SPARK Club (Crofton Downs Primary School)
Crofton Downs, Wellington
About SPARK Club (Crofton Downs Primary School)
As our name reflects we are a Club full of SPARK where we all get excited about having fun. SPARK Club is not school, it's a programme where your children come to relax and enjoy themselves.
We provide a structured programme of activities accommodating a wide range of interests. Our care is underpinned by our school expectations and values following the school rules.
We meet in the school hall where afternoon tea is provided after which the fun begins. Each day will be different with varied arts and crafts activities, board games and toys, organised sports as well as lots of imaginative play and drama being offered. There will also be time for reading and quiet activities. We have lots of space outside with two playgrounds, the school field with football and rugby goals, and sealed areas with netball hoops where there are also opportunities for play with scooters, skates and skateboards.
Our team will encourage your children to give their input wherever possible and use their suggestions to plan our next themes/activities. Our team have varied skills and interests and are committed to keeping our programme engaging and fun for everyone.
We provide a structured programme of activities accommodating a wide range of interests. Our care is underpinned by our school expectations and values following the school rules.
We meet in the school hall where afternoon tea is provided after which the fun begins. Each day will be different with varied arts and crafts activities, board games and toys, organised sports as well as lots of imaginative play and drama being offered. There will also be time for reading and quiet activities. We have lots of space outside with two playgrounds, the school field with football and rugby goals, and sealed areas with netball hoops where there are also opportunities for play with scooters, skates and skateboards.
Our team will encourage your children to give their input wherever possible and use their suggestions to plan our next themes/activities. Our team have varied skills and interests and are committed to keeping our programme engaging and fun for everyone.
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Terms & Conditions
Crofton Downs Primary SchoolBefore & After School Care/Holiday Programme Procedures - November 2024
Before & After School Care Programme Philosophy
Our Before & After School Care Programme aims to provide a safe and stimulating programme for students of different ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. We work hard to encompass individual needs and embrace opportunities to work with parents/caregivers as partners.
This programme is an extension of our school. In short, we expect it to operate with the same expectations on staff and students as the normal classroom environment.
The safety of the children is the paramount consideration during programme provision. These policies/procedures will be reviewed under the school review timetable or if the policies are found to be deficient. It is the responsibility of the Principal and the Board to ensure that this is done.
Access to all our school policies can be obtained via SchoolDocs the school’s website, www.cdps.school.nz.
The Before & After School Care Programme is run under the auspices of the school, who employ and oversee all staff. The CDPS Values and Spirits underpin our decision making and functions.
Operation
The programme will provide a well managed service that meets the needs of Crofton Downs
Primary School, its students and families. The day to day operations of the programme are delegated to the Before & After School Care Programme Manager and staff.
Attendance
While any student of primary school age living within Crofton Downs Primary School’s enrolment zone may attend Crofton Downs Primary School, we reserve the right to cease an after school care enrolment of a student if they are not following the direction of our Before & After School Care Programme Manager or staff. This would be a ‘last resort’ after first discussing concerns with the parents/caregivers and students and working on positive solutions.
Programme Hours
The Before & After School Care Programme will operate from:
7.30am to 8.30am Monday to Friday, during term time.
3.00pm to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, during term time.
Programmes may be offered in school holidays on the second week of every term holiday and after Wellington Anniversary day until school returns at the beginning of the year.
Fees
The fee structure will be clearly shown and described on all programme information on Enrolmy.
All fees are to be paid via Enrolmy via credit card, debit card, or automatic payment to the Spark Club bank account.
A late pick-up fee may be charged, this is invoiced via Enrolmy.
Enrolment Procedures
Being part of the school, we have up-to-date information on each child on Hero, our student management system. We will still require each child that takes part in the Before & After School Care Programme to complete an additional enrolment, this will be captured in Enrolmy. This is so that all relevant information is available to the staff running this programme.
It is the parents/caregivers responsibility to inform the Before & After School Care Programme Manager of any changes of details and if these relate to the school day, also inform the school office. The Enrolmy booking form asks parents/caregivers to confirm acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Before & After School Care Programme.
Waitlist Criteria
If there is no space available on the day(s) you are requesting, then your child’s/children’s name will go onto our waitlist once a booking is completed via Enrolmy.
