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Wraparound provision - Frequently asked questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions about wraparound childcare provision.

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What qualifications do providers need to have?

Most wraparound childcare providers will need to be registered with Ofsted on the Early Years Register or Compulsory Childcare Register, or both. Your club may also be registered on the Voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

The statutory requirements for qualifications are slightly different depending on which register your club is on. However, all out of school clubs that are registered with Ofsted must have the following:

  • A member of staff with a 12-hour paediatric first aid who is present and available at all sessions.
  • A trained lead practitioner for child protection and all other staff must have child protection training.
  • All staff involved in the preparation of food and snacks must have received and food handling and hygiene training.
  • There must be a trained special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), and all staff must have a satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure.

To satisfy the statutory requirements for settings on the different registers, wraparond childcare needs to have staff with the right qualifications or training.

Visit: Qualifications and training (Out of School Alliance)

What are the normal child to adult ratios for wraparound provision? What happens if my child needs more supervision?

For wraparound childcare  the statutory minimum ratio for children of reception age and above is 1 adult to 30 children. However clubs will still need to meet all the other Ofsted welfare requirements. For example, providers are required to ensure the safety of the children, understand and meet the individual needs of the children, ensure they are adequately supervised, and keep them within sight or hearing at all times. 
Even if the statutory minimum ratio is 1 to 30, wraparound childcare providers must also ensure that they are meeting the staff to child ratio demanded by their insurers. Childcare insurers typically require a ratio of 1 to 8 for early years children and around 1 to 10 for under eights.

The Out of School Alliance currently recommend the following staffing ratios to providers:

  • wraparound childcare providers operate at a ratio of around 1 to 8 for children up to the age of eight;
  • a ratio of around 1 to 10 for children over the age of eight.

For more information, read Out of school club basics (Out of School Alliance)

My local school don't offer a breakfast club or after school club. Do I have a right to request wrap around care?

All parents in England have the right to request that the school their child attends, or is due to attend, consider setting up wraparound or holiday childcare if they do not already have it.

This applies to childcare for children up to the age of 14, or age 18 for children with SEND.

The right to request only applies to childcare and does not include activities such as after-school sports clubs, which are less frequent and can be a one-off activity

The Department for Education published guidance for maintained schools, academies and free schools laying out how parents and childcare providers can exercise their ’rights to request’ wraparound and holiday childcare and the use of school premises.

Download Responding to requests for wrapround childcare (GOV.UK ) [PDF]

My child can only be collected by certain adults. How is my child safeguarded in this area?

Providers must only release children into the care of individuals who have been notified to the provider by the parent, and must ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised.

Providers must take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises and have an agreed procedure for checking the identity of visitors.

My child has specific dietary requirements. Does their wraparound childcare provider have to accommodate these?

Yes. Wraparoound childcare providers have statutory regulations that they must adhere to when providing food and drink for the children in their care if they are registered with Ofsted. The welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage state that:

Before a child is admitted to the setting the provider must also obtain information about any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that the child has, and any special health requirements... Providers must record and act on information from parents and carers about a child's dietary needs.

The room used for wraparound childcare is not suitable for my child’s mobility needs. What happens if the provider is unwilling to consider other options?

Under the Equality Act 2010 schools, early years childcare settings, local councils and other organisations that provide services to your child must not discriminate against them if they are disabled, and must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that they have the same play and learning opportunities as other children.

You should speak to the manager or SENCO, if there is one, to discuss your child’s needs whilst at the club. If the staff team require additional training, you should discuss with them who should provide this training. It may be you, a health worker or a specialist. You will also need to explore whether the premises need to be adapted to enable your child to have the same opportunities as other children.

Should I have to pay extra to access care outside the school day, due to my child’s additional needs?

No. Under the Equality Act 2010 schools, early years childcare settings, local councils and other organisations that provide services to your child must not discriminate against them if they are disabled, and must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that they have the same play and learning opportunities as other children

My child gets very upset on the days I have to take them to their wraparound childcare. How do I find out if there is a problem?

You should discuss this with the Manager of the club to inform them of your concerns and to ascertain if there is anything that may be causing your child to become upset when attending the club. They have a responsibility to ensure your child's welfare and that their needs are being met and it may be that some adjustments or additional support is required.

Can my child be excluded from their wraparound childcare due to their behaviour?

