Emergency Evacuation

Gosforth Park Out of School Club

Emergency Evacuation/Closure Procedure

 

Gosforth Out of School Clubs will make every effort to keep the Club open, but in exceptional circumstances, we may need to close at short notice.

Possible reasons for emergency closure include:

  • Serious weather conditions
  • Heating system failure
  • Burst water pipes
  • Fire or bomb scare/explosion
  • Death of a member of staff or child
  • Assault on a staff member or child
  • Serious accident or illness
  • Illness epidemic

In the event of an emergency, our primary concern will be to ensure that both children and staff   are kept safe. If it is necessary to evacuate the Club, the following steps will be taken:

  • If appropriate the manager or session supervisor will contact the emergency services.
  • All children will be escorted from the building to the assembly point using the nearest safe  exit.
  • No attempt will be made to collect personal belongings, or to re-enter the building after evacuation.
  • A nominated member of staff will check the premises and will collect the register (including  emergency contact details) providing that this does not put anyone at risk.
  • Before leaving the building the nominated person will close all accessible doors and windows, if it is safe to do so.
  • The register will be taken and all children and staff accounted for.
  • If any person is missing from the register, the emergency services will be informed immediately.
  • The manager will contact parents to collect their children. If the register is not available, the  manager will use the emergency contacts list (which is kept off site). All children will be supervised until they are safely collected.
  • If after every attempt, a child’s parent or carers cannot be contacted, the Club will follow its

Uncollected Child procedure.

Closure

Closing out-of-hours (e.g. due to bad weather) 

  • If the club needs to be closed in the morning, a decision will be reached as early as possible in the morning by the Directors in consultation with the head teacher of Havannah First School. 
  • The closure of the club will be announced on the website and Facebook page. A pre-recorded message will be left on the answerphone where possible to advise anyone ringing the Club that it will remain closed. 
  • The Directors will contact all relevant staff to advise them of the closure. Staff are responsible for ensuring that the centre or setting has their up-to-date contact details. 
  • All parents will be sent a text

Closing the Club during a session (e.g. bad weather) 

  • The Directors will decide if the centre or setting needs to be closed unexpectedly (for example, due to deteriorating weather conditions). 
  • If the Club needs to be evacuated in an emergency, the above procedures will be used.
  • Staff will make every effort to contact parents/carers (or emergency contact nominated by the parent/carer) of the children that are in our care. 
  • If parents/carers have to be called to collect their children, children will be looked after safely by staff until they can be contacted. 
  • Depending on the emergency, this may be in the Club, in another place of safety, or it may be outside. If parents/carers cannot be contacted, the Late/Non-collection of Children policy will be followed. 
  • Telephoning parents to ask them to collect their children will be the joint responsibility of the Directors and appropriate staff members as designated. 
  • All appropriate staff should carry mobiles to enable parents/carers to be contacted should it be unsafe to remain in the building. 
  • A telephone message, outlining the procedures that are being taken, will be left on the Club’s answerphone where possible to advise anyone trying to contact the centre or setting of what has happened

Closing the Club due to sickness 

  • Parents/carers should inform the centre or setting if their child has been diagnosed with any infectious illness so that we can inform parents, staff and visitors that we have had a case in the Club. This allows other parents to be on the lookout for the symptoms in their child. Special notices and updates will be displayed in a visible place inside the Club. Children and adults who are unwell with an infectious disease should NOT attend the club and they should NOT return until the risk of passing on the infection has passed. For more information on exclusion periods, please see the HPA Infection Control document. 
  • If a child at the Club displays the symptoms of an infectious disease, the parents/carers will be contacted to take the child home and to seek medical advice. They should not return to the Club until they are symptom-free for 48 hours. This also applies to parents. 
  • Healthy children, with no symptoms, even if they have travelled to a region where there is an outbreak of a disease, need not be kept away from the Club. 
  • Where there is a risk of an epidemic or pandemic in the community, we will at all times follow the official government health guidelines, including closing the Club if necessary to prevent the spread of infection. If the decision is taken to close the Club, it will be taken by the Directors in conjunction with the appropriate health authorities. It will take effect from the end of the current working day and children will not be sent home early unless they are displaying symptoms.  
  • When we are informed that a disease is notifiable, we will advise the necessary authorities including Ofsted. 

Re-opening the Club after emergency closure 

The decision to re-open the Club will be taken by the Directors in conjunction with the emergency services if necessary. 

Staff will be contacted by the Directors to advise them that the Club has re-opened where necessary.

The reasons for closing the Club will be recorded in the Incident Book. 

Where possible, the Club’s website or other social media will be updated to advise parents/carers that the centre or setting has re-opened.

Payment of Fees

These conditions have been drawn up in a way that is considered to be fair to parents and the Club.

If the Club is open but a child is unable to attend (because they are ill or in quarantine) then the parents still need to pay, as we are still available to provide the service.

If the club is forced to close temporarily at short notice, due to a shortfall on our part (eg shortage of staff) then we aren’t available to provide the service, so we would offer parents a credit against the days that we weren’t open.

If the club is forced to close at short notice due to circumstances outside of our control, then the situation is less clear cut. For a one-off closure such as a snow day or an emergency clean after a notifiable disease, we do charge as we already have staff lined up to work that day, have bought food, resources, etc. For an extended closure of two weeks for example, we won’t have bought food or materials, but we will still have rent and staff costs to pay. In this circumstance we will offer parents who have 50% credit against the days we are forced to close. 

If the Club has to close, even temporarily, or operate from alternative premises, as a result of the emergency, we will notify Ofsted.

Written in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2024): Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements: Safety and suitability of premises, environment and equipment [3.66]