Our philosophy
‘In our club we have fun times, respect, friendship, kindness, and we share and listen to all’.
Note: the children were involved in creating our club's philosophy, which is displayed in the club's entrance.
History
Brighouse School’s Out Scheme (SOS) was established in 1992 after a group of local working parents struggled to find safe, fun and affordable childcare. This scheme, the first of its kind in Calderdale, was able to open its doors after years of lobbying the Education Department and many fundraising events.
We are very thankful for the hard work and commitment these parents showed, and recently celebrated 30 years of successful childcare with our current SOS children, staff and committee.
How is Brighouse SOS regulated & managed?
We are registered with Ofsted, The Charities Commission and Companies House and comply with all relevant requirements from each body.
SOS continues to be run as a charity by a voluntary management committee of parents of existing members. We are not run to make a profit and all surplus funds are ploughed back into the scheme for the benefit of all children. No corners are cut for the sake of profit when it comes to safety, health, play, resources or the food we provide.
Apart from the way it is financed, it is an out of school club like any other, with the same resources, planning, staff and monitoring by Ofsted. We actively welcome visits so you can see for yourself what the club is like in operation. However, if you would like to spend more time discussing options regarding your child’s care, please let the management team know in advance, so we can ensure someone is available to chat with you.
Fundraising
Brighouse School’s Out Scheme is now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online
Over 7000 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at NO extra cost to yourself.
These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it is you could sign up on the ‘Fundraising’ tab above. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment.
Thank you SO much.
Aims and Objectives
We welcome all children and take pride in providing a safe and stimulating environment for children who attend Brighouse SOS.
We achieve this by:
- following safe recruitment processes and undertaking regular DBS checks.
- providing regular opportunities for staff training and continuous professional development.
- having a team of dedicated staff who ensure the needs of all children who attend the breakfast/after school and holiday club are met.
- ensuring staff are involved in the writing of our policies and procedures, which are reviewed annually by the team.
- staff acting as positive role models and interact with the children to enable them to develop creatively, physically and socially
- providing children with a healthy breakfast before school, and healthy snacks after school.
- ensuring children are actively involved in the club by sharing their suggestions and ideas.
- ensuring parents are involved as much as possible in the club through consultation, newsletters, Facebook page and the AGM.
Requirements
Before a child can attend Brighouse SOS parent/carers are required to complete a registration and child details form.
If your child requires specific medical or dietary needs, we ask for as much detail as possible to ensure we provide the right care for your child. If a child’s needs are more complex, it is advised that you make an appointment with the management team to discuss further. For any medication or condition, a Health Care Plan will need to be completed prior to your children attending.
If you require a member of staff to assist your child in taking prescribed medication, you must complete the relevant form and also inform the management team prior to the medication being administered. We would also ask that you keep your child details up to date by noting any regular medicines, allergies or medical conditions accurately on the form and via email. We also require that all medication is clearly labelled with the child’s name and date of expiry.
Please be aware, children will be unable to attend the club if we are not provided with the correct medication and/or relevant paperwork.
Buddy System
When a child is new to the breakfast/after school or holiday club there is a period of induction. During this time a member of staff will outline the club’s rules and routines and an older child will be allocated to act as a buddy for the first few sessions. All new children will be given the opportunity to complete an ‘All about me’ form which helps the staff get to know the child, so they are able to tailor activities around their interests.