A London primary school serving a fast-growing community went from eight children in a single classroom to 40 children attending wraparound care every day, without adding any admin at all for school leaders.

When Riverside Primary School first opened its doors, it was a one-class school in a newly developed area of London. Today, it has 15 classes, a rapidly growing community of working families, and a wraparound care programme that has scaled seamlessly alongside it.

Nishma Joshi, Assistant Head & SENDCO at Riverside, remembers the early days before working with Premier Education:

“We had never really worked with any external providers for wraparound care. We really wanted to work with a company that allowed us to grow with them.”

The school launched its provision with just eight children using a single spare classroom. It now supports around 40 children every school day.

That scaling hasn’t just happened by accident. Riverside is surrounded by new housing developments, bringing a steady influx of working families who need dependable, high-quality before and after-school childcare. With the wraparound care provision running until 6pm, it has become a non-negotiable part of what the school offers its community.

Why Riverside keeps wraparound care within its own walls

For Riverside, keeping wraparound care on-site was a priority from the outset, and it’s a decision that has paid off for staff, parents and children.

“It’s been a really smooth transition,” says Mrs Joshi. “A really easy way of making sure that everything’s kept within the building. We don’t have to worry about children moving on and off site.”

With Premier Education staff on-site and familiar with the school’s routines, the handover is clear, calm and consistent. Younger children are collected directly from their classrooms by a Premier Education team member, and teachers know exactly who they’re handing pupils over to.

“It really avoids that confusion and that level of stress when you are trying to dismiss at the end of the day,” Mrs Joshi explains. “You’ve got however many children who need to be in different places all at once, and having that sorted takes a real weight off.”

The same faces, every day: how familiarity became Riverside’s biggest selling point

If there is one theme that runs through everything Mrs Joshi says about the Riverside wraparound care partnership, it is consistency. The same Premier Education staff members show up every day, building genuine relationships with teachers, children and families.

“All the teachers are very familiar with them and confident to send their children,” she says. “Our children understand where they need to go at the end of the day. They’re confident in getting their things together and heading over.”

That familiarity has become a genuine selling point when Riverside speaks to prospective families. The school now invites Premier Education staff to attend induction sessions for new parents, introducing themselves, explaining the provision and answering questions directly.

“When parents ask how long we’ve worked with our provider, that answer matters.” Mrs Joshi says, “We can say with confidence that Premier Education have worked with us for at least five years.”

“Senior leaders are always looking for consistent partnerships where they’ve got really strong communication. You can always speak to people. There’s a level of trust, because they’re taking care of your pupils.”- Nishma Joshi, Assistant Head & SENDCO Riverside Primary School

Unstructured play, seasonal crafts and sports coaches: the Riverside afternoon in practice

Running a successful after-school wraparound care programme means getting the balance right between giving the children structure and freedom. David Duodu-Amoah, Premier Education’s Wraparound Care Manager at Riverside, is clear on what that looks like in practice.

“Children have a long day at school,” he says. “The expectation sometimes is that they come in and do lots of activities, but actually, you might stress the child even more. Part of our aim is to make sure they come in, and there’s a bit of unstructured play. They do different activities, but there’s no rigid structure around it. It’s about building their independence.”

The team, typically four members including a sports coach, blends arts and crafts sessions with physical activities, seasonal themed projects and free play.

Safeguarding sits at the heart of everything. “The first thing is that all the children are safe,” David says. “When they come to us, they feel like we’re here to look after them. Then the secondary aim is that they have a good time.”

A lifeline for a teacher, a single parent, and a year 5 who needed to unwind

The proof of any successful wraparound care programme is in the families it serves. At Riverside, the impact is felt by parents across very different circumstances.

One parent, a teacher herself, relies on the provision to manage the challenge between her working hours and the school day. “I can pick her up at a later time – just enough time for her to have a bit of fun, engage in various different activities and come home. It’s helped me and my husband to balance our work timings around school care.”

Her daughter, she says, particularly loves the seasonal craft activities and the physical sessions run by the sports coaches. “During Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day – all the craft work. She’s always mentioned the coaches coming in and doing physical activities. And she just enjoys being with her friends after school. It’s a lifeline.”

For another parent, the wraparound provision has been equally beneficial. “I am a single parent and I live quite far from work. The session my son has allows me time to complete all my work. By the time we get home, it’s too late. So that extra session in school allows me time to get everything done.”

Her son, who is in Year 5, “mingles with all the different age groups. It gives him an opportunity to work on his social skills and talk to students he wouldn’t normally talk to. It’s like a cool down after a long day – learning, but fun at the same time.”

“If I had to choose one word to describe Premier wraparound care, it would be: warm. I turn up at the door after a long day at work. They tell me how he’s been. He’s had warm food, he’s played outside. It all comes together into one picture.”- Parent, Riverside Primary School

“It would be absolute chaos without it”: Mrs Joshi’s advice to other school leaders

Mrs Joshi is clear about what wraparound care means to Riverside as a school, and what it would look like without it.

“It would be absolute chaos. We would have a really difficult time supporting our parents who are working families.” She adds that the ability to confidently answer parents’ questions about provision – the quality assurance, the staffing ratios, the length of the partnership – is itself a recruitment and retention benefit for the school.

For many school leaders, the admin behind running wraparound care is the biggest barrier to getting started. At Riverside, Premier Education manages all admin tasks, leaving staff at Riverside to focus on what they do best. “If we didn’t have a reliable, consistent partnership, we would really struggle to keep on numbers and make sure all of our children were going to a safe space after school.”

She offers advice to other school leaders who haven’t yet looked into an external wraparound care partnership. She says:

“Definitely start those conversations. Once you’ve had the first couple, you’ll grow in confidence that Premier Education are a really good provider to work with. If you can build a strong relationship with them, you’ll have no problems managing your wraparound care.”

Ready to transform your wraparound care provision?

By combining reliable childcare, enriching activities, and a safe and nurturing environment, Premier Education helps schools offer wraparound care that working families can truly depend on.

If your school is looking to introduce or improve its before and after school provision, we’d love to show you what’s possible. Find out how we can support your school. 

Happy Kids. Healthy Futures.