Priority is given to siblings, and students already in the programme looking to change days. After that a “first in, first served, and as space permits” policy will apply. This is carried out in a fair manner and by moving names up the queue as space becomes available. In the event a student is offered a place for a day(s) and they are unable to take it, the place shall be offered to the next person on the waitlist and so on until the position is filled.
The school operates separate waitlists for each day of the week. Students who are offered but decline a place will be removed from the waitlist(s) for the day(s) they have declined. This will not affect your place on the waitlists for other days. If you wish to return to the waitlist for a day(s) you have declined, you will need to indicate this by completing a new booking via Enrolmy for that day(s).
You will be informed as soon as a space becomes available. Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee a place, or predict when a place will become available. Please note that your child(ren) may not be accepted into the programme on all of your requested days. If you no longer require a place on the waitlist, it is helpful for us to know in order to keep the list accurate.
Casual Basis and Extra Attendance
Parents/caregivers can book via Enrolmy using the “casual” tab to make a booking on a day their child(ren) does not normally attend. This must be booked by 2pm on the day of attendance. There is no guarantee a place will be available.
Cancellation Policy
If a child is unable to attend the programme and the parent/caregiver has notified the Before & After School Care Programme Manager 5 days in advance, a credit will be issued to the parents/caregivers Enrolmy account for the cancelled session(s).
Contact can be made either by email sparkclub@cdps.school.nz texting or phoning 022 649 3925, or phoning the school office on 479 2429 during school hours.
Holiday Programme Refund Policy
Cancellations made 10 working days or more in advance will receive a credit to the parents/caregivers Enrolmy account.
If cancellations are made within 10 working days of the programme starting then no refund will be possible as staffing and resources will have been put in place.
Drop off and pick up
An attendance roll is taken at the beginning of each afternoon session and parents/caregivers are responsible for signing their child(ren) in or out of the Before & After School Care programme via the ipad provided by Spark Club.
Staff are not permitted to release children to people who are not on the authorised pick up list. Parents/caregivers must inform the Before & After School Care Manager if a person who is not listed on the student's enrolment form will be collecting the student. If an unauthorised person comes to collect the student parents/caregivers will be contacted for authorisation before allowing the student to leave with this person.
Morning: Students should be dropped off in the school hall by their parent/caregiver.
After School: Year 3 to 6 students are expected to walk to the school hall directly after being released from the school day to meet a Before & After School Care Programme staff member.
Year 0 - 2 students will be collected from their classroom and taken to the school hall by a Before & After School Care Programme staff member.
The following steps will be taken if a student does not arrive at the programme:
- Check with the school Office Manager as to whether the student was at school.
- The classroom teacher will be contacted to see if they are aware of where the student would be.
- Parents/Caregivers will be telephoned by the Before & After School Care Manager for the unexplained absence.
- Emergency contacts and thereafter, the Police will be contacted where there are serious concerns for a student’s whereabouts and/or safety. The Principal will be contacted if this occurs.
- Two staff members will remain with the student.
- Parents/caregivers and emergency contacts will be contacted.
- If there has been no contact with the parents/caregivers or the emergency contacts within one hour of the programme closing, the student will be collected by the School Principal. A note will be left at the school indicating where the student has been taken.
All information stored, and conversations had will remain confidential.
Students with special needs will be included in the Before & After School Care programme, providing that the Before & After School Care Programme Manager is confident that:
- ● the student can be safely cared for
- ● the student will benefit from being at the programme Full information about the student's requirements including medication and supervision must be obtained from the parents/caregivers and disclosed in the safety form in Enrolmy. It is the Before & After School Care Programme Manager's responsibility to ensure that all staff and volunteers are fully aware of the student's requirements and that they are confident in providing the necessary care. If a student requires further special aids, for example modified facilities, extra staff or staff training, the Before & After School Care Programme Manager will consult with the Principal and Board who will make the final decision. Each case will be considered on an individual basis and every effort will be made to include the student within the limits of the resources of the programme.
