The Clubs run for 50 weeks of the year, with a 2 week break for Christmas. We understand that absences may occur due to family holidays and sickness. Therefore a minimum 75% attendance threshold is required. This is equivalent to having 12 approved weeks of absence out of the 50 weeks that the Club runs.

It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that absences do not exceed these 12 weeks as this will result in notification that your child’s place has been lost and reallocated to somebody on our waiting list. We encourage parents to take time to consider these attendance criteria prior to accepting a place in the Club as it can be upsetting for children to lose their spaces.

Attendance registers are closely monitored by Farm staff throughout the year, and cannot be paused, unless prior arrangement has been reached with the Youth Manager in response to exceptional circumstances.  

Your child will be enrolled into one session, either a Saturday/Sunday morning (10am – 12.30pm) or afternoon (2pm - 4.30pm). Sessions continue throughout the year, including during school holidays except for two weeks at the end of December when they close.

Children are provided with a simple snack at break time and drinks as often as they require. We respectfully ask that children do not bring to the Farm their own food and drink as some children we work with have complex food allergies which we must work in accordance with. If your child has specific dietary requirements, please inform us via the registration form, or as soon as they become known.

All our staff hold an up to date DBS check before they are allowed to work with children. These checks are repeated every three years. In addition, two personal references are taken during the recruitment process. Our Youth Manager is trained as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and there will always be a trained first aider working with the children.
When you register your child with us you will name individuals permitted to collect your child. If your child is to be collected by a different person, (relative, friend etc.), staff must be notified by writing in advance. We will not let a child leave the Farm with anyone who is not known to us, or authorised by the parent/carer. .
Upon registering we will ask you of any medical issues you are aware of that will ensure we understand the needs your child might have and adjust our practice accordingly. We rely on being kept up to date with medical issues by parents/careers so that we can adjust our work accordingly.
We have a minimum of one staff member for 10 children aged 8 and over. Due to the nature of the Farm Clubs we always endeavour to operate with a session leader and assistant with an adult to child ratio of 1:8 for KS2 and 1:10 for KS3. The Farm’s Safeguarding Policy is available in full on our website https://www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/clubs-young-people/ and parents/carers must familiarise themselves with the document at the end of the welcome pack which outlines the Farm’s Safeguarding responsibilities.
Each activity the Young Farmers takes part in is thoroughly risk assessed, with updates and adjustments made yearly to these.

As a charity, the Farm is reliant upon grant funding in order to run activities for free. Should a charge be applicable for any sessions (e.g. trips, events or workshops) now or in the future you will be made aware via email. Please inform us if paying the full price is not possible for you so that we can reach alternative arrangements and continue to offer an inclusive programme.

Clubs are screen free and we ask that your child leaves their devices and valuables at home as the Farm will not be responsible for loss or damage of these possessions. Should you need to contact your child, please call the Farm on 0207 2311010 or 0730 9730531 and ask for the session leader.

Unfortunately, no. For insurance reasons, only children who have been offered a place and completed the enrolment procedure can attend any of the clubs or associated activities, events, workshops, trips or visits. If a child you know wants to join the Club please advise their parent or guardian to visit https://www.surreydocksfarm.org.uk/youthclubs/ and sign up online, if the waiting list is open at that time. They will then need to wait until a space becomes available.

Giving an accurate estimation for the length of waiting times is difficult as so many different factors have to be considered, however, currently the waiting time is around 24 months. The Farm is only able to accommodate 40 children into our Youth Clubs and these run at capacity. The demand for our youth programmes is unprecedented and we understand that many children want spaces but have to wait a long time for them. Due to the small size of the Farm site and staff team we are unable to stretch past capacity and have made funding bodies and the Council aware of the demand. The Farm reserves the right to fast track young people through our waiting list according to the extent of their disadvantage and personal circumstances.