Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on who should provide wraparound school-based childcare; and what steps she is taking to ensure that child-to-adult ratios in those settings are adequate.

The department’s policy is that wraparound childcare can be provided by private or charitable companies, by school staff, or a mixture of both. Ofsted stipulate that private or charitable providers who are Ofsted registered must make sure that enough people are present at all times to ensure children’s safety and welfare, which is at least one person for every 30 children. At least one of these must be the provider, manager or a member of staff and at least one person must have an appropriate first aid certificate.

Safeguarding is of paramount importance and all providers must ensure that children are kept safe at all times. Private companies providing wraparound childcare for children between the age of 5 and 8 are required by law to register on Ofsted’s General Childcare Register.

Schools providing wraparound childcare, using their own staff, must adhere to the childcare safeguarding requirements set out in the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance for schools and colleges. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2?mc_cid=485ddf377f&mc_eid=741fc3e474.

This includes ensuring that individuals employed to work in wraparound care for children up to the age of 8 are not disqualified from working in these settings under the 2018 Childcare Disqualification Regulations. Childcare disqualification is an additional requirement to the general child safeguarding arrangements provided under the Disclosure and Barring Service regime, which apply to all children.