Organisation

Notre Dame Kids Club (NDKC) is an after school club service based in Notre Dame Primary School.  The club (affectionately known as “The Afty”!) opened in 2015 shortly after Notre Dame Primary relocated to the then newly-refurbished former premises of Dowanhill Primary on Havelock Street.

We are branch of Hyndland After School Club (HASC), a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation that has been providing out-of-school childcare services since 1992.

Services

NDKC is an after school club service that operates in Notre Dame during term-time from the end of the school day until 6pm.  We are based in the school hall and have access to the playground, multi-purpose games area (the MUGA!), the gym and other areas. During the school holidays, Notre Dame children can attend the Holiday Club which is based in HASC.

Regulation

We are regulated by the Care Inspectorate, a Scottish Government organisation that inspects childcare settings to ensure Health and Social Care Standards are met and care provision is high-quality.

We promote the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).  Article 31 states that all children have the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of activities; promoting and upholding this particular right is the heart of the work we do at the Afty.  We also promote Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)–the national approach in Scotland to support the wellbeing of children – and SHANARRIas a framework to support all of the children in our care.

Board of Directors

We are governed by a board of directors made up of volunteer parents and carers of children who attend our clubs at Hyndland, Notre Dame and Thornwood.

If you are interested in joining the board or the NDKC sub-committee, please get in touch!

Staff

All of our staff are members of Disclosure Scotland’s Protecting Vulnerable Adults (PVG) Scheme and registered with the Scottish Social Services Council.

We provide regular training for our staff in staff in first aid, child protection, allergy awareness, health and safety, food hygiene, EpiPen and anaphylaxis, outdoor play and more.  Our senior staff undertake SVQ qualifications in Playwork and management are working towards the BA Childhood Practice degree.

John Ansdell is the manager of NDKC, and the club currently employs twelve term-time staff: Amber Murphy, Anna Melville, Diana Ali, Eilidh Bryant, Jack McMahon, Lauren Davidson, Lucy Morrison, Mairi McDonald, Max Fruh, Pati Alonso and Sehyr Ali.  The staff sometimes work at HASC during school holidays so the Notre Dame children see a friendly face!

All but one of our staff either attended Notre Dame Primary or Notre Dame High, or attended the after school club at Hyndland, so they have a personal connection to the school and the club.  Staff have a great rapport with the children, and they make use of their varied backgrounds and talents in arts and crafts, dance, drama, music, sports and more!

Activities

Our aim is to provide a safe, caring and stimulating environment where children can relax and enjoy a wide range of activities.  Our philosophy is based on playwork theory and principles; children can freely-choose what they want to do, and we encourage them to have fun, socialise, challenge themselves, pursue interests, and learn new skills

Some of our popular daily activities include arts and crafts, board/card games, computer games, drawing, fancy dress, gym games, LEGO and construction, musical instruments, outdoor play, sports, and more!

Snack

The children love snack time at the Afty!  We have a healthy eating policy and provide a varied menu every day; the current favourite is cheese toasties!