Laura Hathaway is operations manager for childcare provider Tinies. She manages five kids clubs in central London.
‘Our kids clubs are open every weekday in the school holidays, including Christmas and half term. I’m based at the biggest site, 1 Victoria Street in Westminster, which is a conference centre and houses the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. This is because the majority of the kids clubs I oversee are for children of Government department employees. Only one is open to the public, based in a school,’ she says.
‘The clubs provide children with a place to go in the holidays when their parents are at work. Some come every day, others on an ad-hoc basis. They are hosted in office space, such as a conference room.
‘Our day starts at 7:30am when each site manager and their team have a staff briefing. From 8:30am to 9:30am, parents arrive with their kids. One of the groups is just for 11- to 16-year-olds, while the others are for children aged from four years and nine months to 16 years. The mix of ages works well, especially because we often have siblings and parents appreciate leaving them at the same place. We do plan different activities for under-eights and those above, but often they want to join in together.
‘We start the day with circle time and explain our plan for the day. Each week is themed, such as a superhero or Disney week, and we offer craft activities based on those. We also set up quizzes, games, messy play and activities outside the club venue. We give the children a mid-morning snack, such as toast or fruit, then usually head out to a nearby park.
‘We organise many outdoor sports and games, such as scavenger hunts, cricket and football. Once a year we hold a sports day where the different clubs compete against each other. In good weather, the children eat their packed lunch in the park.
‘The afternoon begins with another circle time, then more activities. We provide a second snack and head back to the club venue towards the end of the day for movie time. Parents pick up children between 4:30pm and 6pm. They sometimes pop in during the day, which we encourage, or take the children out for lunch.
‘The club for 11- to 16-year-olds operates differently – they go on a trip every day otherwise they can get bored. We go ice skating, bowling or to the cinema. We also take the younger children on trips, and ask them what they want us to arrange. Go karting is especially popular – if they don’t have that every year the kids want to know why.
‘It’s a long day, but I really like working with children and seeing them develop and have fun. My career in childcare began at a pre-school, but at the same time I worked for kids clubs during the holidays. The two complement each other as kids clubs are on Ofsted’s early years register and we have to meet some Early Years Foundation Stage requirements. Ofsted inspects the clubs regularly.
‘Ofsted introduced a new framework in September 2014 that relaxed ratio requirements, but at Tinies we still work to one practitioner to six children and have at least half of our staff qualified to Level 3. Our Westminster clubs cater for between 25 and 40 children.
‘One of the biggest challenges of the job is making sure you cater for children of all ages. Fundamentally they are the same, but teenagers might be having difficulties at school and we become another outlet, someone to talk to. We also have to deal with things like girls going through hormonal changes – our staff training includes what to do if a girl starts her period when she’s with us.
‘In term time, when we’re not running clubs, I plan ahead. I book all the trips, carry out risk assessments, hire staff and write rotas. I also provide training for other Tinies employees and help run some of the company’s crèches.’
CV
Employment history
- 2005-2010 Term-time assistant then manager, Sunnyside Pre-School, Surrey
- 2005-2010 Holiday-time play leader and later club manager, Bupa Childcare then Tines (after a 2007 take-over), London
- 2010-present Operations manager, Tinies, London
- Qualifications
- 2006 NVQ Level 3 Early Childcare, N&B Training Company, Walton-on-Thames
- 2009 BSc psychology, University of Roehampton
- 2010 Early Years Professional Status, Children’s Workforce Development Council, Kingston University
Training
There is no direct training route to working in a kids club, but providers such as Tinies prefer workers to have a Level 3 qualification in childcare or playwork, and experience working in a play environment. No playwork qualifications at Level 3 carry the Early Years Educator stamp, meaning they will not enable a candidate to count in Level 3 ratios in a nursery.
However, candidates may wish to take a playwork qualification alongside a ‘full and relevant’ Level 3. These are particularly appropriate for jobs at after-school or holiday clubs and can enable staff to work with children up to the age of 16. Awarding bodies such as CACHE, City & Guilds and Pearson offer playwork courses.
Useful websites
Playwork information from Skills Active
