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All children and young people need to play.
The impulse to play is innate.
Play is biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities
WE AIM:
To provide a play environment in which children will laugh and cry, where they can explore and experiment, where they can create and destroy, achieve, feel excited and elated and sometimes may hurt themselves; at times be bored and frustrated, be independent and self-reliant, can get help, support and encouragement from others when required, can learn, in the widest possible sense of the word, about themselves, others and the world in which they live.
Big Stars is an out of school play club for children from 3 years to 17 years. We are open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 9.00 am (breakfast club) and 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm (after school club) and 7.30am to 6.00 pm during the school holidays. We are Ofsted registered (with a ‘good’ grade), and our staff are qualified to level 3. We drop off and pick up from New Moston Primary School and St. Margaret Mary’s.
Our setting runs from St Chads Church Hall, and also has exclusive use of an enclosed and secured outside play area with lots of outside toys i.e. bikes, scooters, football, badminton, tyres, gardening, skipping, and, weather permitting, a large bouncy castle to name but a few! Children are supervised at all times and have complete freedom to choose what they wish to play with. Our younger children from nursery and reception work towards the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and each has their own Key Worker who is primarily responsible for their day to day care whilst at the club.
Breakfast club children arrive from 7.30 am onwards and breakfast consists of a choice of lots of different cereals, milk, toast (with or without jam), beans, eggs and fruit juice and is served from 7.30 am to 8.15 am when we start clearing up and getting ready for school.
After school club starts from the moment we pick the children up from school and make our way back to the club. Once there, a register is taken and fun begins! Both areas are set up for play and evening snack is provided. This consists of anything from crumpets, pitta bread, sandwiches, hot dogs, beans on toast, pizza, baked potatoes, tuna pasta bake (mmm the kids favourite), wraps, etc followed by either fresh fruit or, once or twice a week homemade cake (well we are above a cake shop!). There is a choice of fruit juice or water then back to playtime until it’s time to go home.
Holiday Club. When school is closed for holidays we open from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday. These sessions are slightly different from the usual day to day running of the club. Breakfast goes on a little longer (giving our sleepy heads time to arrive and have something to eat) and we also have a mid morning and mid afternoon snack, followed by our afternoon high tea. For holiday club we ask that children bring their own packed lunch, which is taken at 11.30 am every day.
The children learn about various essentials of modern life such as healthy eating, playing safe, and leadership. The games and activities your children partake in allow them to join in with other kids. The space at our club gives them room and some privacy to create, explore, and get familiar with essential life skills. What is better than when learning can be fun! The group and teams develop together at our club, which boosts their morale when at home or school.
Parents of all new starters need to fill in the necessary paperwork. This includes a copy of our Policies and Procedures, a Parent’s Contract and information about your child. This may change from time to time, and if this is the case we will issue you with amendments whenever they arise.
In turn we would be grateful if you could let us know if any of your contact details change (especially phone numbers) as we may need to get hold of you in an emergency.
We take your feedback to heart, and we love to make your child's time here as happy as possible; so, do let us know if there is anything you feel we need to know, good or bad! There is a parents feedback box in the reception area for your use.
Should you need to talk to us about anything you feel is of a confidential nature there is a private office and a member of staff will always be available to speak to you.
We like to reward our children with stickers and surprises whenever they have done something really good. Being appreciated for our good efforts is essential to our development. Gaining an award is a great sense of achievement that motivates our children to excel.
Leadership and being that special friendly someone can make all the difference to your child's and their friends wellbeing. Our qualified and friendly yet assertive staff have a keen eye and are constantly aware of how the children behave and how they are feeling.
Making nice and positive experiences is our priority. We are eager to appraise and drive forward the good-will actions of children who come here.
