Our Story
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2016
Our business was initially founded in 2016 as ‘School of Sport’ by our Director, Ryan.
After providing tennis sessions in over 12 primary schools in the previous two years, Ryan decided to officially set the business up and offer additional activities such as football, gymnastics and basketball, employing his first few team members along the way.
2017
Info coming soon…
2018
May 18′ – Opened our 1st sports holiday camp at Urmston Primary School.
2019
January – Turning Our Wraparound Idea Into A Reality
Following a successful year operating our School of Sport holiday club at Urmston Primary School, our founders Ryan and Sophie approached the school about offering a wraparound care service at the premises. It had been an idea of theirs for several years, and Urmston Primary School seemed the perfect location to begin their venture.
May – What To Call It?
On a sunny day in May at a cafe in Manchester, Ryan and Sophie put the plans in place to open in January 2020. Believe it or not, School of Play was initially called The 5.45 Club. We are glad they decided against it!
October – Ofsted
After a long few months of putting their plans into action, we had to pass our Ofsted pre-inspection before we could officially open.
2020
January – Opening Day
12 months after our initial meeting with the school, and many obstacles to overcome, School of Play’s Wraparound Care was officially open at Urmston Primary School.
March – The Pandemic
Less than three months into our new venture, the global pandemic forced us to close with immediate effect. It wasn’t the start we had hoped for, but we were determined to use the time wisely and progress our business in other ways. Positivity in challenging times is something our founders have always believed in, and now was the time to show it.
September – We Are Back!
5 months after being forced to close, we were officially open again for the new school year, and welcomed many new faces to our club.
2021
January – Support For Critical Workers
Following the announcement of the second closure of schools across the UK, we were able to remain open for our key worker and vulnerable children throughout January and February.
March – Things Are Looking Up!
We re-opened again to all our children on Monday 8th March.
2022
April – Our 1st Ofsted Inspection (Urmston Primary School)
After a long wait and a lot of preparation, we finally had our 1st Ofsted inspection at our wraparound care setting at Urmston Primary School. We passed the inspection with flying colours, receiving the highest grade possible for a wraparound setting. You can read our report here.
April – Opened our 2nd wraparound provision at Prestbury CE.
July – Our Summer Around The World
The summer of 2022 was an exciting one for us exploring the world with our holiday camp themes. We were also able to engage a huge number of children in our activities across the 6 weeks, often welcoming over 200 children per day across our 4 holiday camp locations. (We also had a HUGE water fight).
2023
July – Ofsted Inspection No. 2 (Bowdon Camp)
At the end of July, we were delighted to pass our first Ofsted inspection at our Bowdon holiday camp in Altrincham (and our second overall inspection) with the highest possible grade, a testament to our teams commitment to the well-being of the children in our care.
“Parents praise the club for the range of exciting activities they have on offer for the children. As a result, children are eager to attend and enjoy their time at the club.” – Olivia Barnes (Ofsted Inspector)
You can read the full report here.
August – Ofsted Inspection No. 3 (Chorlton Camp)
Our third inspection, and our first at Chorlton Park Primary, came within weeks of our second. Yet again we passed with the highest grade possible and received some amazing feedback from the inspector on the day.
“Parent partnerships are very strong, and many feel that the club has exceeded their expectation for their children. They describe the staff team as professional and caring. Parents report that communication is excellent and that they enjoy being regularly updated about what their children have been doing.” – Suzy Marsh (Ofsted Inspector)
Read the full report here.
September – Rebrand and just the one name (School of Play)
We changed our business name and brand to avoid confusion for new parents. The previous names were School of Sport and School of Play. We are now School of Play, but still deliver the same services.
Our People First Approach
“We operate a people-first approach and we believe loving your job is a right, not a privilege. Our team are at the heart of what we do, and we understand the quality of our colleagues has the greatest impact on the quality of our care. It is our job to look after our people to a high standard, and in return, they will look after the children the same way.
Our work culture is an aspect of our company that we feel very proud of. As our organisation has progressed, we have watched our team create wonderful workplace friendships that benefit the consistent communication between colleagues and their willingness to work hard together, which benefits our team as a whole and aids in the personal growth and development of the individual.”