ABSENCE, ILLNESS, CLOSURES AND HOLIDAYS POLICY 

(Including covid 19) 

CHILD ABSENCE POLICY 

Wakitu out-of-School Club has a duty and a responsibility to the welfare of the children attending the club. Please remember to let the club know by phone or text if your child is not attending a booked session. If child/children are booked into the club and parent's fail to notify the club that their child/children will not be attending, we may contact school to check if your child has been in attendance. A follow up contact with parents/carers will be made. 

Charges for sessions pre booked will still be payable. Not paying for sessions could result in the child’s place been revoked. 

 

ILLNESS AND DISEASES 

Wakitu staff will always be vigil ant about the children's health and well-being. Should a child at any time show signs of an infectious disease i.e., Chicken Pox, they will immediately isolate that child from the rest of the group and seek a second opinion. If the opinion is that the child may have an infectious disease, then one member of staff only will stay with the child and another one will inform the Parent/Carers as soon as possible.  

 

Wakitu staff will advise the Parent / Carer to seek medical advice and contact the club when they know exactly what is wrong with the child. 

  • At this point and not before, if they have contracted an infectious disease the club will issue a notice to all parents informing them that a child in the club has contracted the disease (The child will not be named)  

  • All equipment that the child has been in contact with must then be cleaned with the correct cleaning materials before they can be used again. The child must have the all clear from the doctor before they are allowed to return to the club.  

  • Staff will inform parents/carers over any concerns they may have over a child's health. 

 

SEVERE WEATHER OR EMERGENCY CLOSURE 

 In very exceptional circumstances, Wakitu out-of-School clubs may need to be closed at very short notice due to an ‘unexpected’ emergency. 

Such incidents could include: 

  • Serious weather conditions (combined with heating system failure) 

  • Burst water pipes. 

  • Discovery of dangerous structural damage. 

  • Fire or bomb scare/explosion. 

  • Death of a member of staff. 

  • Serious assault on a staff member by the public. 

  • Serious accident or illness. 

In such circumstances, the Manger and staff will ensure that all steps are taken to keep both the children and the staff safe. 

All staff and children will assemble at the pre-arranged venue, where a register will be taken. Steps will then be taken to inform parents/carers and to take the necessary actions in relation to the cause of the closure. All children will be supervised until they are safely collected. 

In the event of closure due to circumstances beyond our control, for example Weather or an outbreak of illness enforcing a school closure, refunds will not be given. 

We adhere to The Schools procedure for severe weather or emergency closure, this being 

During heavy snowfall and/ or treacherous driving conditions the decision by the local authority may be taken to close the school 

If the decision is made by the local authority to close the school, Wakitu out-of-school clubs will follow local authority guidance. The school may have already contacted the parents to come and collect their children. 

If the local authority decides to close the school while children are in the care of Wakitu out-of-School clubs, the following procedure will be put into action: 

  • The Manager and staff will contact parents by telephone informing them of the decision made by the local authorities 

  • Parents/carers will be asked to come and collect their children immediately. 

  • If parents cannot be contacted, then staff will phone the emergency contact person as stated on the child’s registration form. 

  • UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WILL CHILDREN BE SENT HOME ON THEIR OWN, OR WITH ANOTHER PARENT UNLESS WAKITU OUT-OF-SCHOOL CLUBS ARE INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE PARENT. 

  • A member of staff will supervise children until their designated person collects them. 

  • Staff will be sent home according to the distance they need to travel and the challenges that may arise on their journey 

 

COVID 19 

 Guidance directly from The Department of Education 

  1. Ensure good hygiene for everyone Hand hygiene Frequent and thorough hand cleaning should now be regular practice. 

  1.  You should continue to ensure that children clean their hands regularly. This can be done with soap and water or hand sanitiser. 

  1.  Respiratory hygiene the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach continues to be very important. The e-Bug COVID-19 website contains free resources, including materials to encourage good hand and respiratory hygiene. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) Most staff in out-of-school settings will not require PPE beyond what they would normally need for their work. The guidance on the use of PPE in education, childcare and children’s social care settings provides more information on the use of PPE for COVID19. 

 

Wakitu out-of-School clubs will always monitor and follow government guidance around the management of Covid 19. 

 

  • Children and staff will be encouraged to wash hands regularly with appropriate hand washing facilities provided. Hand gels will be provided 

  • The catch it, bin it, kill it will be promoted  

  • The monitoring of the requirement of PPE will be observed and appropriately implements. Face coverings have the acceptance of children that require clear speech or lip reading. 

  • The monitoring of isolating regulations will be appropriately followed  

  • Children and their families choosing to isolate will still be required to pay their pre-booked child places unless Wakitu make the decision to suggest the child isolates a charge will not be fulfilled.  

  • All equipment will be cleaned regularly 

 

Holidays 

We appreciate every family deserves a holiday. If the child takes a holiday during term time, we will require a written notice of the child’s absence. 

We will require a minimum of a months’ notice or charges may be incurred. 

Specialist circumstances can be discussed with Wakitu manager. 

If children take regular holiday breaks, we may revoke a child’s regular place for child on our waiting lists.