments and lone working policies, etc.
Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework states:
EYFS statutory framework for group and school-based providers (page 33)
Before/after school care and holiday provision (section 3.50) – where the provision is solely before/after school care or holiday provision for children who normally attend reception class (or older) during the school day, there must be sufficient staff as for a class of 30 children. It is for providers to determine how many staff are needed to ensure the safety and welfare of children, bearing in mind the type(s) of activity and the age and needs of the children. It is also for providers to determine what qualifications, if any, the manager and/or staff should have. See details on page 6 for the learning and development requirements for providers offering care exclusively before/after school or during the school holidays.
Before/after school care and holiday provision (Page 6) – settings that only provide care before and after school, or during the school holidays, for children who normally attend reception (or older) class during the school day do not need to meet or be guided by the learning and development and assessment requirements set out in Sections 1 and 2. However, settings providing this type of wraparound care for children younger than those in the reception class age range should continue to be guided by, but do not have to meet, the learning and development and assessment requirements. All such providers should discuss with parents and/or carers (and other practitioners/providers as appropriate, including school staff/teachers) the support they intend to offer. All settings that provide care for children aged 0-5 must meet safeguarding and welfare requirements as set out in Section 3.
Q: I have tried to run the childcare until 6.00 pm for the first term, (or I have tried to run five days a week) and there is just no demand for these hours or days. Do I need to continue the service?
After the first full term of funding, if we have evidence to support the lack of demand for provision beyond 5.30 or (no need on a particular day), the data from the daily attendance registers can be used as evidence of lack of demand. We can stop the funding for the non-viable hours. As we are paying half termly there will be no clawback, but we will reduce the future half terms funding.
Q; We have tried to run the provision for a whole term and have poor take up can we close completely?
Before we close any unviable settings, you will be offered a support visit, from the early years and childcare advisor, and we will look at all aspects of the provision from the business plan to the quality of the setting the marketing and promotion. The aim of the funding is to create a surplus of spaces so parents know they can rely on the childcare. It takes time for businesses to increase numbers. Quality could also be an issue, meaning the children are bored and not wanting to attend. We can offer staff training to help you to increase the quality of the provision.
Q: We have a club, but it is not going well, can we close and start again?
- If you are already running a childcare club that is not financially viable. You can apply for the sustainability funding and have support from the EYCA to get you back on track. Max £2000
- If you have a private provider who wants to take over the club. As the club is existing, they can apply for the expansion of places £50 per increased space. Max of £1000. Per BC and ASC. We can also offer support from your Early Years and Childcare Advisor
- If your provision is not the full offer you can apply to expand to full offer 8.00 – 18.00. For example, if the club starts at 8.00 but finishes at 5.00 but does not open on Fridays. You could claim 4 hours expansion for Monday to Thursday and 2.5 hours for Friday. Total 6.5 hours. (2 staff school model this is £1904 x 6.5 hours)
- We CANNOT fund the starting of a new club where there is an existing provider, as this is classed as existing provision
Q: We have a school run club but is it not viable, due to lack of staffing, and the quality of the provision. We have a private provider who could run a club, can they be funded, if we close our existing club?
- This is a case-by-case basis, it would depend on the needs in the area, the numbers of children attending, and the reasons of why the school club is not viable. If the original club closed, we could fund a new provision if we have evidence of a need. There needs to be a gap in provision before we can call it a new provision. The gap could be a school holiday
- We cannot fund if there was a viable club on the school site that closed, just to apply for the funding
Q: There is already childcare provision at my school, but I want to start another one, can I apply?
This depends on circumstances:
- Your first point of contact is your EYCA as they know about the other provision in the area and the need
- Look at the Childcare Sufficiency reports for data in your area: Childcare sufficiency – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
- We calculate the need for wrapround is on average 20% of the school roll. For example, a school with 66 pupils we could expect 12-13 as regular attendance
- If a school has 250 pupils, we expect there to be a need for up-to 50 wraparound places. If the school is only offering 20 spaces, there is space for another provider
- However, we could not afford to fund two other providers, so if more than one application for a school were submitted, the funding could be shared, depending on case-by-case basis
- We also look at the quality of the provision and preference will be for good or outstanding providers
Q: I am not registered with OFSTED can I apply for funding?
- No, to ensure minimum safe standards in wraparound childcare provision, all PVI providers and childminders funded through the wraparound programme must be registered with Ofsted, or in the case of childminders, Ofsted, or a childminder agency
- Dependent on the nature of the provision and the age range of children, this includes registration on the General Childcare Register (GCR) and the Early Years Register (EYR). Schools providing wraparound childcare directly, as part of their governance arrangements, do not need to register on either the GCR or EYR, however they must adhere to the same standards
- More information on Ofsted registration, including exemptions, is available here: Registering school-based provision with Ofsted (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Q: I am in the process of applying for OFSTED can I apply for the funding?
Yes, but you cannot open, until you have the OFSTED approval, however we can process your wraparound application and withhold payments until the registration is complete. This will save time and mean you can open as soon as the registration is confirmed.
Q: I have an Inadequate or Requires Improvement outcome from my latest OFSTED registration can I apply?
