Safe supervision, arrival and collection

How to use this short course

Allow about 20 minutes for reading, the scenario, reflection and knowledge check. This is internal new-starter awareness training for an after-school setting. It does not replace specialist qualifications, the longer DASC courses, required employment checks or local practical induction. Local policy and the arrangements confirmed by your manager determine how you carry out your role. Examples are illustrative; no example name is an operational contact.

Read the sections in order, discuss anything unclear and complete the six-question assessment. You need at least 80% and your own declaration for a dated module completion. The whole pathway is not complete until all six modules and a separate manager practical sign-off are recorded.

Know who is in your care

Accurate registers are a safety tool, not paperwork to finish later. Use the agreed check-in and check-out process at the actual time of arrival or departure. Check identity as well as numbers. A correct total can still hide a child who has left and another who has arrived without being recorded. Never assume an absent child has gone home unless the authorised handover and record confirm it.

Ask how the register covers children arriving from school, moving between rooms, attending a separate activity and leaving with an authorised adult. Know who holds the current register in an emergency and how you access necessary contact details securely. Report discrepancies immediately and preserve the audit trail when correcting an entry.

Supervision is an explicit responsibility

Before an activity begins, understand your group, area, children's needs, staffing allocation and risk assessment. Position yourself so you can notice hazards and children who need support; do not become absorbed in your phone, paperwork or a long parent conversation. Check agreed arrangements for toilets, outdoor spaces, mixed ages and children who need additional support.

There is no single staffing ratio suitable for every age, setting and activity. The manager must confirm the requirements and local arrangements that apply. Do not copy a ratio from another room or count a visitor as a supervising colleague. If staffing or conditions become unsafe, raise it immediately and adjust or stop the activity through the responsible lead.

When leaving an area, hand over deliberately and confirm that an authorised colleague has accepted responsibility before you go. “Someone was nearby” is not a handover. Ask for cover without abandoning children. During breaks, shift changes and emergencies, the same principle applies.

Arrival, transitions and collection

Use the agreed register and headcount checks before, during and after transitions. Identify who leads, who checks the group and who brings relevant emergency information. On outings, follow the specific permission, transport, route and missing-child arrangements; do not improvise an off-site trip. If a child is missing from a transition check, raise the alarm immediately while maintaining supervision of the remaining group.

At collection, follow the current authorised collection record and identity/password checks required by local policy. Knowing a child's name, being familiar or saying “Mum sent me” is not proof of authorisation. Keep the child safe while seeking manager confirmation. Do not use the child's preference alone to override the procedure. Escalate concerns such as an adult appearing unable to collect safely, a disputed collection or an unexpected change; avoid confronting people on your own.

Visitors, security and missing children

Keep entry points secure in the agreed way. Verify visitors, arrange sign-in and identification and follow escort requirements. Do not let a visitor distract you from your group or permit access simply because they look professional. Report an unknown person, unsecured door or other security concern promptly.

If a child cannot be accounted for, follow the missing-child plan immediately. Raise the alarm, involve the responsible lead and use the emergency escalation arrangements. The other children still need safe supervision. Never leave the whole group unattended to search. Do not delay because you fear blame or assume someone else has already acted.

Practise a realistic situation

You move a group from the hall to the garden. Your headcount is one short. At the same moment an unfamiliar adult arrives to collect a different child and asks you to open the gate.

Explain which concern needs immediate action, how you maintain supervision and who you call. Describe how the collection request is handled without releasing a child or losing site security. Then trace the factual register and handover information that helps the responsible lead respond. Practise the local procedure rather than relying on a generic answer.

Local practical follow-up

Rehearse a register and transition check, an explicit supervision handover, an unfamiliar-collector check and the first actions in a missing-child scenario with your manager.

Use the actual current arrangements for your setting, not a remembered contact or a fictional scenario. Tell the manager if you need more practice, an accessible format or support with language or reading. Any unresolved issue should be supported and recorded rather than hidden by ticking a box.

Continue your learning

• Full course: arrival collection supervision
• Full course: educational visits off site activities
• Full course: health and safety

Completing this short module records only this module. It does not mark any linked full course as completed. Full training and refresher requirements remain separate.

Guidance and local policy

This awareness module is informed by the Department for Education's Out-of-school settings: safeguarding guidance for providers, updated 9 February 2026. It is guidance, not a claim that every statutory provision applies identically to every setting. The manager must confirm the framework relevant to the provision, children's ages and your duties, including any applicable EYFS requirements. Use the setting's current safeguarding, conduct, supervision, health and information-handling procedures alongside this module.