Toast & Tea out-of-school settings started in 2019 with a simple idea in mind: children deserve the best.
Founder Elise Farzam shares the story behind the company, the ethos, and some of the most important parts of Toast & Tea life.
The concept of Toast & Tea came when I was due to go back to work as a Deputy Headteacher full-time after having my second son. Finding enough space in breakfast and after-school clubs was proving difficult. There is a high population of working parents in the Winchester area; enough to create long waiting lists for wraparound care. I saw a real opportunity to alleviate the pressures for working parents by opening up a new breakfast and after-school club provision.
Starting Toast & Tea meant I could continue to work in education, which I’d done for the last 15 years, and care for children away from the pressures of assessments and results faced by schools. My boys come to Toast & Tea too, so I have the bonus of having them at work with me a lot of the time!
Supporting Families
The first Toast & Tea setting I opened was in January 2019, for Westgate Primary School children. Kings Worthy followed in September 2020, Weeke in January 2021, and Barton Farm in September 2021.
From day one, I have always thought about what would make parents’ lives easier and children feel safe and happy.
One part of making family life easy is having opening times that suit working parents. Our breakfast clubs open at 7.30am and our after-school clubs finish at 6.00pm. This means parents aren’t frantically rushing to and from work at the start and end of the day.
Providing a healthy breakfast in the morning and a nutritious hot meal at the end of the day was another must. At the end of the working day, trying to get a child home and fed before bedtime is no easy task! If your child has already had a good meal, hopefully, the time at home can be calmer and more manageable.
Small and Personal
I think of Toast & Tea as a family. The numbers of children in each setting are fairly small and the ratio of adults to children is high. This means all of us working at Toast & Tea can really get to know the children – and their parents. I really feel this enhances the quality of care on offer, especially when there are children in Reception year taking their first steps away from nursery and pre-school.
“I think of Toast & Tea as a family.”
Our ethos is about much more than just supervising children; it’s about getting to know them and creating a home from home.
If you visit during mealtimes, you will really see the family approach. Meals are very social, with the children all sitting together. They help to lay the table and you will often see the older children helping the younger children. The mix of ages is really positive, the older ones are role models for good behaviour, even for simple things like using a knife and fork properly. During mealtimes, we encourage the children to talk to each other and the adults about the day ahead or the day that has gone by.
Extra-Curricular Activities
One of the great things about running an out-of-school setting is is that we are able to offer children the opportunity to take part in activities like arts & crafts, baking, and drama. Often these are areas of the school curriculum that are very time-limited.
There are always a variety of activities children can choose from, whether that’s adult-led team games or quiet time with a book and a chat with one of the adults. We suggest ideas for different craft projects, providing materials and helping the children be creative. We also have external companies visit regularly, at no extra cost to parents, so children can enjoy taking part in drama games and mindfulness sessions.
Policies, Procedures & Safety Checks
One of the questions we often get asked is about the checks Toast & Tea staff have. Safety is, naturally, a priority for parents when leaving their children in someone else’s hands. We have very detailed policies and procedures to make sure our children stay safe and healthy.
“Parents can feel completely reassured that their children are being looked after by qualified, suitable, competent and caring individuals.”
Having previously worked as a Deputy and Acting Headteacher, I had already completed safer recruitment training. All staff are DBS checked and cleared and have first aid plus safeguarding training. The Setting Manager at each location is the Designated Safeguarding Lead, having completed the additional safeguarding course for this. We also have a number of staff who are Paediatric First Aid trained and there will always be at least one Paediatric First Aider on site. Parents can feel completely reassured that their children are being looked after by qualified, suitable, competent and caring individuals.
A number of people working for Toast & Tea are teaching students from the University of Winchester, and some staff members are parents themselves with professional experience working with children. Staff wellbeing is hugely important and we all work together with shared values. I’m there to coach and give support, but you’re equally likely to find me cooking in the kitchen, wiping tables, or on the floor doing a giant puzzle!
The Future
I am so happy to have seen the success of Toast & Tea and to have supported so many children and their families over the last three years. Our holiday club at the Log Cabin has given us the chance to extend our welcome to more children, too, and we now have our regulars from other schools outside the area.
I’m looking forward to helping more families at our four settings as the next school year begins.
We are delighted with the outcome of our Ofsted Inspections:
Please click the link to read the full reports:
Kings Worthy URN: 2607489 (ofsted.gov.uk)
Westgate URN: 2607488 (ofsted.gov.uk)
Weeke URN: 2610878 (ofsted.gov.uk)