Outside School Hours Care

 Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) programs at The Friends’ School is guided by the national My Time Our Place framework. There are three programs that make up our Outside School Hours Care Service; they include Before-School Care and After-School Care during school terms and Vacation Care in the school holiday breaks. We value the importance of play and leisure for children and provide a rich variety of experiences that support children to participate within safe and inclusive environments. Alongside The Friends‘ School’s Purpose and Concerns, the key principles of Being, Belonging and Becoming guide our program planning and shape the direction of all three OSHC programs. Diversity is welcomed and celebrated; positive relationships with families are fostered and appreciated.

Acknowledging the traditional owners of the land upon which the children play,

the Muwinina people, and recognising the importance of time outdoors, the OSHC

program seeks to provide opportunities for the children to spend time actively

engaging with one another, through movement, exploration, relationships and being creative in outdoor environments, both at school and within the wider community. 

Our programs are differentiated to support various age groups. Interests of the children are embedded into daily activities, allowing for fun, relaxing and creative experiences to be enjoyed and shared.

The Outside School Hours Care program is available to all Primary School students. All students attending the program must be enrolled in the program, bookings can be made via the Friends' Early Learning Administration team, contact Friends’ Early Learning on 6210 2276 or email feladmin@friends.tas.edu.au. Once enrolled, temporary/casual bookings may be available if numbers allow, by calling 6210 2276.

Service Hours 

The OSHC program hours for each program are as follows:

Before School Care - 7.30am to 8.30am Monday to Friday, during term time.

After School Care - 3.00pm to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, during term time.

Vacation Care - 7.30am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday throughout School Holiday periods

For further information about our program please contact Wendy Crow, Primary School Deputy Head (Year 2 to Year 6 & OSHC)

Communication with Families

After enrolling your child, you will receive an online Welcome booklet with details of OSHC processes and procedures.  We document and share key moments, program highlights and information with families via an online OSHC Sharing Book. You will receive a link via SEQTA Engage to this digital book once your child is enrolled in the program. We encourage families to access regularly to view daily photos and videos of the children engaging in the OSHC program.

National Quality Framework

The Australian Government requires all services for Early Learning and Outside School Hours Care to adhere to the 5 components of the National Quality Framework (NQF). This framework was implemented in 2012 to improve education and care provision across long day care, family day care, preschool/kindergarten, and outside school hours care services across the country.

The NQF includes:

• National Law and National Regulations
• National Quality Standard
• Assessment and Rating process
• National Learning Frameworks.

Research shows quality education and care early in life leads to better health, education and employment outcomes overall. The early years are critical for establishing self-esteem, resilience, healthy growth and capacity to learn. Quality education and care shapes every child’s future and lays the foundation for development and learning. The major benefits for parents and children include:

• improved educator to child ratios, ensuring children have greater individual care and attention for children
• educators with increased skills and qualifications
• better support for children’s learning and development through approved learning frameworks
• consistent, transparent information on educators, providers and services via the national registers.

StartingBlocks.gov.au provides parents with information about what to look for when choosing an Outside School Hours Care Service for your child. 

SunSmart Centre

OSHC are an accredited SunSmart Program.  Our policy states that when the UV level is 3 or higher, children require the following provisions for outside play:

• Sun protective clothing.
• SPF50+ broad-spectrum water resistant sunscreen.
• A hat that protects the face, head, neck and ears. Please note that caps are not deemed suitable for Sunsmart practices.

During terms 1 and 4, families are asked to apply  sunscreen to their children prior to arrival, we will continue to re-apply sunscreen throughout their time at the program. Our educators also apply sunscreen 20 minutes before outside play. If your child has a sunscreen allergy we ask that you please provide your own and communicate this with your child’s educators.

Friends’ Early Learning Policies   

The Friends’ Early Learning (FEL) Policies and Procedures outline the ways in which our Service upholds the requirements of the National Law and Regulations for Early Childhood Services and the Purpose and Concerns of the School. 

The suite of Friends’ Early Learning Policies and Procedures are available to families via The Friends' School Website and a printed copy is also available at FEL Reception. We welcome family feedback on our policies and procedures as part of our ongoing review process; families are welcome to request a copy of policies or procedures by emailing feladmin@friends.tas.edu.au