Working with a PVI partner to deliver a free school breakfast club

Background

Court Lane Junior School in Portsmouth is working with the PVI childcare provider, Farlington Wrap Around Service to offer a free breakfast club available to all pupils through the Department for Education’s free breakfast club early adopters scheme.

Early adopter schools are funded to deliver a 30-minute breakfast club, free and available to all pupils, which includes food. Schools have the flexibility to deliver the free breakfast club in a way that best meets the needs of their school, pupils and families.

How they worked together

Farlington Wrap Around Service have been delivering paid-for wraparound childcare at the school for several years.

When the school was accepted onto the early adopter scheme, Farlington Wrap Around Service continued to deliver:

• the existing before-school childcare offering from 7:15 am to 8:10 am as paid for provision
• the free breakfast club from 8.10 am to 8.40 am

Where the clubs are held

Farlington Wrap Around Service host the paid-for childcare in a community building on the school property.

From 8:10 am onwards, Farlington Wrap Around Service walk the children to the school hall where the free breakfast club takes place.

To ensure a smooth transition, Farlington Wrap Around Service use walkie talkies to safely transport all children through key-card accessible doors.

How the school and Farlington Wrap Around Service have worked well together

The school and childcare provider have worked well together and built a strong partnership which has been essential to the successful delivery of the free breakfast club.

Factors contributing to this successful relationship include the fact that:

• the school’s business manager has been approachable and supportive, enabling Farlington Wrap Around Service to build a great working relationship
• Farlington Wrap Around Service have regular open conversations and can raise issues or challenges at any point and work collaboratively to find solutions that work for themselves and the school

How they staff the breakfast club

A ‘whole school approach’, with senior staff, reception, kitchen staff and senior business manager support, alongside Farlington Wrap Around Service, has enabled the club to run smoothly. It includes:

• Farlington Wrap Around Service operating the free breakfast club using their own staff
• school kitchen staff and care takers taking on additional responsibilities to oversee all the cleaning up of free breakfast club bowls, plates and cutlery
• senior leaders at the school stepping in to support when take up of the free breakfast club increases

Benefits of working with a PVI childcare provider

There has been a number of benefits for the school by working with a PVI childcare provider, in particular the administrative burden has been reduced. Tasks taken on by Farlington Wrap Around Service include:

• organising the food delivery every week
• storing food in fridges and freezers purchased through the start-up grant
• overseeing all childcare operations at the school
• maintaining a consistent approach to child behaviour and safeguarding which is broadly aligned to the school’s approach.