Out of School providers (OOS)

In the Spring 2023 budget, the government announced an investment of £289m for a National Wraparound Programme to achieve its ambition of supporting all families who need it, to access wraparound childcare from 8am – 6.00pm, term time only, aimed specifically to those primary aged children in reception to year 6.  The aim of the programme is to ensure that working parents have enough childcare to work full time, more hours and with flexible hours.

Wraparound childcare is childcare that ‘wraps around’ the conventional school day, before and after school and is paid for by the parents / carers.

For more information, view the National wraparound programme - introduction for providers of wraparound childcare. 

The lead for Leicestershire County Council’s Wraparound Childcare Expansion Programme is Jo Fisher, Childcare Sufficiency and Development Team Manager, who can be contacted at childcare.expansion@leics.gov.uk.

Wraparound Care and how can it help you

Wraparound care is childcare that ‘wraps around’ the conventional school day, and runs from 8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term time.
A wraparound childcare provider is anyone who delivers wraparound provision. This can include private, voluntary and independent (PVI’s) organisations, schools, childminders, out of schools and other early years settings.

Leicestershire County Council will begin expanding provision, increasing access to flexible childcare for local working parents from September 2024, with the ambition that by September 2026 most working parents will be able to access wraparound childcare either on their school site or within the local community.

The roles of schools and academy trusts in supporting parents to access wraparound childcare

The government has produced non-statutory guidance which explains the role of schools and academy trusts in supporting parents of primary-aged children accessing childcare.  The guidance offers advice on how to deliver new or expanded wraparound childcare and outlines the support all schools should receive from their local authority, whether you will be delivering wraparound provision directly or not.

Have you seen the Wraparound childcare, guidance for schools and trusts guidance? 

For the attention of Schools, Academy Trusts, Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Organisations, including Childminders, Out of Schools and other Early Years providers

Did you know that schools, private, voluntary, independent (PVI) organisations, including childminders, out of school clubs and other early years providers can potentially obtain funding to expand their current provision or create new provision?

Do you run a breakfast or afterschool club in Leicestershire that currently does not meet the full definition of wraparound childcare, i.e. from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, term time or you haven’t got any provision at present but would like to? 

If yes, please email Leicestershire County Council’s lead for the Wraparound Childcare Expansion Programme, Jo Fisher, Childcare Sufficiency and Development Team Manager at childcare.expansion@leics.gov.uk.

For the attention of Parents / Carers

If you’re a parent or carer looking for Wraparound Childcare please visit Find a childcare provider which provides details of all Ofsted registered out of school provision in Leicestershire.  However, this will not show out of school provision based in schools which come under the school’s Ofsted registration, so you may need to speak to your local school about what they currently offer to see if this meets your needs.

Other support available that parents / carers may be able to access

Parents / Carers can apply for additional help towards childcare costs:

• Universal Credit childcare support.  This support means that you may be able to claim up to 85% of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit and meet some additional conditions.
• Tax Free Childcare can be used to help to subsidise costs, covering 20% of costs up to £2k a year (or up to £4k for disabled children).

The Wraparound Childcare Toolkit | Childcareworks.org brings together everything you need to grow, sustain and start wraparound childcare provision. With content curated by experts, you will find a wealth of useful and relevant information, all in one place.

The toolkits contain information specific to operating wraparound childcare provision, plus general information including expert marketing, HR and leadership and management, partnership working and more.

Content is organised into 6 topics, with each topic divided into sub-topics:

• Business Planning
• Business Growth
• Running of Your Childcare Provision
• Leadership and Management
• Partnership Working
• SEND and Inclusive Practice