- ● student directed and planned arts and crafts
- ● an opportunity to complete home learning
- ● an organised sport or active group game
- ● group or individual quiet games or activities
- ● use of games, IT, various equipment and books. Note there is very limited access to BYOD/iPads
- ● supervised outdoor play Students will be encouraged to participate in activities but may choose not to as long as they are not bored or disruptive. Whenever possible, alternatives will be offered. Equipment will be well maintained and age-appropriate. The programme will be reviewed at the end of each term by the staff and reported to the Principal.
● notifiable illness or injury ● notifiable incident.
A notifiable event must arise from work (the conduct of the business or undertaking). This may include the condition of the work site, the way the work activity was organised, or the way equipment or substances were used.
Notifiable events may apply to all affected workers, students, visitors, and contractors if they are injured while involved in school activities (on or off school grounds), work being done on behalf of the school, or using the school grounds and equipment. It also applies to school activities that take place off school grounds, such as Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC). If multiple PCBUs are involved, one should be nominated to notify WorkSafe. However, all PCBUs are responsible for ensuring a notification is made.
PCBUs must work out whether an event is notifiable – see WorkSafe's What events need to be notified.
At CDPS, reporting to WorkSafe is delegated to the Principal, who ensures the board chair is also informed. If the Principal was involved in the event, reporting to WorkSafe becomes the responsibility of the board chair.
If a notifiable event occurs, we:
● take all reasonable steps to preserve the site where the notifiable event occurred (we note that preserving the site doesn't prevent us from helping an injured person, removing a deceased person, making the site safe to avoid further injury, or following police or WorkSafe directions)
● notify WorkSafe immediately by phone on 0800 030 040 (24/7) if the event is a death
● notify WorkSafe as soon as possible using the Notify WorkSafe tool for all other notifications
● investigate what happened and identify what actions need to be taken to minimise risks for the future
● keep records of notifiable events for at least five years after the date WorkSafe was notified.
Programme Supervision
The staff/child ratio is 1:12 at the Before & After School Care programme.
We will not leave the school grounds for excursions
During before school supervision, there will be one member of staff supervising when bookings are 14 or less. In these circumstances there will always be additional school staff onsite.
There will always be a minimum of two staff on duty after school. Students will be in view of staff at all times where appropriate. Students will be informed of the boundaries they are expected to stay within at all times and must inform an adult when they are going to leave the area (such as retrieving a lost football).
During Before & After School Care sessions, one student at a time will be allowed to use the toilet and students will be checked on after five minutes if they have not returned. This will be done in a manner that retains the student’s dignity.
An attendance roll will be marked at the beginning of the session and head counts will be made during the session at various times to ensure all students are accounted for.
Educational Visits Outside the School Grounds
The Before & After School Care programme does not take students out on educational visits. No exceptions will be made.
Hazards and Risk Management
The safety of students and adults at the programme will be ensured by:
- ● identifying and recording all potential health and safety hazards at the school
- ● assessing the risk to staff and programme participants of all identified hazards
- ● putting controls in place to remove or minimise the risks, for example, providing safety equipment using healthy and safe work practices, together with staff training regular classroom, playground and hazard inspections compliance with all relevant codes of practice and regulations
- ● following the school sun-safe policy in place which is followed by students and staff It is the responsibility of the Principal and Board of Trustees to ensure all procedures are in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all times. All employees will be involved in hazard identification, and information on identified hazards will be relayed to the school’s Principal for actioning (refer school Hazard Registers). Health and safety information will be discussed at staff meetings where staff are informed of all health and safety policies and regulations by the school’s Principal.
If an animal is roaming in the area unrestrained, the students will;
- Not approach the animal
- Walk in a sensible manner
- Return quietly to the hall
- All staff are to be aware and trained in this procedure
- ● sweeping hall and kitchen floor and cleaning spills as required
- ● emptying rubbish bins and replacing liners
- ● wiping all kitchen benches/surfaces where food is prepared
- ● wiping microwave
- ● wiping trestle tables
- ● checking toilets, hand basins and toilet floors are clean
- ● collecting and re uniting named lost property Weekly:
- ● wiping fridge and shelves where food is stored
- ● general cleaning check
- ● sorting and checking art area, toys, equipment etc
- ● washing tea towels Termly:
- ● checking all games and equipment for damage
- Staff will immediately inform the Before & After School Care Programme Manager.
