As the new term starts, leading childcare charity, Kids’ Clubs Network, warns that many working parents will be struggling to find childcare for their children and urges schools to respond by providing childcare to bridge the gap between the school day and the working day.

With over half a million children starting school this September, demand continues to outstrip supply with only enough out of school childcare places for just 6% of children. For many parents one of the real problems is finding childcare to cover the 3-4 hours between school finishing and work ending. With 86% of parents wanting more out of school childcare places and a quarter of mothers stating they are prevented from seeking work by a lack of childcare, Kids’ Clubs Network believes a solution lies in encouraging more schools to open their doors to children’s services.

Currently, only 20% of schools have out of school facilities, yet the current demand for childcare places is so great there should be an out of school club in every school – creating places for over two million children. Despite massive increases in the number of out of school clubs (from 3,500 in 1997 to over 10,000 today), recent research carried out by Kids’ Clubs Network shows that expansion is struggling to keep up with demand that even though out of school childcare is the fastest growing sector in the childcare field, with clubs opening at a rate of 20% per year, clubs waiting lists continue to increase. 25% of clubs have a waiting list and, on average, a club has nearly 12 children waiting to join.

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive Kids’ Clubs Network said, “School hours and office hours just don’t match and the return to school is a major struggle for millions of parents. Schools can provide the answer though - by providing childcare after school and during school holidays. One in five schools already do this – we now need the rest to follow suit. Childcare provision in schools support parents to work and offer children an opportunity to play and learn with friends in an informal environment and take part in many of the activities that there just aren’t time for in the busy school day, thus supporting children’s development and education.”

“Although there are now some 10,000 out-of-school clubs in the UK, many of which are in schools, one of the biggest barriers to further growth is lack of premises. School buildings are used for an average of just 25% of the time, making them one of the most underused publicly funded resources. Yet, schools are an obvious community resource for family support including childcare – they are local, they are known and trusted by parents and are designed for children."

 Back