Success of new wraparound childcare in North Yorkshire
Working parents hail ‘gamechanger’ programme of breakfast and afterschool provision at primary school, helping them better balance work and family life.
A school club offering ‘wraparound childcare’ has been described as ‘life-changing’, just weeks after it opened. The Jigsaws club opened in September at Crayke Church of England Primary School in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
Photo courtesy of North Yorkshire Council.
The aim behind the club is to give local parents greater flexibility to work while also providing extracurricular opportunities for children outside of school. Those activities include crafts, sports, games, books, toys and a forest school. There is also a daily dose of exercise in the mornings, as well as ensuring children have had a good breakfast.
This is, of course, part of a wider expansion of such wraparound childcare across the country. Last year, the government announced plans to expand provision for primary schoolchildren in England from September 2024, with care offered from 8am to 6 pm during term time.
In North Yorkshire alone, 392 additional wraparound childcare places have been created. The local council is actively supporting schools and childcare providers across the county to create a further 2,554 places by July 2025.
Judi Jackson, Headteacher at Crayke Church of England Primary School, says: ‘Jigsaws has been life-changing for so many of our parents. The morning and after school clubs have given parents and carers the flexibility to drop their children earlier or collect later knowing they are safe, happy and engaging in wider enriching activities. Plus, pupils love joining their peers and going for a daily jog after breakfast.
‘This time last year we had a private provider running a club and there were 21 pupils attending. Fast forward a year and Jigsaws has 52 children using the clubs. We are enormously grateful to the support received from North Yorkshire Council enabling us to set up and plan the clubs which are proving a hit with both the children and their parents alike.’
What’s more, the owners of an existing, award-winning out-of-school club urge more schools and private providers to work with the local council to set up and expand such provision – and take advantage of support and funding.
This year, Roboodles private breakfast and after-school club based at Roecliffe Church of England Primary School in Boroughbridge won the national Out of School Club of the Year award for the second time in a row. It was also awarded Inclusive Setting of the Year and highly commended in the Mental Health and Well-being category.
Lianne Conroy, Co-Owner of Roboodles, says: ‘We are over the moon to have been recognised nationally for the second consecutive year and are grateful to the parents who appreciate the exceptional care we provide and our services. We would urge schools and private childcare providers in North Yorkshire who haven’t already done so to apply for the funding to enable the expansion of their wraparound care allowing more parents back to work.’
Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, Executive Member for Education, Learning and Skills at North Yorkshire Council, says: ‘We aim to make wraparound care available for families that need it. This will remove a major barrier for parents, because for most mums and dads and carers, work would not be possible without regular and reliable childcare that wraps around the school day. Access to high-quality childcare, like Jigsaws at Crayke Church of England Primary School, will support more parents and carers to work and give children in North Yorkshire important opportunities to learn, develop and have fun with friends outside of school hours.’
To find out more see the Wraparound childcare page of the North Yorkshire Council website.
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