Outside School Hours Care
Hutchins Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) is based in the Early Learning Centre at The Hutchins School. We cater for boys (and girls in Vacation Care) between 3 and 12 years, and operate on ratios of one staff member per 10 children for ages 3–5, and one staff member per 15 children for ages 6–12. The service is operated by a team of staff with both qualifications and years of experience in Children’s Services.
Our aim is to create an environment in which the individuality, diversity and growth of children is actively encouraged and celebrated. We are a flexible, child oriented service that encourages free-choice and constructive play, while providing the encouragement, protection, security, stimulation and support that children need throughout early and middle childhood. Our aim is to provide an environment in which children truly feel that they belong by encouraging and creating relationships.
Before and After School Care
We offer our Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6 students Before School Care from 7.45am and After School Care until 6.00pm. Bookings are required, and may be made at any time by emailing the centre. All boys need to be enrolled with our Outside School Hours Care service before the booking can be confirmed. The enrolment form and fee schedule is available to download below.
Vacation Care
Vacation Care is offered to boys and girls aged 3–12 from 7.45am–6.00pm. Your child does not need to be a student at Hutchins to attend but all students (Hutchins and non-Hutchins) will need to be enrolled with our Outside School Hours Care service before making a Vacation Care booking.
Vacation Care programs are released 1–2 months in advance of the holiday period itself and will be emailed to parents/carers who have provided email addresses to the centre.
Spaces fill up quickly, we advise that you enroll your child as soon as practicable to save missing out.
Term 3 2024 Holiday Program
Our Vacation Care programs are designed to be fun, stimulating and challenging. They provide an opportunity to explore the world around us and have a lot of fun in the process. Excursions are undertaken as often as possible and form an integral part of the service we offer. We believe holidays should be a time for children to relax, have fun and engage with new and exciting experiences every day. With that in mind, we have a large range of excursions, all specifically chosen to cater to your children’s interests.
All buses used within Vacation Care for excursions have seatbelts.
Staff ratio is always 1:10 on excursions.
Risk assessments for each excursion can be requested from the Outside School Hours Care Co-ordinator.
Vacation Care descriptions for Parents/Carers
Monday 30 September 2024
- Activity: Long Beach Reserve Playground
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 10mins
- Departing Hutchins: 10.30am
- Departing Sandy Bay Boat Park: 1.00pm
- Return at Hutchins: 1.15pm
- Route: Via Sandy Bay Road
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Today we will venture down the road to Long Beach Reserve Playground, Sandy Bay. The children will have access to the playground, and sports equipment will be provided by Hutchins.
Tuesday 1 October 2024
- Activity: Sculpt and paint at Hutchins
- Transport: N/A
- Booking time: 11.00am – 1.00pm
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Today the children will be participating in some craft activities. Children will have the opportunity to make a clay item and complete a painting on a canvas to take home.
Wednesday 2 October 2024
- Activity: Woody’s Skate and Play
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 25mins
- Departing Hutchins: 10.30am
- Departing Woody’s: 1.00pm
- Return at Hutchins: 1.30pm
- Route: Via Brooker Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: We’re off to Woody’s Skate and Play, a holiday favourite! The children will be able to participate in a range of activities including rollerblading, riding scooters, limbo or they can choose to run off all their energy in the jungle gym.
Thursday 3 October 2024
- Activity: Richmond Park and Lolly Shop
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 30mins
- Departing Hutchins: 10.30am
- Departing Richmond: 1.30pm
- Return at Hutchins: 2.00pm
- Route: Via Tasman Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Treat money (optional): Children may bring money (up to the value of $5) to spend at the Lolly Shop.
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: We will be visiting the Richmond Park and Lolly Shop. Children will have access to the playground, and sports equipment provided by Hutchins. Children will be taken in groups to the Lolly Shop to purchase items up to the value of $5.
Friday 4 October 2024
- Activity: Sports day at Hutchins
- Transport: N/A
- Booking time: 10.30am – 1.00pm
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Today we will have a range of sports on offer at Hutchins. Hutchins staff will be running cricket, tennis, soccer and dance programs throughout the day.
Monday 7 October 2024
- Activity: Bunnings at Hutchins
- Transport: N/A
- Booking time: 10.00am – 11.30am
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Today we will be visited by staff members from Bunnings who will help us to create something special to take home.
Tuesday 8 October 2024
- Activity: Mount Field National Park
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 1hour and 45mins
- Departing Hutchins: 9.30am
- Return at Hutchins: 3.15pm
- Route: Via Brooker Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: We’re off to Mount Field National Park! Children will have access to the playground, and we will also venture to see Russell Falls.