Behaviour management policy

All wraparound childcare providers should have a behaviour management policy, which should outline how negative and inappropriate behaviour is managed by using constructive behaviour management techniques.

Some children may need additional support in order to achieve acceptable levels of behaviour. Where a child is identified with these needs the provider should work closely with the parents/carers to manage the behaviour in accordance with their behaviour management policy.

Where a child persistently behaves inappropriately there may be a formal warning where staff will explain why the behaviour is unacceptable along with the consequences of further incidents. Staff should identify strategies to avoid such incidents in future. Parents/carers should always be notified if a formal warning has been issued.

Exclusions

A child should only be suspended or excluded from a setting as a last resort where all other behaviour management strategies have failed or if it is felt that children or staff are at risk.

Suspensions and exclusions should be fair, consistent and appropriate to the behaviour concerned, and take account of the child’s age and maturity as well as any other factors relevant to the child’s situation. If appropriate, advice may be sought from other agencies; this may include accessing funding for additional support.

If a temporary suspension is applied the provision should always stipulate clearly how long the suspension is for and discuss their concerns with the parent/carer in order to work together to promote a more desirable pattern of behaviour. At the end of the suspension period the Manager of the provision should meet with the parent/carer and the child in order to agree any conditions relating to the child's return to the club.

Permanent Exclusions

In exceptional circumstances, and only when all other attempts at behaviour management have failed, may it be necessary to permanently exclude a child from the setting.

If a child is permanently excluded from the setting, the parents/carers should be given a verbal and written explanation of the issues and subsequent actions. They should have the right to appeal the decision to the Manager/Management Committee within a set period of time of receiving the written notification of the exclusion.

My child’s school only offer provision until 5pm but I don’t finish work until 5.30pm. Can my child attend provision at a different school?

Yes, if transport is available. You will need to discuss this with the wraparound childcare provider that you would like your child to attend if you are unable to make your own arrangements.

Can I apply for my child’s school place solely based on the wrap around provision they provide?

No. You will need to apply for a school place based on the standard school's admission criteria, which includes children living in the catchment area and having siblings who also attend the school. However, under the admissions criteria for most schools you can also stipulate additional reasons for your child attending a specific school due to special circumstances:

Special Circumstances

Consideration will be given to applicants who can establish exceptional medical, social or humanitarian grounds (e.g. a learning, behavioural or mobility difficulty which calls for special educational provision) relating to the child or to the circumstances of the family. Supporting written evidence from a relevant professional such as a doctor or social worker must be provided at the time of application, together with details of the particular reasons why it is considered that the school is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. Each case will be considered on its merits and the allocation of any such place will be determined by comparing the written evidence presented along with the capacity for the school for the identified needs. The school Governing Body may seek any independent specialist advice deemed necessary.

If a school is named on a child's Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan then they must be admitted to that school.

For further details of the admissions arrangements, view:

How can I choose the best wraparound provision for my child?

The Out of School Alliance have information to help parents and carers choose wraparound childcare for their child.

Go to What to look for when choosing an out of school club (Out of School Alliance)

What financial support is available for parents of children with special needs, to allow them to search for and then return to work?

Providers will set their own fees for wraparound places, so prices vary. Once you have chosen a provider, you would pay them directly for your child's place.

If you are eligible, you will be able to use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare to help pay for your place.

You might also be able to get help with your initial upfront childcare costs. Check what support is available to you by using the childcare eligibility checker (Best Start in Life).

For more information, go to  our Help with Childcare Costs page.

The Government also provides information on paying for childcare and what benefits you may be entitled to.

Go to Help paying for childcare: Find out what 'approved childcare is' (GOV.UK)

Who can I contact with regard to help and support with wrap around provision in my area?

  • Local Schools and Early Years Settings will be able to provide details of wraparound provision.
  • You can search for wraparound childcare providers in your area by visiting our Find Childcare page
  • For advice and guidance to parents or carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including finding the right provision for your child, visit ASK US Nottinghamshire.

Contact Nottinghamshire County Council

If you are a County resident and need to speak to an advisor, please contact the Customer Service Centre Nottinghamshire County Council, Contact us

Contact Nottingham City Council

If you are a City resident and need to speak to an advisor, please contact the Families Information Service on telephone: 0115 8765910 or use this form to contact the Nottingham City Council Families Information Service team (opens in new tab)

Last updated: 24 February 2026