Hoots is managed by Laura Patrick Manager and DSL, Charley Bugeja our deputy manager alongside Tina Hobbs, our Early Years Lead. Our management team are supported by an experienced team of qualified, dedicated and enthusiastic play workers who have a wide range of experience in the childcare field.
Hoots after school & holiday clubs
Download Hoots Holiday Club Reservation form
HOOTS – BREAKFAST CLUB
Our Breakfast, After School and Holiday Club operates from a large Hall based within Toftwood Junior School. Children and families access our provision via a separate coded entrance. The address is Toftwood Junior School, Westfield Road, Dereham NR19 1JB.
At Hoots, we offer breakfast club each morning during school term time. Breakfast club opens at 7.30am. Children have the option of having breakfast, which includes a variety of cereals, toast, fruit and a drink.
Our breakfast club offers a wide range of activities including a selection of board games, construction toys, colouring sheets and books, with the aim being to provide a quiet and relaxing start to their school day. At 8.40am we depart from our clubs with Toftwood Junior schools accessing their classrooms directly from the school hall and with Toftwood Infant children being walked over to the infants playground and being dropped off with their teachers by our play workers. For our children who attend Scarning Primary School, they are transported to their school via our fully insured Hoots vehicle.
We also provide booster seats for those that require them
HOOTS – AFTER SCHOOL CLUB
Children attending Toftwood Infants or Scarning are collected by our play workers and supervised while they are transported to Hoots. Our Afterschool Club is the hive of activity for our children. Our children are welcomed into club by our team of play workers. Every afternoon the children have the opportunity to explore and create using our vast range of craft materials.
Our STEM area provides a variety of toys, games consoles, lego and “tech” for those with an interest in science, maths, technology and engineering.
Our Early Years Area is designed to meet the need of our youngest children. We offer a home corner, dressing up, small world toys, messy play and story corner in this area.
Our older children have a ‘chill out’ area with soft furnishings, lights, and resources to support mindfulness and wellbeing. This is particularly helpful for those who need some time to regulate and relax after a long day at school.
Our Afterschool Club operates from a large school hall at Toftwood Junior School which has direct access to the field and playground. Our club has a huge variety of age appropriate provision as well as interest items such as interactive screens, Xbox and Nintendo switches.
Physical activity plays a central role in our afterschool provision. From Football coaching to yoga, dance and gymnastics as well as lots of support and encouragement to take part in team games and sports. Hoots encourages all children to be active and progress in their physical development.
During afterschool club children also enjoy attending our in-house clubs such as cooking club, drawing club, STEM club and movie nights where we enjoy a drink and some popcorn to relax after a busy week at school
Offering additional clubs
Each term the children have the opportunity to choose their own additional experiences within our afterschool club. Over the past couple of years we have enjoyed football coaching and linked with a football club in Cambodia swapping shirts and sharing our experience with the beautiful game! We have learned to cook a range of delicious meals and sweet treats at our cooking club. The Magazine club produced a fabulously funny and insightful magazine about hoots, their schools hobbies and intrests and life in general which was shared with our families. Our gardening and allotment club has also had a great deal of successful harvests. The children will vote on the extra clubs they want to access and our staff team provide the resources and expertise they need.
Hoots also offers an extensive range of outdoor provision including tents, den building, sports equipment, outdoor toys and tools for exploring the outdoor environment. The children are also provided with lightweight hi-visibility jackets enabling them to access our outdoor provision in all seasons
Hoots also offer an extensive range of complementary extracurricular activities including dance club, yoga, gardening club, sports club and drama club throughout the course of the academic year. Outdoor Play is very important to us and affording children the opportunities to explore, be active and challenge themselves is a vital part of their childhood. We actively encourage our children to engage with the natural world and provide lots of opportunities for children to interact with nature, animals as well as growing fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Refreshments – After School Club
Upon arrival at Hoots, children are offered fresh fruit a savoury snack and fresh water is always supplied. However, if preferred, children can bring their own packed tea to Hoots.