Wednesday 9 October 2024
- Activity: Benjafield Park Moonah
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 20mins
- Departing Hutchins: 10.30am
- Departing Benjafield Park: 1.30pm
- Return at Hutchins: 2.00pm
- Route: Via Brooker Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: We’re off to visit Benjafield Park! Children will have access to the playground, and sports equipment will be provided by Hutchins.
Thursday 10 October 2024
- Activity: Huon Valley PCYC
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 45mins
- Departing Hutchins: 9.45am
- Departing PCYC: 1.00pm
- Return at Hutchins: 1.45pm
- Route: Via Huon Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: A Vacation Care favourite! We’re off to PCYC. Children can choose to play in the Fun Factory or participate in soccer, cricket, basketball or football.
Friday 11 October 2024
- Activity: Bounce
- Transport: Bus
- Travel time: 20mins
- Departing Hutchins: 10.30am
- Departing Bounce: 12.10pm
- Return at Hutchins: 12.30pm
- Route: Via Brooker Highway
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Let’s bounce on over to Derwent Park! Children will have one hour to climb, jump and swing at Bounce.
Monday 14 October 2024
- Activity: Kombi Krew Silent Disco at Hutchins
- Transport: N/A
- Booking time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
- Lunch: Bring your own packed lunch
- Expected number of children: 80
- Anticipated number of staff: 12
- Description: Kombi Krew are coming to visit to host a silent disco! Each child will have their own headset with a choice of three stations to choose from. Party snacks will be provided afterwards.
Our program
We believe that this is our time and our place. Our program is geared toward empowering children to join with us making our centre a place where they can feel they belong; a place where they can be who they are, and become who they want to be.
Our professional, experienced staff provide a program and environment that allows your children the freedom to engage in any or all of the activities that the centre runs, or to occupy themselves productively with the other games and equipment provided. We create environments that are diverse, fun and challenging, understanding the value of play in the role of middle childhood development. We encourage the children in our care to explore, develop, socialise and learn and to be the very best people they can be.
Our centre is built upon the foundation of learning through play. Programs implemented at the centre are designed not only to be fun, but to provide interesting, diverse and challenging experiences that encourage children to develop self-esteem, independence and confidence through play. Children are actively involved in the program planning process, either through direct initiation of activities, or through staff-guided experiences, designed to meet the needs and desires of the children. We also provide a wide range of free play activities designed to allow your children to express their creativity, use their energy and engage with one another actively and appropriately.
Our free play resources include Lego, police, fire and ambulance Duplo sets, Hama beads, Zoobs, toy pirate ships, train sets, marble run, table tennis, pool and air hockey, puzzles, games, a puppet theatre, dress ups, home corner, and much more. Children are also encouraged to get outside and get active! We have a large range of toys and equipment designed for outdoor play, ranging from sport and physical play, to sandpits and a playground with large grassed area.
Staff
- Miss Samantha Clark, Acting Co-ordinator of Outside School Hours Care (6221 4212)
- Miss Louise Kaden, Assistant Co-ordinator of Outside School Hours Care
Please mail OSHC@hutchins.tas.edu.au if you have any queries, including bookings.
ACECQA (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority) – Exceeding National Quality Standards
The Hutchins School Children’s Service, including Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, OSHC and Vacation Care have an overall rating of Exceeding the National Quality Standards. The National Quality Framework offers a national approach to regulatory requirements, the assessment and rating of services and quality improvement processes across the early childhood education and care sector, including OSHC and Vacation Care.
Our rating of Exceeding highlights that as a service, we have gone above and beyond what is expected of a service to meet the quality standards. It shows that we have demonstrated consistently high-quality practice, commitment and understanding across all seven Quality Areas, and have shown our practice is embedded in all service operations, is informed by critical reflection, and that practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with our families and community.
The Exceeding rating demonstrates our ongoing commitment to children, families, and education, and that our service is dedicated to maintaining the highest quality learning environment.
Philosophy and policies
- Centre Philosophy: OSHC and Kindergarten
- Abandoned Child Policy
- Absconded or Lost Child Policy
- Admissions, Bookings and Fees Policy
- Behaviour Guidance Policy
- Child Protection Policy
- Clothing and Comfort Policy
- Collection of Children Policy
- Excursions Policy
- Health and Hygiene Policy
- Infectious Diseases and Immunisation Policy
- Medication Administration Policy
- Nutrition and Healthy Eating Policy
- Health and Safety Addendum
- Parent Access and Information Policy
- Program Planning Policy
- Record Management Policy
- Sleep, Rest and Relaxation Policy
- Supervision and Staff Interaction Policy
- Plants and Vegetation Policy
- Medical Conditions Policy
- Water Safety Policy
- Children’s Services Philosophy
If you would like to view any of the above policies, please contact Mr Benjamin Searle, Policy and Compliance Manager.