Out of school and holiday playschemes

School Clubs operating out of hours for more than two hours per day that take under-eights, must be registered and inspected by Ofsted.

The Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR)

Most providers for children aged five to seven will be required to register on the OCR. Care or supervised activities that are not required to register - including activity based schemes - may now register on a voluntary basis.

The Department for Education (Dfe) sets out the maximum interval for all types of childcare inspections including playschemes. This is currently three years. Ofsted has developed a series of prompts for early inspection within the three-year interval.

Inspection reports are available to view at the club or on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk

Most clubs charge attendance fees and many operate waiting lists. Although some clubs only take children from the school in which they are based, some have facilities to escort children from other schools to the club.

For a  list of after school, breakfast clubs and holiday play schemes please contact Harrow Families Information Service.

Schools

Childcare or supervised activities for children aged three and over that is provided directly by a school (i.e by a school's governing body or proprietor) cannot be registered on either register. Such provision is still expected to meet the registration requirements, including delivering the EYFS, and will be inspected through the school inspection system.