Bruntsfield Parent Council Clubs

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A Brief Guide to Bruntsfield Parent Council Clubs

The Bruntsfield Parent Council are in the process of relaunching after-school activity clubs throughout the school year, in the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. While tutors are paid to deliver clubs, all clubs administration and support is carried out by parent volunteers.

Please note that we are not a child care provider (contact Kidzcare or Skool Is Out for this).

We are currently relaunching clubs and endeavour to provide a wide range of activities, covering sport, creative and STEM activities.

The Parent Council has direct responsibility only for after-school activity clubs where families book places directly through our website.  Families accepting places at after school activity clubs are agreeing to the Code of Conduct & Discipline Policy.

Getting Started

We use the booking system ‘ClassForKids’ for club management and registration. To apply for club places you will be asked to register on the ClassForKids website. Upon being accepted into a class, online payments will be made via ClassForKids where a booking fee for their service will be charged directly to the booker.

The Registration Cycle

In most cases registrations for Autumn, Spring and Summer term clubs take place in the preceding term. The registration process is usually divided into roughly three or four stages:

1. In the Initial Application Phase, which usually lasts one week, parents submit applications via Class4Kids for places in particular club sessions.

  • In most cases applications are accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis, though certain exceptions will apply (eg. there may be some priority given to existing pupils, those with relevant equipment and pupils eligible for financial support as outlined below).
  • No payments will be issued at this point.

2. In the Allocations Phase (for clubs in waiting list), the parent volunteer club organisers will allocate places and issue payment request.

3. In the Billing Phase, parents who haven’t yet paid will have until the Invoice Settlement Deadline to pay all bills and confirm club places.

4. Afterwards there are usually a few days at the end of the registration process when a selection of unsold places may be available on a first-come/first-serve basis.

When club sessions are over-subscribed, club organisers may choose to run a waiting list. Places in under-subscribed sessions may become available, first-come/first-serve, after the Initial Application Phase. Where parents do not settle payments by the Payment Settlement deadline, their clubs places may be reallocated to other families either first-come/first-serve or via the waiting list.

Late registrations, after the termly registration process has closed, are solely at the discretion of individual club organisers.

Any questions about the availability of places and allocations for specific clubs should be directed to the club organiser.

Financial Issues & Support

Please note that it is generally not possible to receive a refund if you do not wish to take up a place after you have paid. However, the Parent Council Clubs Treasurer will issue class credits or refunds in any cases where club sessions are unable to take place. All questions related to invoices and payments should be directed to the Parent Council Clubs Treasurer.

Please be aware that we offer free places and reduced pricing for parents who receive universal credit or other types of income support. If this applies to you, please email [email protected].

Participating in Clubs

After the registration process is complete, club organisers may e-mail parents with any additional details. The organisers will also contact parents if a club session is ever cancelled at short notice.

Please observe the Code of Conduct & Discipline Policy governing all after-school clubs.

You are responsible for getting your child to and from the club.

Club sessions at Bruntsfield School

Children check in with the club tutor who will be taking a register of children attending extra-curricular clubs. In some cases support registration staff or volunteer may also be present.

Children arriving for club sessions after the close of the school day should not arrive more than five minutes early. Children departing club sessions should exit the building and be collected by their families no more than five minutes after the end of their club sessions.

Club sessions at Morningside United Church

Access to the Morningside United (MUC) site is controlled by doorkeepers or tutors. Parents are not able to wait within MUC. Parents are responsible for ensuring that their children get to MUC, and for collecting them punctually after their club sessions finish.

PARENT COUNCIL CLUBS POLICIES…

  • All children must leave the school unless their club starts immediately after the school day. This is particularly the case on a Friday.
  • Children must be collected within five minutes of the end of a club unless they have parental permission to leave on their own as in their club registration.
  • If a child is attending more than one club with any time gap, they must leave the building and wait on the start time of their next club. We have no permission to use the school for lunch and no access to additional rooms. Parents must be available to collect unless they have parental permission on their club registration. Again, this is particularly the case on Fridays.
  • Verbal abuse of our tutors and club teams will not be tolerated.
  • We will monitor this on a regular basis and reserve the right to exclude children from clubs where parents do not respect these points. Refunds will not be given in these circumstances.

