Leechpool Caterpillar Nursery & After-School Club

Leechpool Caterpillar After-School Club opened in January 2001 and operates from a modular building in the grounds of Leechpool Primary School. The club runs from 3 – 6pm, weekdays, term time only. During the day, 8.50am – 2.50pm Leechpool Caterpillar Nursery runs out of the same building. We are registered with Ofsted, registration number 2566817.

At Leechpool Caterpillar After-School Club we aim to provide a caring, safe, secure and relaxed environment for your children.

At our club children are free to choose activities and resources as they wish such as a planned craft, board games, puzzles, books, small world play like trains, cars, dinosaurs, doll’s house, Polly Pockets. There are a variety of Build-a-Bears to dress up and various construction kits like lego, connect-a cube, duplo and mobile, there is a games table for playing table football, air hockey and snooker and the children play with sports equipment such as tennis rackets and ball games. Once the evenings are lighter the children like to get outside and in the warmer months most of their time is spent outside in the grounds of Leechpool Primary School.

Our After-School club aims to be accessible to children who attend Leechpool Primary School. Admission to the club is organised by the Administrator and we use a waiting list system when the need arises. The waiting list will be operated on a first come-first-serve basis, except for siblings who have priority for the same days as a sibling already attending.

We require a complete set of registration forms for your child before they can attend the club. This information will be treated as confidential and will be stored appropriately.

If you would like to enquire about a place at our After-School Club, please call 01403 900622 or email [email protected] / [email protected].

Infant children are brought over from the main school by a teaching assistant, junior children make their own way over to us. A register is taken when the children arrive.

Mostly children are collected by their parents. If you need a different person to collect your child on a particular day, you must notify us in advance so that we can set up a password for collection. We will not release your child into the care of a person unknown to us without your permission.

You can collect your child anytime between 3pm & 6pm. If for whatever reason you are delayed, please telephone us to let us know. A late payment charge may be added to your invoice if this occurs regularly. If a child remains uncollected for 10 minutes without contact from parents, staff will try to contact them on the numbers provided, including emergency contacts. If we are still unable to contact anyone then social services duty team will be contacted, and the police will be requested to collect the child.

If your child is likely to feel very hungry after school you are welcome to provide a healthy snack for your child to enjoy during their session. For example: fruit, vegetables, crackers, cheese, breadsticks etc.

This can either be placed in the purple bucket outside the After-School Club building from 8:30am each morning or left in your child’s school bag.

Please note that we are a nut free school, so please don’t send any nut-based products including breakfast bars, chocolate spreads etc.

Our current fees are £14 per session.

Invoices will be issued via email on the Monday before the end of the current half term. This payment will be requested in advance of sessions. Payments will need to clear into Leechpool Caterpillar Nursery & After-School Club’s bank account within 20 working days. Payment due date is clearly visible on the invoice.

Methods of payment should be by:

• Cash
• Bank Transfer
• Registered voucher scheme
• Tax-Free Childcare Vouchers

Late Payment
If funds have not cleared into Leechpool Caterpillar Nursery & After-School Club’s account by the requested
payment date a flat rate of £30 will be added to your next invoice as a late payment fee.
If payments are not received on time, then your child’s place in the Nursery or After-School club may be at
risk. If payment has not been met and there are monies outstanding by a second invoice/reminder then the
child will be unable to attend the Nursery/After-school Club. Further action will taken to recoup any outstanding monies.

On occasions that your child is absent (e.g. illness or due to a school trip) families will still be charged for that
session.

In the event of an emergency closure e.g. due to adverse weather, staffing levels or global pandemics you will
receive a credit on your next invoice for the days we were closed. Alternatively families may wish to donate
these fees to Caterpillar Nursery & After-School Club

Please feel free to discuss in confidence any issues or questions in regarding to payments with Miss
Summerhayes (Manager) or Mrs Anderson (Administrator)
They are contactable on: 01403 211388 or email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Please provide a month’s notice if you wish to withdraw your child’s place from Leechpool Caterpillar After-School Club, or to make changes to their attendance. If you wish to change the days that your child attends, please contact the Administrator. We will try to accommodate such changes wherever possible.

Please inform us if your child will not be attending the After-School Club for any reason. Even if you have informed the school, you still need to notify us as the school does not automatically pass this information onto us. You can call us on 01403 900622 or email us on [email protected] or [email protected]. Please let us know if your child will be arriving later as they are attending clubs.

We are unable to care for any children that are unwell. If your child becomes unwell whilst at the Club, we will contact you and ask you to make arrangements for them to be collected.

Please inform the Management team of any infectious illnesses your child contracts. If your child has had sickness or diarrhoea, please do not send him or her to the club for 48 hours after the illness has ceased.

Our club is staffed by a Manager, Miss Summerhayes; a Deputy, Mrs Gwynn and five assistants, two of which are mid-day supervisors at the main school, so are a familiar face to the children. At every session, there are a minimum three members of staff on duty; one qualified to level 3 and at least one holds a paediatric first aid certificate. All members of staff are happy to help you should you have any queries.

Leechpool Caterpillar Nursery & After-School Club have clearly defined policies and procedures, please follow this link for more details.

We are committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in which children in our care are protected from abuse and harm. Any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to. We comply with local and national child protection procedures and ensure that all staff are appropriately trained. For more details, please see our Safeguarding Policy.

Our club provides a safe and caring environment, free from discrimination, for everyone including children with additional needs.

• We respect the different racial origins, religions, cultures, and languages in a multi-ethnic society so that each child is valued as an individual without racial or gender stereotyping.
• We will challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices.
• We will not tolerate any form of racial harassment.

We make every effort to accommodate and welcome any child with additional needs. We will work in liaison with parents and carers, and relevant professionals to fully understand your child’s specific requirements. We will endeavour to accommodate all children of all abilities, whilst working within the club’s limitations. Each case will be considered individually and risk-assessed to ensure everyone’s safety.

Our SEN Co-ordinator is Mrs Gwynn.