Admissions – After School Club
We operate waiting lists whereby children can be registered at any time. When a vacancy then becomes available the child at the top of the list will be offered that space. However, this is dependent on there being sufficient spaces on the transport being provided from that particular school if your child’s school is Scarning School. We do give priority to children commencing school who have previously attended either of our Little Owls Day Nurseries or have siblings who attend our Little Owls Day Nurseries
Cancellations, Payment & Period Of Notice – After School Care Club
If you need to cancel a session that your child attends please ensure that you contact Hoots by 9.30am at the latest in order that we can notify all of the relevant parties. The main nursery office number is 01362 699700 or you can e-mail Hoots at hootsmanager@littleowls-nursery.co.uk. We regret that refunds for missed sessions will not be possible. Should you wish to cancel your child’s place at Hoots, four weeks written notice is required during which time you remain liable for all fees. The sessional fees are payable monthly in advance with invoices being distributed during the last week of the previous month. We ask for all fees to be paid by the 20th day of each month after which all outstanding fees will incur an interest charge of 10% for each week they remain outstanding
Parking Procedure – After School Club
Could we please ask that parents do not use the school car parks when collecting their children? Parking is available immediately outside both of the school premises. However please do be vigilant of yellow zigzag lines.
Toftwood Infant School or Toftwood Junior School Closures
Should either of the Toftwood Schools close due to bad weather or through other unforeseen circumstances, and Hoots were unable to offer an after-school club at Little Owls Day Nursery, Hoots staff will call all parents effected to advise them of the closure as soon as possible.
Activities At The Holiday Club
Our main objective at the holiday club is to provide a fun, relaxed and stimulating environment for the children in our care. The Hoots staff will plan a range of activities to ensure that the children are able to enjoy a wonderful break from school. Our aim is to provide an excellent service to working parents as we are able to offer an environment, which enables children to engage in activities and projects not always possible within their own homes. We are confident that children who attend Hoots will go home with tales of the activities they have enjoyed, friends that they have made and the fun that they have had.
We also encourage children to bring along their bikes scooters or roller skates in the school holidays. We have free flow access to a large playground and field which allows the children to practise their skills in a safe traffic free environment.
In-House Visits – Holiday Club
During the school holidays, we offer a varied range of internal visits. In the past Hoots have enjoyed a wide range of in-house/external visits such as Dinosaur Park, Mini Monsters Roadshow, Clay Barn Pottery, High Lodge, Gressenhall farm house & museum, JD sports coaching & Martial Arts. Our Hoots parties at Halloween, Christmas and the end of the summer holidays also prove very popular. In addition, we also offer a range of arts and crafts, games, sports and equipment for the children to enjoy over the holiday period, details of which are provided in the reservation forms
Our Local Community
As well as having so much to explore and engage with onsite we also like to get out into our local community. We visit all of the parks local to Toftwood taking our lunch to enjoy a picnic when the weather is nice. We visit our local cinema, the Dereham windmill and go on litter picks around the area to help take care of the world around us
Meals & Refreshments
During Holiday club children must bring a packed lunch and can choose to bring a packed tea also. Throughout the day children can access healthy snacks and fresh water. We enjoy lots of different cooking activities during the school holidays, children are encouraged to try the things they make. It is parents responsibility to update us of any allergies or information relating to food.
Cancellations, Payment & Period Of Notice – Holiday Club
If you need to cancel a session during the school holidays please give Hoots as much notice as possible. We regret that it is not possible to give refunds for missed sessions. Upon receipt of your completed reservation form you will be liable for these fees whether you attend the sessions or not. All Holiday Club children will receive an invoice for their sessions during the holiday club and we ask for payment as soon as possible or by the last week of the holiday.
Parking – Holiday Club
On-site parking is provided within the boundaries of Toftwood Junior School for Holiday club only.
Collection Procedure – Holiday Club
It is vital that you notify the club if your child is being collected by anyone other than those people authorized on our records. Children will not be permitted to leave with anyone for whom authorization has not been granted. Please ensure that your child is collected promptly and telephone us if any delay is envisaged.
Hoots Hoodies
At the request of our children we now offer ‘Hoots Hoodies’ for our children to wear to club. These have been hugely popular with our older children. If you would like to order a hoodie for your child please speak to a member of staff who will help you with your order.
Contacting Hoots
Should you wish to contact Hoots this can achieved in a number of ways.
During school term time Hoots can be contacted at Little Owls before 3:00pm on (01362) 699700
After 3:00pm the Hoots mobile phone number is 07999554405.
During all school holidays the contact number for Hoots is 07999 534405 or, if this is unobtainable you can contact Little Owls on (01362) 699700.
Please note that our e-mail address is hootsmanager@littleowls-nursery.co.uk
Hoots Core Values & Ethos
Nurture:
Physical Health – with daily opportunities to be active, engage in sports and group games, learn about diet and exercise and how these contribute to good physical health.
