Teatime Club

Garlinge Primary School and Nursery is delighted to offer a Teatime Club, providing fun and flexible after-school care during term time. The club runs five days a week and offers the following sessions:

• Early Session:                                    3:15pm – 4:30pm (charge:   £6.00)
• Late Session:                                     3:15pm – 5:45pm (charge: £11.00)
• Late Session (following a club):    4:15pm – 5:45pm (charge:   £7.50)

Our Teatime Club is led by a team of experienced Teaching Assistants, ensuring a safe, caring, and enjoyable environment for all children. We expect the children attending our Teatime Club to follow our school rules of Be Safe, Be Caring, Be Ready.

What We Offer

The club operates across two of our school halls:

• The Early Session (3:15pm - 4:30pm) takes place in the KS1 Hall, where children are provided with a snack and a drink.
• Both Late Sessions (3:15pm and/or 4:15pm – 5:45pm) are held in the KS2 Hall, where children enjoy a light tea and a drink.

During each session, children can take part in a range of engaging activities, including:

• Board games
• Construction toys
• Arts & Crafts
• Outdoor play
• ICT
• A quite area for reading or completing homework

Behaviour and Safety

All children attending Teatime Club are expected to follow our school rules of Be Safe, Be Caring and Be Ready and behave in a way that ensures the safety and wellbeing of themselves, other children, and staff.

If a child’s behaviour repeatedly compromises safety, disrupts the running of the club, or requires a level of supervision that cannot be safely provided within existing staffing ratios, the school may withdraw their place to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the provision. Any such decision will be communicated with parents beforehand.

Collection Information

• Early Session: Children are collected from the KS1 Gate on Caxton Road.
• Late Session: Children are collected from the main school entrance on Westfield Road.

If someone different will be collecting your child, please inform the school at the start of the day so that we can ensure appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Late Collection – Important Information 

Please note: A late collection fee applies to all Teatime Club sessions. This is a new charge introduced from January 2026 as follows:

• Early Session – A late collection fee of £1.00 per minute will be applied up to a maximum of 5 minutes. If you have not collected after 5 minutes the child will be taken into the Late Session and you will be charged for the additional payment as well as the late collection fee.
• Late Session – A late collection fee of £1.00 per minute will be applied.
• Maximum Late Fee – £15.00 per session

Any late payment fee will be applied to your child’s MCAS account and must be settled within 5 working days. If settlement is not received the child will not be able to attend until the payment is received.

Booking and Payments

All Teatime Club sessions must be booked and paid for in advance via MCAS (My Child at School).

We also accept Government Tax-Free Childcare payments—please contact our Extended Services Co-ordinator, Miss Mills, for an invoice if you wish to pay this way.

If your child does not attend (due to absence or other reasons) we will not be able to refund or carry over that session’s payment.

Waiting List and Allocation Priorities

Due to high demand, there is currently a waiting list. Places are allocated based on the following priorities, while ensuring safety and supervision for all children:

Priority 1 – Children of School Staff

• Where a place is part of an agreed employment package or supports staffing needs
   

Priority 2 – Existing Users and Siblings

• Children who currently hold a place and wish to continue or increase their sessions
  Siblings of children already attending the club
   

Priority 3 - Families with Confirmed Childcare Commitments & Logistical Challenges

• Children whose parents/carers have verified work, education, or training commitments that require wraparound care. The school may request basic confirmation (e.g., working hours or study timetables) to ensure fair and transparent allocation.
• Families facing significant logistical challenges that impact timely collection or drop-off, where wraparound provision would reasonably support consistent attendance and punctuality. 

This priority is applied only where staffing levels and overall capacity allow.

Priority 4 – Other Requests

• Remaining places may be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis after applying the priorities above
   

Waiting List Process

• Requests are held on file and reviewed when a space becomes available
• Allocation is based on the priorities above at the time a place opens
• Families will be informed of any available place as soon as possible
  
  

Contact Us

For further information, please contact Miss Mills our Extended Services Co-ordinator, via Weduc message or by phone on 01843 222559.