Allocations are made on a club-by-club basis. The allocation criteria vary between clubs:

  • In some very popular and over-subscribed clubs, the organizers ‘rotate’ places so every child will eventually have a turn in the club.
  • For other clubs, where participants develop skills with experience, the allocations process prioritises returning children. Once all returners are placed, new children will be invited to join.
  • Within particular club sessions, organizers may try to maintain a balance of year groups and gender.

After the allocations process is completed, the remaining places in most clubs will likely be available first-come, first serve. However, organisers may instead choose to operate waiting lists for highly popular clubs or club sessions so that they can prioritise the allocation of any subsequently cancelled places.

Clubs places are subject to the following policies for cancellations and refunds.

Cancellation Policy

Once payment is made, the Parent Council is unable to offer refunds or issue credits to parents who subsequently decline or cancel a club place. The Parent Council took this decision, with regret, in September 2014 due to its ongoing commitment to pay the club tutors and the additional administration involved in issuing refunds and re-allocating places.

Credits & Refunds

However, the Parent Council Clubs Treasurer will issue credits or refunds when already-paid-for classes are cancelled by the tutor or the venue (e.g. a pool closure). A credit operates as if the parent had made a payment to Parent Council. It reduces the sum to be paid for future clubs: for example, credit for a cancelled swimming class can be used as a payment towards a fencing invoice. If classes are cancelled in the summer term and if the parent has only P7 children, then the PC Treasurer can issue a refund instead.

Because each credit has to be processed by volunteer member of the Parent Council by hand, parents should contact the Treasurer within 14-days of the cancelled club session to request a credit. Please provide the Treasurer with:

  • The child’s name
  • The name of the club or club session that was cancelled
  • The cancelled session date(s) for which credits are being claimed

Additional Notes

Please note the Parent Council has a long-standing policy of reserving the right to cancel one class per term without credit/refund if necessary. In the event of a club being unable to run for the remainder of the term for any reason, however, then credits for the remaining classes in the term can be applied for, as per the above credit policy.

In the case of a full school closure leading to all clubs being cancelled on the day, the Parent Council will seek to hold a replacement class. In the event that the venues and/or tutors are unable to provide this class, then due to its ongoing commitment to pay the club tutors and the additional administration involved in issuing refunds (at up to 5 minutes a refund and up to 200 individuals in clubs any one day… you can do the maths!) then depending on the number of classes affected it is likely that the Parent Council will be unable to offer a credit/refund for the sessions cancelled.

Please direct any additional questions to the Parent Council Clubs Treasurer.

Individual club organisers retain discretion to accept late registrations, usually on behalf of children who have participated previously in the club or are otherwise known to them. In particular, Homework club is able to accept late applications at any time.

Please note that club fees for places taken up after a term has begun are payable in full. However, places in the Homework club may be pro-rated at the discretion of the Treasurer.

Bruntsfield Primary School Parent Council Discipline Policy

Parents agree to abide by this policy when they enrol their child in an after-school club.

If a child’s behaviour is consistently disrupting the smooth running of the Club, the following actions will be taken:

  1. The Club tutor will speak to your child. If the behaviour persists the Club tutor will speak to the Club Organiser.
  2. The Club Organiser will email or phone you outlining the problem and ask for your support.
  3. If the difficult behaviour continues your child will not be invited back to the Club in the next term.
  4. In extreme cases, where behaviour poses a risk to your child or others, children may be immediately excluded from that club or activity.
  5. If there are any incidents of bullying the school Anti-bullying Co-Ordinator will also be informed.

Please note that there will be no refunds if children are excluded from a club, because of misbehaviour, for one or more sessions.

Please remind your children to follow the Bruntsfield School “Golden Rules” in the clubs:

  • Do be gentle
  • Do be kind and helpful
  • Do listen
  • Do work hard
  • Do be honest
  • Do look after property
  • Do play co-operatively