Schools must provide information on the provision of – or signposting to – childcare together with the nature of the childcare for each of the following types of childcare:
You must return four records for type of childcare – one for each of the following categories:
- before school
- after school
- holiday
- under 5s
For each record, you must provide an answer to indicate whether the school:
- provides childcare on site
- signposts people to other childcare
- does both of these
Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day, schools should report data based on the ‘normal’ situation. Refer to the section on unusual circumstances for more information.
Before-school childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘B’]
By this, we mean a guaranteed, regular service provided on days when the school is open. This will provide a safe and secure place where working parents can leave their children before the school opens formally. The setting has the responsibility of taking the children to their classes when the school opens. This may take the form of a breakfast club and it may include structured activities of free play.
DfE’s ambition is that all parents and carers of primary school-aged children who want childcare will be able to access term-time childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.
The question ‘How many places’ is a measure of total available capacity and not the number of children that attend each day.
If the provision has variable capacity across the week, the day with the largest capacity for supporting children should be provided.
Is there a regular before school childcare service on the school site? (yes / no)
Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent who wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)? (yes / no / unknown)
Where no:
- is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils, including escort to or from the site
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Is the provision open from 8am or earlier (if before school)?
Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm?
Note: A school may also promote or signpost towards off-site childcare while providing on-site childcare. In such an instance, this element would record both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ information.
After-school childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘A’]
By this, we mean a guaranteed, regular service provided on days when the school is open. This will provide a safe and secure place where children spend time after the school day has finished. The setting will take the responsibility of collecting the children from their classes and looking after them until working parents can collect them.
DfE’s ambition is that all parents and carers of primary school-aged children who want childcare will be able to access term-time childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.
The question ‘How many places’ is a measure of total available capacity and not the number of children who attend each day.
If your provision has variable capacity across the week, the day with the largest capacity for supporting children should be provided.
Is there a regular after-school childcare service on the school site? (yes / no)
Where yes:
- what time does it close?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent who wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)?
Where no:
- is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils, including escort to or from the site
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Is the provision open until at least 6pm (if after school)?
Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm?
Note: A school may also promote or signpost towards off-site childcare while providing on-site childcare. In such an instance, this element would record both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ information.
Holiday childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘H’]
By this, we mean a service that usually opens Monday to Friday during school holiday periods. It may not cover all holiday periods, but should provide a useful service to working parents. We do not include activities that are only available for morning or afternoon sessions, such as a football class or a language school, although the service may be integrated with such offers. If the offer only applies during the summer break, we are aware that this may change, so answer for your current arrangements of plans.
Is there a holiday childcare service or scheme offered on the school site? (yes / no)
Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- what time does it close?
- for how many weeks is the service open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent that wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools?
Where no:
- Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils -*‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Is the provision open from 8am or earlier and until at least 6pm ?
Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm?
Note: A school may also promote or signpost towards off-site childcare while providing on-site childcare. In such an instance, this element would record both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ information.
Childcare for children aged between 0 to 4 years [type of childcare equals ‘U’]
By this, we mean a service that parents can use for at least 9 hours a day if they choose to.
Do not include provision that is only available during school hours or where children can only attend for a morning or afternoon session.
Does the school have an on-site offer of regular childcare for children aged under 5? (yes / no)
Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- what time does it close?
- for how many weeks is it open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent that wants one?
- who provides the service?
Where no:
- Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Note: A school may also promote or signpost towards off-site childcare while providing on-site childcare. In such an instance, this element would record both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ information.
Signposting towards off-site childcare provision
This may include a service provided by another school, a voluntary setting or a private provider (which could include childminders). If you signpost towards off-site services for any of the types of childcare, we will ask:
Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
- ‘YF’ means – yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils
- ‘YL’ means – yes, we keep a list of other local providers
- ‘N’ means no
- ‘U’ means not known
Note: A school may also promote or signpost towards off-site childcare while providing on-site childcare. In such an instance, this element would record both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ information.