- Appropriate first aid will be administered.
- If a student needs medical attention, parents/caregivers will be contacted to ascertain if they would prefer to take the student themselves or would they prefer staff to take them to the medical centre of their choice. If parents/caregivers or emergency contacts are unavailable, the student will be taken to the nearest available medical facility by taxi or private vehicle at the parents/caregivers cost.
- If a serious injury occurs, parents/caregivers will be notified and an ambulance called. If it is not possible to be allocated an ambulance then the student may be transported in a private vehicle to the nearest medical centre or hospital.
4. Professional help will be sought if required
For trauma of staff, the Principal will ensure that professional help is made available.
Emergency and Disaster Procedures
Fire and earthquake drills are carried out on a regular basis for all staff and students at Crofton Downs Primary School.
The Before & After School Care Programme Manager is responsible for ensuring that new staff and volunteers are aware of the procedures.
Earthquake Action Plan
- ● Follow the school procedures
- ● An attendance roll is taken to account for all students and staff Fire Action Plan
- ● Follow the school procedures
- ● Evacuate all people from the building
- ● Assemble at the assembly point on the school courtyard
- ● An attendance roll is taken to account for all students and staff
- ● The emergency wheelie bin can be accessed from the school office
- ● All students remain at the gathering point until told to move Illness and Medication If a student becomes ill they will be made comfortable and the Before & After School Care Programme Manager will notify the parents/caregivers. Medicine will not be administered unless parents/caregivers have provided details including when the medication is to be given and the dosage in Enrolmy. All medicine must be labelled showing the student's name and dosage and must be stored out of reach of all students. Parents/caregivers will be informed of any administered medicine when they come to pick up their child(ren). Students who have notifiable diseases will be excluded from the Before & After School Care programme for the appropriate infectious period. Staff with notifiable diseases must take the appropriate precautions to prevent cross infection. For example, they will not participate in the administering of first aid and medication and/or will not work during the infectious period.
- The school’s Guidelines for child protection will be observed. (Refer to School Docs)
- Although After School Care staff members are legally entitled to refer issues to Oranga Tamariki or the Police, our school policy advises that any suspicion that abuse is occurring should be reported to the school Principal to be dealt with.
- The Principal will inform the Presiding Member of the Board of Trustees.
- The Principal will investigate and refer the incident or observation to Oranga Tamariki.
- ● Remind the student in a positive way of what is expected of them
- ● If the behaviour continues the student will be reminded again and warned of the consequence that will result
- ● If the student continues to misbehave after two warnings the consequence will be enforced
- ● Being removed from the activity and given reflection time, that is the student will be made to sit away from the group in a clearly visible spot for a period determined by the Before & After School Care Programme Manager (usually about five minutes)
- ● Having physical play boundaries reduced (for example, when a student continually leaves the defined boundaries)
- ● Not being allowed to play with a certain piece of equipment for an appropriate length of time (for example, when a student continually misuses that piece of equipment) In all cases, before the student returns to the group the Before & After School Care Manager will review with them what positive behaviours are expected (for example, refraining from disruptive, rude or aggressive behaviour). If a student continually misbehaves, parents/caregivers will be notified when they pick up their child and asked to support the staff in their attempts to encourage positive student behaviour. If disruptive behaviour continues, parents/caregivers will be asked to meet with the Before & After School Care Programme Manager, and if necessary the school Principal to plan a course of action. If a student continually behaves in a manner that endangers themselves or others (including students or staff), despite the above measures, parents/caregivers will be notified by the Principal and asked to remove their child with immediate effect. Punitive Discipline/Measures At no time will punitive discipline be used. This includes punishing children by physically hitting, withholding food and drink, being abusive, demeaning or condescending with comments or by placing a student in isolation. At all times, staff will maintain a fair, consistent and positive approach to student behaviour. When students are in conflict with each other, staff will encourage the students to resolve the situation themselves and aid them by making suggestions on how to do so. If students cannot resolve the conflict they will be removed from the situation, for example they will not be allowed to play with either the toy or each other until such time as they can manage to successfully. Restraint Guidelines Children will only be physically restrained if their immediate safety or the safety of others is at risk and verbal commands have failed. If this was required, then the appropriate incident report form would be filed in and given to the Principal. Parents/caregivers would be informed of any such incident and a plan would be developed for the future. Restraining a child will only be done as a last resort.
