1 Overview
Wraparound childcare provides families with care for school aged children before and after the school day.
While it is mainly for primary school children, it can also support families with children in secondary school.
The UK government aims to ensure that, by 2026, all parents with primary school children have access to wraparound childcare from 8.00am to 6.00pm.
2 What is wraparound childcare?
Wraparound childcare offers before and after school care for children in England. It’s called 'wraparound' because it wraps around the standard school day, typically running from 8.00am to 6.00pm during term time.
This can take place on a school site or at a local venue such as a village hall, nursery, or childminder’s setting.
It is different from out-of-school activities, or school clubs, which are less frequent and can be a one-off activity.
Wraparound childcare is:
- for children in primary school, aged 4 to 11 years old
- for children in secondary school, aged 11 to 14 years old (or up to 18 years old for those with special educational needs and disabilities)
- from 8.00am to 6.00pm during term time weekdays
- normally OFSTED registered childcare (if a provider only cares for children over 8 years old, they may be exempt from registration)
- provided by your local school or a childcare provider
Wraparound childcare should include all children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Visit the childcare for children and young people with SEND web page for more information.
Wraparound childcare may be provided on or off your school’s site. It could be delivered by your school, or private, voluntary and independent (PVI) early years and childcare providers who work together with the school. These PVI providers could be:
- childminders
- pre-schools
- nurseries
- breakfast and/or after school clubs
You can find out more about the government’s wraparound childcare expansion by reading The Education Hub blog post.
3 Availability in West Sussex
Currently we are working with schools and childcare providers across West Sussex to offer wraparound childcare provision for all children who need it.
This is to meet the government’s aim that by 2026, all families of primary school aged children will be able to access term time childcare in their local area from at least 8.00am to 6.00pm.
While we are currently working with childcare providers across West Sussex to help expand these services, some wraparound childcare is already available. You can contact your school to find out what is available. You can also visit the Family Information Service website to search for childcare in your area.
You can learn more about ensuring clubs and providers meet safety and quality standards by visiting our Safe Clubs for Children campaign.
4 Paying for wraparound childcare
Wraparound childcare must be paid for by parents and carers. Childcare providers will set their own fees for wraparound places, so prices will vary. Once you have chosen a provider, you would pay them directly for your child’s place.
If you are eligible, you can use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare to help pay for wraparound childcare. Visit our help paying for childcare web page for more information.
Free breakfast clubs
From April 2025, 750 schools will take part in a pilot scheme to provide free daily breakfast clubs. This is the first phase of a planned national rollout. The government is using the pilot scheme to learn from different types of schools before expanding the programme.
Read the GOV.UK blog post to find out more.
5 Right to request wraparound childcare
All parents and carers in England have the right to ask the school their child attends, or is due to attend, to consider providing wraparound or holiday childcare if it isn’t already available. This applies for children up to the age of 14, or 18 for children with SEND.
You should make your request to your child’s school in writing by letter or email. You should tell them:
- if you need wraparound and/or holiday childcare
- the age of your child/children
- the needs of your child if they have SEND
- the days of the week and times you need childcare
Schools must consider requests carefully and be clear about timescales for dealing with requests. The school should consider your request and let you know their decision within a term. They are not required to provide childcare following this request, but they should assess the demand and feasibility.
Before making a decision about your request, your school may also need to find out about the childcare needs of other families. If your request is declined, a clear explanation should be given to you by the school.
The right to request only applies to wraparound and holiday childcare. It does not include before or after school activities such as Lego clubs, sports clubs and other activities that may happen on school sites. These are often less frequent, weekly activities which are organised by the school and could be subject to cancellation at short notice. There is no requirement for schools to offer these school activities or clubs.
6 Contact details
If you need help or any further information, contact us using the details below.