Out of school clubs provide care for school aged children before and after school hours and in holiday periods. Clubs are usually based on school premises, or in community and leisure centres.

Some clubs provide care before and after school although others may only be open after school. Children are collected from school by play workers and taken to the club - on foot or by transport.

Clubs are usually open until at least 6pm. They provide children with a wide range of activities and some offer space and support for doing homework.

Many of the clubs provide full day care during school holidays. There are also holiday clubs that operate solely during school breaks.

Where children under eight years old are cared for and the club operates for more than two hours, the club must be registered by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) and meet the National Day Care Standards.

Families Information Direct can send you a list of the clubs in your area along with our Choosing Out of School Care leaflet and information about working tax credit. The lists provide contact numbers and include information about schools collected from, opening hours and fees.

Call Families Information Direct for an up to date list of out of school clubs.You can also view groups online through the Childcarelink website.