- ● keep clear and accurate financial records
- ● ensure that the Before & After School Care Programme is a separate form of income
- ● set the budget for approval by the Board of Trustees Staff and Volunteers The Before & After School Care programme Manager and Principal will ensure quality care is provided through fair and consistent recruitment procedures including the relevant supervision and training of all staff including relievers and volunteers. All relevant legislation will be adhered to.
The interview process will consist of a stated set of questions and referee checks.
All applicants will provide information required under the Vulnerable Children’s Act, including two forms of identification, a C.V. that outlines a chronological work history for at least the previous five years, and the names of at least two referees. It is the Principal's responsibility to contact the referees for verification of the applicant's experience and suitability to work with children.
Staff or volunteers must be 16 years of age or over. All workers, including volunteers, must:
- ● Release details of their police record to the Principal. No person with a conviction for sexual crimes, crimes of violence against the person or for any offence involving harm or exploitation of children may be employed at the school. No position is offered and/or permanent until a successful police check is returned by the New Zealand Police Vetting Service
- ● Sign a contract statement that they will abide by the policies and code of conduct
- ● Before & After School Care staff will be provided with a full job description that states responsibilities, skills, certification and standards required The employee must sight a written employment contract, clearly setting out wages and conditions of work. Every three years existing staff will be subject to the following safety checks as per the Vulnerable Children Act:
- ● Confirmation that the staff member has not changed their name, and if so confirmation of that change with a primary form of identification
- ● Seeking information from any relevant professional body, licencing or registration body if relevant
- ● Completion of a New Zealand Police Vet
- ● Evaluation of the above information to assess the risk the staff member would pose to the safety of children
- striking or sexually abusing a student
- failing to observe programme rules so that a student is injured or placed in serious danger
If the complaint is upheld, the staff member may be dismissed, with the agreement of the Board of Trustees. Following a dismissal of this nature the Board, in consultation with the Principal and manager, will prepare a follow-up report recommending any changes needed to avoid the situation recurring.
Staff Complaints
Staff complaints against other staff members must be referred to the Principal. The Presiding Member of the Board of Trustees is to be informed of any serious complaints involving Before & After School Care staff.
Staff grievances against the Board of Trustees will be resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Relations Act 2000.
Complaints Procedure
The following complaints procedure will be clearly displayed in the schools Before & After School Care location.
In general, if any parent/caregiver have complaints or concerns about the programme, students or staff, they should:
- Approach the Before & After School Care Programme Manager who will attempt to rectify the situation (The Principal may be approached initially if preferred).
- If the parent/caregiver remains unsatisfied, then they should then contact the Principal.
- The Principal and Board of Trustees Presiding Member will confer and talk to the complainant and decide an appropriate course of action. Where possible, a mutually agreeable outcome will be sought.
- Further complaints must be made in writing and must contain details of the grievance and desired outcomes (see more details in next section). The Principal or Board of Trustees will respond to the complaint within 14 days.
- The Before & After School Care Programme Manager will keep the Principal informed of any verbal complaints received
● ask the person raising a concern to provide more information to clarify the level of concern ● explain the process for responding to a formal complaint.
Any person may have a support person with them when raising a concern or complaint. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of those involved when a concern is raised, it may be appropriate for the person receiving a concern to limit communication about the concern until a facilitated session occurs or until a third party is present.
All parties should respect privacy and confidentiality, including avoiding the use of social media to promote a point of view.
How to make a complaint
Put your specific complaint(s) in writing and include your preferred contact details. Give as many facts and details as possible, including the names of people involved and dates of events, as well as any steps you have taken to resolve the matter. It will not usually be possible to effectively investigate complaints that are made anonymously. If you have any specific concerns about your identity being disclosed then please include these with your formal complaint so they can be discussed with you directly.
The letter or email should be marked "confidential" and sent to:
● the Principal, if the complaint is about a staff member, student, parent or caregiver, or other member of the school community
● the board chair, if it is about the Principal
● a member of the board, if it is about the board chair.
Contact details for the Principal and board chair are available at the school office or online.
