Our Ethos
We are not school
Our wraparound childcare provision is all based in schools which means it makes it convenient and safe to transfer the children between school, our clubs and any other school based extra curricular clubs. It also means that we have excellent communication and relationships with the school management and the class teachers. However our emphasis is on making the club as different to school as possible for the children. You won’t for example ever see all the children being told to sit down quietly at certain activities, they get a free choice in what they do. We believe the children have had enough formal learning during the school day and so the emphasis is very much on PLAY and RELAXATION. There is so much learning that happens through play.
We are child led
we provide the environment and the children lead the play. This will mean that sometimes at pick up time it can all look a bit messy and chaotic, but the result is empowered and happy children.
We love being outdoors
Our wraparound childcare provision has easy access to large and very well equipped outdoor play areas and playing fields. We head outdoors at every opportunity. At Havannah we also have easy access to the surrounding nature trails in Havannah Nature Reserve, which we use during the holiday club.
We know what we are doing
We are very well established and experienced. The organisation has been running since 1998, previously known as Gosforth Park Out of School Club. Our Directors, Rachael and Natalie both hold Level 3 qualifications and have many years of experience. They are also both mothers who live and grew up in the Gosforth/Great Park area and have children going through the Gosforth Pyramid School system. Many of our other staff also hold Level 2 and 3 qualifications and years of experience. Although out of school care no longer has to have qualified staff, we still aim for a minimum of 50% of all staff at every session being qualified and/or well experienced.
We put FUN at the heart of everything we do
Whether that be kicking a football, creating artwork; playing games; being messy with paints, goo, water, mud….you take your pick, running, skipping, jumping, being in the fresh air as much as possible; chilling with friends old and new….the list goes on. Fun means happy children, happy parents and happy staff
We are safe
All of our staff have undergone safeguarding and health and safety training. Most staff have Paediatric First Aid training and there will always be at least one member of staff with this qualification at every session, usually more. The premises are all kept locked, as are the gates to the outdoor play areas. Nobody can enter without a member of staff letting them in.
“Leaders of the club are passionate and driven to provide high-quality care to children and their families”
Ofsted 2023