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Ofsted OUTSTANDING! Easter holiday club and Polling Day

We are so pleased to be officially recognised by Ofsted as OUTSTANDING!  The inspector visited us on 20 February and said we were GOOD and made two minor recommendations which we quickly took on board so that when she came again on 6 March, she said:

‘The provider is dedicated and committed to providing the highest quality of provision.

Children play exceptionally well together.

The highly qualified and enthusiastic staff provide a stimulating and vibrant environment where all children are consistently engaged.

Partnerships with parents are extremely good.

Staff work extremely closely with teachers and special educational needs coordinators in schools to meet the needs of individual children.’

Once both reports are published we will provide a link on our website.

Easter holiday club and Thursday 3 May

Please find attached where we will be going during our Easter holiday club and on Thursday 3 May (Polling Day).  If you would like to book a place, please get in touch as soon as possible  (a booking form is also attached).

Summer holiday club

Our summer holiday club always runs during the last two weeks of August plus any INSET days at the beginning of September so this year it is: Monday 20 August to Tuesday 2 September.  Please use the attached booking form if you would like a place.  The holiday clubs are very popular and get booked up quickly.

Information about the summer term

When the summer term starts on Monday 16 April, the gates to the Pleasaunce will definitely be open so please come up to collect your children from The Bridge if collecting prior to 6pm.  We will continue to bring the children who are collected at 6pm down to the Chevening Road gate.

Full staff training day

We held our annual full staff training day on Saturday 17 March from 1pm to 4pm at the Bell House.  We covered many topics including ‘What is an Outstanding Playworker?’, safeguarding, encouraging creativity in children, strategies to ensure children and kind and respectful to all, and more.  Keep an eye on the website for photo and video evidence soon!

Please do get in touch with any questions or comments.  We always welcome feedback and always aim to provide the best quality care for your children.

Lots of news from us!

Dear parents

This post comes to you with news about our recent Ofsted inspection at The Bell House, upcoming holiday club dates and two vacancies for great people to come and join our team.

Ofsted at The Bell House
We received a routine inspection from Ofsted last Tuesday and we are happy to say that we received a very good report. In particular, the inspector spoke about the extremely positive feedback from Halstow School and from the parents. Thank you so much for your support!

The inspector said ‘Staff offer a wide range of activities to help extend children’s creativity, imagination and understanding of the wider world’, ‘[we] create a fully inclusive environment where diversity is respected and celebrated’, and ‘partnerships with [Halstow] staff and parents are very effective’. The report will be available to download from the Ofsted website and from our website shortly.

Holiday club dates: Monday 9 to Friday 13 April 8am to 6pm
We have a holiday club running from 8am to 6pm during the Easter holidays: Monday 9 April to Friday 13 April. Prices are £35 per child per day from 9am, or £40 per child per day from 8am with breakfast. Discounts are available for siblings and for four or more days booked. We meet at The Bridge and go on a day trip leaving at 9.30am and returning to The Bridge at 3pm. Children need a packed lunch and drink and appropriate clothing for the weather. More information is available on the website. If you would like to book, please email Holly (thehollytreeclub@hotmail.com) ASAP as places get booked up quickly.

Polling Day: Thursday 3 May 8am to 6pm
On Thursday 3 May, Halstow, Meridian and other schools will be closed for polling. We are running a holiday club day from 8am to 6pm following the same format as above. Please email Holly if you would like to book a place. Again, places get booked up quickly.

Summer holiday club: Monday 20 August to Tuesday 4 September 8am to 6pm
It is not to early to book any places for our summer holiday club! We will also run holiday club during the two INSET days at the beginning of September: Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 September. Remember we advertise our holiday clubs a year in advance on our website.

Two vacancies for great people to join our team!
We are looking for two people to join our management team: people who are smiley, happy, energetic and passionate about providing the best possible care for children before and after the school day. We comprise a mutually supportive group of local talent with backgrounds in education, finance, art and design, hospitality and HR. Your primary school aged children are welcome at the club too! If you have children at secondary school or older, they might be interested in getting a job as a playworker with us. We provide flexible hours and excellent pay which is negotiable depending on skills and experience. Please come and talk to any of us at any time – we are a friendly bunch!

December 2017 newsletter

Here is our December 2017 newsletter packed with photos of all the children and an introduction to all the playworkers at the club. We are particularly happy to welcome back as playworkers children who used to attend the club at primary school! There is information about the holiday club day on Tuesday 2 January when we are going to visit the Butterfly Jungle at Hall Place, and much more!  Dec 2017 THTC newsletter