Arrival and Collection
Who we will release your child to, and precisely what we do if they are not collected or do not turn up. These are the procedures we follow every time, not a description of what we would probably do.
Arriving
Please aim to arrive at your session’s start time. If you arrive early you may be asked to wait outside until we are ready to take children in safely — that is about supervision rather than unfriendliness. If you are running late, phone ahead. We cannot refund time missed through lateness, because the session still ends when it ends.
Collecting
We release a child only to an adult you have given permission to collect them.
Only to Someone You Have Named
You give us a list of authorised collectors on your contract, and we release your child to those people only.
Tell Us About Anyone New
If someone different is collecting, let us know in advance. We may ask for a description or a photograph.
We Use a Password
If someone we have not met before arrives, we ask for your agreed password before we release your child. No password, no collection — even if they know your child’s name.
Walking Home Alone
Year 6 and above only, and only with your specific written permission and our agreement. Otherwise an adult collects them.
If Your Child Is Not Collected
- We keep your child with us, safe and reassured.
- We wait 15 minutes before doing anything further.
- We phone the primary contact.
- If we cannot reach you, we phone your emergency contacts.
- If 30 minutes pass with no contact and nobody has arrived, we are required to call the LADO or the police for advice.
If Your Child Does Not Arrive
We treat an unexplained absence as a potential safeguarding concern, not an administrative one.
- We double-check the timetable and our messages, in case a cancellation was missed.
- We wait 10 minutes past the start time.
- We phone the primary contact to find out where your child is.
- If we cannot reach you and we are seriously concerned, we phone your emergency contacts.
- If we still cannot establish where your child is, we contact the police and/or children’s social care.
Both procedures are why we ask for two emergency contacts and why we need your numbers to be current. If anything changes, tell us the same week.
Anything You Want to Check?
Collection arrangements are worth getting exactly right, and we would rather answer a question now than improvise on the day.