Extra Support Settling in at Breakfast & After-School Clubs

If your child has extra support in school then they are likely to need extra support at when they first come to Kudize. 

One of the most common issues is right at the start of their time with Kudize, so we always help them feel settled and become familiar with how the club is run. 

Kudize is a totally different experience to school as children freely choose their play when they are with us. While we are low demand and less structured compared to school, the environment is often lively with children busy playing, and this includes lots of social interaction with children who are from different year groups within the school. 

For this reason, some children who have extra support at school can find sessions a little overwhelming when they first join us, so to help them with the transition and to ensure they feel settled and supported right from their first session, we try to get as much information about how we can support them before they first attend Kudize.

Making sure children are supported the right way on their first day at Kudize is so important; we want them to have a positive experience when they are with us, as this goes a really long way with helping them feel settled and enjoy their time. 

To do this, we need to know a few key pieces of information:

• What they like to play with at home 
• How you support your child at home
• How school supports your child
• And if they have an Individual Plan or an EHCP

This information enables us to make sure there are familiar resources for them to play with and have the same joined-up approach as home and school with how to support them.  

Initially, we send you a short questionnaire for you to fill in, and we will also have a quick chat with their teacher to find out more about how your child is supported throughout the school day. 

This gives us a good starting point with how we can support your child in the context of attending Kudize before they first attend. Sometimes we may need to arrange a meeting with the school Senco to find out more.

We will then arrange a time when it is good for your child to come to Kudize for their first time. This way we will be able to make sure a member of staff dedicated the role of supporting your child throughout the session.

After their first session, we will be able to create an Individual Plan based on the child's needs in the context of attending Kudize. We will share this document with you as it will explain how we will support your child at Kudize. This plan often changes over the first few weeks as the child becomes familiar with the routine and staff.

Once we have met your child and created an Individual Plan, we can work out a settling-in strategy that is best for them.

This could mean that an extra member of staff is there in the session to give support for the first few weeks, and once the child is settled and making good relationships with the team, we can withdraw the extra support.

It could also mean that we make sure we have extra resources in place when they are attending, like a dark den, to help them chill out after school, have a snack and to help them recharge and feel ready to play. 

Set up an account and please include as much information about your child as possible, as this will help us support them on their first day. 

It’s important that you email us BEFORE you book their first session, as this way we can plan together their first session at Kudize, to ensure they have a positive experience. 

Sometimes children benefit from a visit with their parents or carers first, and some children need shorter session to help with settling in. 

We ask for a minimum of 24 hours’ notice, so we can ensure that there will be a member of staff in place during their settling in period. 

If you child needs regular 1:1 support after the agreed initially settling in process, we will discuss the next steps together.