What happens with your complaint
The Principal or board chair will check that your complaint has come to the correct person and then send you an acknowledgement of receipt within 5 working days.
First steps
Depending on the nature of the complaint, the first steps may include:
● asking you for more details about your complaint so that your concerns can be investigated effectively
● suggesting possible alternative options for informal or low-level resolution
● referring the matter to the board for consideration at an in-committee meeting, so that the board can determine the next steps
● conducting preliminary investigative steps or enquiring into the facts
● consulting external advisors (e.g. legal advice, NZSTA).
After raising the initial concern, parties involved in the complaints process should not communicate about the matter with each other until all parties agree to an appropriate way to discuss or resolve the matter. This applies at all times, both in and out of school.
Decision to investigate
After receiving a formal complaint, the school will need to decide whether an investigation is necessary or otherwise appropriate. It is likely that your written complaint will be disclosed to the person complained of at an early stage. This is to ensure fairness and meet the requirements of natural justice. Where a complaint is being investigated the person complained of will usually be informed of the intended investigation process. If the person complained of is an employee of the school they must be advised of the complaint and be given an opportunity to provide explanations and comments before the school makes any decision that is likely to affect the employee's continued employment.
● If your formal complaint does not justify a formal investigation, the principal or board will consider the issues raised and all of the relevant information, and provide you with a written response.
● If your formal complaint does justify a formal investigation, see formal investigation process below.
Before starting an investigation, the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) or legal advisors should be contacted for advice. The school's insurer may need to be notified. It may also be necessary to liaise with other external agencies, such as Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children and/or the New Zealand Police, before starting an investigation.
Formal investigation process
If a formal investigation is required, subject to privacy, confidentiality, or other ethical and legal requirements, we may keep you informed about the investigation process and the expected timeframes, including confirmation of when the matter is concluded.
● Relevant collective employment agreement provisions for dealing with complaints about staff members must be observed, including protecting the staff member's dignity and mana, advising them of their right to seek support and representation before responding to complaints, and giving them a reasonable opportunity to take that advice.
● A full documentary record of any formal complaint is completed and stored confidentially in a secure location.
Confidentiality
The Before & After School Care Programme Staff will ensure staff, student and parent confidentiality. At all times the programme will comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act 1993 and the school's policy on privacy.
No information is shared except with the owner's permission or as required by legislation, for example, The Health and Safety Act. All files holding confidential information will be duly secured and kept away from the access of unauthorised persons. All personal information shared in discussions between staff or at meetings is to remain between those persons.
All sensitive and personal conversations including telephone conversations shall be held discreetly and in private, such as the school’s office or the Sakura room.
School Records Retention and Disposal
Spark Club preserves school records as valuable assets for the short and long-term operation of our school. We have effective records management systems to meet the requirements of the Public Records Act 2005, which includes complying with other relevant legislation. The Public Records Act provides a framework for ensuring accurate record keeping of public records, including school records.
We comply with the guidelines set out in the School Records – Retention and Disposal Schedule (the Schedule), which covers all possible records a school may create. The Schedule provides further details about how long to keep school records, why records need to be kept, and what happens to them when they are no longer useful to our school. See School Records – Retention and Disposal Schedule . We also follow the standard issued by Archives New Zealand
Refer to School Docs for full information
Performance Appraisal
An annual appraisal of the Before & After School Care Programme Manager will be the responsibility of the Principal. Performance appraisals will be carried out for each staff member with the sole intention to increase awareness of their performance and to ensure a high standard of care at the Before & After School Care programme.
The appraisal will be based on the job description, will establish individual and group strengths and identify areas for personal and professional development. It will consist of a self-appraisal and interview with the Principal.
Objectives will be set for the next term of employment. All appraisals will be confidential.
Volunteers
Supervision of volunteers is the responsibility of the Before & After School Care Programme Manager. Volunteers must undergo the same security checks and induction as paid staff. They should not be expected to undertake the same level of responsibility as paid staff. Efforts will be made to include volunteers in planning and training as appropriate. Any agreement regarding reimbursement of expenses must be made in writing.
Adopted at the Board Meeting - December 2022 Updated - November 2024 Presented to the Board 3 December 2024