Mental Health – every day in club there will be opportunities to engage with activities that support mindfulness, grounding and learning different ways to help us regulate our emotions through grounding, meditation, yoga and mindfulness. These will take place both inside and outside. We have introduced a new wellbeing box of outdoor resources, which will be used while immersed in nature to support children’s knowledge of how our thoughts can affect our feelings and our behaviours and how to manage this positively empowering the children to talk through the challenges of the day with their peers or our caring, supportive team of playworkers.
Nutrition – It has been noted that our children often come out of school very hungry. We have already removed a set ‘tea time’ which means the children who choose to bring a packed lunch can eat as soon as they arrive in club if they wish to.A varied and helathy snack is offered to all children regardless of whether they bring a packed lunch or not.
Our Natural World – Children have daily opportunities to connect with nature. Whether that’s engaging in mindful activities, such as colouring, word puzzles and fidget toys snuggled on a blanket under a tree. We enjoy foraging for items to make a potion, a collage or a habitat for insects or animals. In the winter months its fun making observations of the night sky and we still enjoy exploring while wearing our hi-vis jackets.
Freedom:
To Imagine & Create – Every day in club the children can freely access every type of craft & creative item you can imagine. This gives them the freedom to express their unique creativity. The children also have extensive resources of their choosing to support their imaginations while they engage in play with friends.
To Transform their Play Space – At Hoots we listen and respond to our children’s wishes and feelings. Hoots is their club and we encourage their independent thinking and behaviours by offering lots of autonomy and choice over their time in club. The children can choose what resources they would like to use and how and where they would like to use them. This also supports their communication and critical thinking skills.
To Be Active – Being physically active – whatever the weather – is essential for children’s wellbeing and we ensure there are lots of opportunities for this in Hoots. Children are introduced to a variety of group games and have opportunities to use a variety of equipment to pursue their sporting interests.
To Explore the outside without limits – Our children love to expend their excess energy by climbing, running and testing their own limits on the outside play equipment, jungle gym and sports items
Friendship:
If you are the parent of a child aged 4-11 years you will know too well how their friendships at school can have a huge impact on their wellbeing and self-esteem.
At Hoots we create an environment that promotes positive interactions and offer our children opportunities to play with children across different school years and from different schools.
Our children have contributed to our list of friendship values which are as follows:
A FRIEND IS……
- Someone you can trust to be kind when you are together and when you are not. Someone who understands you.
- Someone respects your interests even if their different from your own.
- Someone who makes you feel happy when they are around.
- Someone who speaks to you kindly.
- Someone you can talk to about anything.
- Someone you can be yourself around.
We all agreed as a club we wanted to be a good friend to others and for others to be good friends to us. We will be reminding the children to embrace these values as we imbed our range of experiences and play opportunities in our club.
Ofsted Highlights
The leadership and management of the club are inspirational. Managers are incredibly knowledgeable, highly skilled and show a complete dedication to provide the highest quality care for children. They are exceptional role models for the staff team who emulate the commitment and passion of the managers.
Children are very motivated and eager to take part in the exciting and stimulating activities offered at the club. Staff provides excellent support and encouragement for children to explore their own idea, and think what else is possible to extend their interests and learning
Outstanding partnerships between the club and the school result in very effective communication and sharing of relevant information. Children receive an entirely consistent approach to their learning through these well-established links.
Children’s behavior is outstanding. Children of all ages play exceptionally well together. They use wonderful manners, invite one another to play and develop a healthy respect for others.
August 2023 – Hoots were shortlisted for 2 OSCA’s (Out of school club award) presented by Club Central
In the summer of 2023 we were delighted to hear that Hoots had been shortlisted in the categories Club of the Year (operating on 2 or more sites) and Manager of the year for our wonderful Laura Patrick. Although we didn’t come home with the trophy it was fantastic to be shortlisted for a national award and we were up against some significant competition from organisations that operate on a National level! Well done to everyone at Hoots
The atmosphere we aim to create at Hoots, for both the after school and holiday clubs, is informal, recreational whilst maintaining a clear code of conduct. We are confident that all children who attend Hoots will be welcomed with open arms and hope we will be treated as a second home. We look forward to seeing you soon, whether this is for breakfast club, after school club or in our holiday club.
Holiday Club – operates from Toftwood junior school 8-6