- We are sorry we are unable to accept applications from Inadequate providers
- If you are a Requires Improvement, we will accept settings if there is a need in the area and no other providers
Q: I am not OFSTED registered, as a private provider, can I open on a school site using schools’ registration until my own registration is confirmed?
- This is not a good idea, if the school were to be inspected whilst you are still waiting for your own registration, the Childcare will be inspected as part of the school inspection. The responsibility and liability of the clubs would come under the school
- The school could employ you as a private provider, but the profits would be the schools, and the private provider would be paid wages
Q: If a school is running the out of school provision, but would like to pass it to a private provider can they just choose who to pass the club over to?
SEND provision
Q: What does it mean for schools, PVI providers if they are expected to provide inclusive accessible wraparound provision?
When looking at whether to provide new or expanded wraparound provision schools and PVI providers should consider the needs of children attending their provision and the levels of parental demand. They should consider children who may have SEND to make sure their provision can meet their needs. School SENCos can work with providers to ensure that provision is suitably adapted to meet the needs of children with SEND. This may include making physical adaptations (for example, the use of ramps to ensure buildings are accessible to children with physical disabilities and ensuring toilet facilities are appropriate) and ensuring staff are suitably trained to support children with SEND.
Schools and providers must also consider transport for SEND children as the government are not expanding the current scheme whereby children have transport to and from school. It is the responsibility of parents to drop off and collect children from wraparound childcare or make alternative transport arrangements. As is already set out in the home to school travel and transport statutory guidance, children will only be eligible for home to school transport to get to school for the beginning of the school day, and to return home at the end of the school day, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. If children attend the wraparound care transport cannot be guaranteed, so this must be factored into any plans. Business plans and costs should consider how the provider will meet the needs of children with SEND not only at the start of the programme but also ongoing to ensure sustainability from Sept 2026.
Q: Who is expected to meet the costs of this inclusive provision?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are clear that if a reasonable adjustment is needed to enable children with disabilities to attend childcare, providers must pay for it, not parents. Where adjustments are deemed unreasonable by the provider but are necessary for the child to access the provision, parents may be asked to cover the associated costs. Schools and PVI providers should take this into account when they are putting together their business plans and financial/running costings. Parents in receipt of DLA are entitled to up to £4,000 a year in Tax Free Childcare, which may be used towards any additional childcare costs. Schools and providers must make sure that they are registered with HMRC to accept the tax free childcare. Tax-Free Childcare – GOV.UK
Sign up to Tax-Free Childcare if you’re a childcare provider – GOV.UK
Q: I have some disruptive or difficult children in my school, and it is difficult to include them in the provision, can I refuse children access?
- No! This is against the law
- It is important to recognise the different needs of the children who will be accessing wraparound care and ensure that new and existing provision is accessible to all, including children with complex needs and those in specialist school settings
- All providers are expected to make reasonable adjustments for children with disabilities, in accordance with their duties under the Equality Act 2010, whether they have SEND
- The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are clear that if a reasonable adjustment is needed to enable children with disabilities to attend childcare, providers must pay for it, not parents. If capital funding is required to make the premises suitable there are small amounts of Capital Funding for Wraparound, please see this link: Childcare Expansion Capital Grant – Information for childcare providers (devon.gov.uk)
- For more information on Devons work to support children with SEND Devon’s SEND Local Offer – help and support for children with SEND.
Q: What support can Devon give me to be inclusive and what training is available?
- Devon has various support services available to help you to include children
- We are working on various training opportunities for childcare staff
- Autism and Us’ Parent Programme (Autumn Term 2024): Communication and interaction – Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)
- Support for parents/carers resident within the DCC (Devon County Council) footprint of primary or secondary aged children (5-16) who are either on the neurodiversity assessment waiting list or who have received a diagnosis of autism
- Our ‘Autism & Us’ programme and associated themed/topic-based workshops have now been adopted as a Devon County Council Core offer, which means the long term sustainable and consistent delivery has been secured for families
- They will be delivered each term of the academic year, by members of the SEND Communication & Interaction Team at Devon County Council
- We continue to offer access for parents and carers of CYP (Children & Young People) who are currently on the neurodiversity assessment pathway, in addition to families of CYP who have received an autism diagnosis
- Attending the ‘Autism & Us’ parent programme gives you opportunity to develop your understanding of autism and look at practical solutions to managing and supporting your child’s presenting needs, whilst also connecting with other parents/carers
Current Send training available (from DEL / Devon Education Services Shop):
Other queries
Q: We would like to transport the children to a neighbouring school, what are our options?
As Devon has many small schools it maybe unviable to hold the BC and ASC on the school site.
- Childminders would be the easier option on or off domestic premises
- Many academies are considering transport options
- Walking busses can be good if the distance is not far. Many private providers can offer a walking bus successfully. Must be risk assessed, and children should wear high visibility jackets
- Taxis are very expensive and many of the school taxis are not available at the end of the school day
- School provides mini-bus
- If collecting from several schools, each school will require a safe holding area for the children waiting for the bus, this will require additional staffing
- Where are the parents collecting the children from?
- The costs of the transport will need to be included in the wraparound fees
- Will there be enough spaces for Ad-Hoc bookings?
- Do you need to have a chaperone on the bus? (additional cost)
Q: We would like to transport children to a neighbouring school, what rules do we need to follow?
Mini-Bus Regulations: