The club is a place for children to play, make friends, try new things and be safe.
At the Holiday Club We have a very high staff ratio of 1 staff per 2 children with a Club Manager, Assistant Manager and 2 Supervisors on site.
The After School Club has a Club Manager and 3 Playworkers
The club is based at Addington School which is a new purpose built school for children with additional needs. As such the premises are safe,secure and we also have access to all of the outside play area which is equally secure.
Ofsted’s most recent inspection in 2019 rated us as Outstanding. Please read their report here.
Staff
All of our staff have DBS checks and a number of them have undergone training to increase their knowledge and experience of working with children and young people. Some of our staff have undergone training for administering emergency medication and gastrostomy. Our Holiday Club staff take part in an induction training course which informs them all about Thumbs Up Club and our club members. Our After School Club is staffed by Addington School staff.
All our staff are very friendly and enthusiastic and are dedicated to meeting the needs of our club members. Making sure that their time with us at Thumbs Up Club is fun and exciting, while ensuring their safety and promoting their independence.
Many of our staff have been with us for a long time and know our club members well. All our staff are briefed every morning about the children and young people who are attending club that day. Medical details, behaviour and feeding requirements are discussed within these sessions to ensure that the individual needs of our club members can be fully met.
Behaviour
We are aware that some of our children and young people that attend thumbs Up Club find certain situations difficult to cope with and this can lead to them displaying challenging behaviour. If this happens then the staff will remove (where possible) the child to a calming area for them to calm down. We have many calming spaces around club for this. However if this is not possible then physical intervention may need to be used. This will only be used as a last resort and if all other strategies have not worked. The management team will be the staff to decide if physical intervention is necessary and only trained staff will be involved. After an incident and once the child/young person has calmed down they will be debriefed to help them begin to understand and manage their behaviour and feelings. You will be informed if we have had to hold your child and all the relevant paperwork will be filled out.
If we are unable to calm your child/young person down or if we feel that it is unsafe for your child to stay then we may need to ring you and ask for you to come and collect your child. We would like to reassure you that physical intervention and sending club members home is a last resort and it is very rare that this happens. If you have any queries or concerns then please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can discuss it further.
The Holiday Club will accept children and young people who can display challenging behaviour, but we would be grateful if you would provide us with the full details of any behaviour they may display and any triggers for that behaviour on the booking forms so we can ensure that we can keep everyone safe and happy.
Personal Care Plans, Feeding Plans and Behaviour Plans
Personal care plans are written by the management team for all club members which are based on the information provided on their booking forms. The care plans provide information for our staff about our club members: behaviour; feeding requirements; personal care; medical needs; medication and their likes and dislikes. These care plans help our staff to create a happy, fun and safe environment for our club members to enjoy Thumbs Up Club.