The field outside the Space and Space 2 showing the sports hall

Space, our holiday & out of school club developed alongside our experience with our own children as they reached school age.

With out out of school club Space and The Ark both on one single site parents have one point of collection and drop off for all children from 4 weeks to 14 years of age, removing many of the logistical challenges of the school run and commuting.

As our children got older they no longer no wanted to be ‘babies’; they were looking for somewhere cool and funky to hang out with their friends. Hence the different brand and change in atmosphere as the children move into SPACE. The provision of year-round care, after children have started school, creates a dilemma for a large number of parents. We have approached the holiday and out of school club from a flexible viewpoint and aim to provide a service tailored to each family’s individual needs. During term time we will provide a service to take children from SPACE and SPACE 2 to their respective schools. We provide them with breakfast, if required, and they can play together with their friends before being taken to school.

Here we provide an environment in which the children can have fun and be safe; where they can relax and socialise out of school hours and beyond the school environment.  All children have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities of their own choice and at their own pace.  SPACE is separated into two areas across the site. SPACE 1 is attached to the nursery and caters for children between the ages of 4 and 7 and SPACE 2, located in a separate building on the same site, caters for 8 to 14 year olds.  Teenagers at play flying a kite and using a laptop

There are some wonderful experiences and benefits for the children attending SPACE. We have found that friendships have been made between children of different ages and from different schools and new skills and activities have widened the children’s experiences and encouraged new hobbies.

The general attitude and culture of SPACE is such that the children are encouraged to work together with us to develop their own rules and guidelines. This has bred levels of independence and responsibility amongst children of all ages.

active children at play

The Out of School Club operates from 7am until school starts and from school finishing time until 6.30pm. We provide a drop-off and collection service to the local schools, the school buses and other schools upon request, subject to timings and number of children.

The children can come to us for breakfast and relax before their day at school. During the warmer weather this can be outside SPACE 2 on the decking looking out across the valley. In the winter they may just want to snuggle up and watch TV on the sofa until it is time to go to school.

We encourage the children to play outside as much as they wish and, weather permitting, we are able to walk the children to and from school during the lighter months.

image showing a range of after school activities and children at play

After school we provide children with a healthy and nutritious meal and they can join in with the planned activities or chill out with their friends. There is also the opportunity to do their homework and securely surf on-line in our purpose built computer suite.