Do you have experience leading in a playscheme, childcare, or out-of-school setting?
The Play Patch is looking for an enthusiastic, organised, and self-motivated Holiday Playscheme Manager to lead our vibrant, HAF-funded holiday programme at Hargrave Hall Community Centre.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced childcare or playwork professional to oversee our five-week summer programme, plus Easter and Christmas provision, managing a creative, child-led playscheme for children aged 5–13 years across our Junior and Senior groups.
We’re looking for someone who leads with energy, warmth, and confidence—someone who can inspire a team, create a safe and engaging environment, build positive relationships with families, and ensure every child enjoys a memorable holiday experience.
If you are calm under pressure, highly organised, passionate about play, and thrive in a busy community setting, we’d love to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the daily operation of The Play Patch, ensuring safe, engaging, and well-organised delivery across both age groups.
- Open, prepare, and close the setting each day, overseeing indoor and outdoor learning spaces.
- Lead, supervise, and support playworkers, including daily briefings, staff deployment, coaching, and performance feedback.
- Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead, managing safeguarding concerns, incidents, welfare needs, and individual support plans in line with policy.
- Ensure compliance with the Department for Education HAF programme, including attendance, meal records, monitoring, and reporting.
- Oversee delivery of a varied programme of physical activity, creative arts, outdoor play, wellbeing, and child-led learning.
- Conduct daily health and safety checks, risk assessments, accident/incident recording, and lead emergency procedures when required.
- Act as the main point of contact for parents and carers, building positive relationships and managing enquiries sensitively.
- Maintain accurate records, consent forms, medical information, safeguarding documentation, and oversee resources, equipment, and site organisation.
The Play Patch is a creative, child-led holiday playscheme based at Hargrave Hall Community Centre, delivering high-quality mainstream holiday provision for children aged 5–13 years.
Operating across two age groups within one setting:
Play Patch Juniors
Children aged 5–10 years
Play Patch Seniors
Children aged 10–13 years
Daily capacity: approximately 50 children (25 per group).
Children enjoy:
- Choice-led play
- Outdoor adventure
- Arts, crafts and making
- Sports and movement
- Construction and den building
- Quiet wellbeing spaces
Pay: £18.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
