Extended Services

Re: Breakfast and After School Clubs

Having been a pretty much full-time user of the breakfast club and after-school club I am very sorry to have to inform you that from 19th December, we are no longer be able to offer these two clubs to our children. It is a shame because the clubs are really well run and have been great fun for the children who are attending. The clubs were originally set up using funding from the Local Authority to see them through their first year. It was hoped that the clubs would be popular enough by this time that they would be self-sufficient in respect to funding but even if this was not the case there was a chance of further funding if enough children were using the clubs to satisfy the Local Authority that demand was there.

The clubs were reviewed by the Local Authority in November, 2008 because we had applied for more funding to run them for 2009 but sadly the decision from the Local Authority was that there were not enough children using these clubs to warrant further funding. Instead, additional funding was provided to the Lunchtime Club due to its higher use by parents.

Clearly this is disappointing for the affected children and parents and we very much regret the problems this might cause in the short term in reorganising child care but without the Local Authority funding it is simply not economic to run these clubs based on current user numbers. It may be possible to review this in future if there is sufficient demand but we would need evidence of this to present to the Local Authority. On the plus side, however, Little Learners is going from strength to strength and has benefited from a “Good” Ofsted report, something almost unheard of in new provisions so many congratulations to the staff and children in gaining this recognition.

Thank you to all parents who supported the Breakfast and After-School Clubs, it has been greatly appreciated. I am sure you will join with me in thanking Miss Blunt and Miss O’Brien for their hard work over the past 9 months.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Vickers,

Chair of Governors