Frequently Asked Questions

Our franchisees come from a range of backgrounds. What unites them is a passion for children’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as a desire to create their own business.

As a well-established children’s outdoor activity franchise, we have eliminated many of the ‘unknowns’ of starting a business. With an Outdoor Project franchise you will be supported every step of the way by an experienced and dedicated team.

More information here - www.theoutdoorsproject.co.uk/franchise

Or get in touch: email [email protected] and tell us a little bit about yourself, your current work situation and which territory/town you are interested in taking The Outdoors Project to.

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The Outdoors Project offers unique and engaging Ofsted-registered clubs for primary school children (ages 5-11).

At our clubs children gain confidence, have fun and improve their physical and mental development through outside play. We’re unlike sports specific clubs, as every person has something they excel at in nature. Our activities range from the quiet and methodical to louder and livelier play. With a non-competitive environment, children feel more relaxed and can challenge themselves to try new things each time.

Unique activities: These are what makes us stand out from other childcare providers. Some of our most popular take pop culture icons, such as Harry Potter, Pokemon or Star Wars and build an imaginative day around these stories and characters. Our tech meets nature sessions, such as Wildcraft vs Minecraft or Among Us Day, bring to life elements of the games that many children love. The meeting of these two worlds often encourages somewhat reluctant children to come for the very first time, only to find that they return again and again.  

HOLIDAY CLUBS: Holiday clubs run on weekdays throughout the school holidays. The wide variety of activities on offer at our holiday clubs means everyone feels good about their own abilities. This could be the sense of achievement they gain from carving a Harry Potter wand out of a stick or overcoming nerves to have an amazing game of Nerf. Watching children’s confidence grow and new friendships form during our holiday clubs is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. Parents can book for a day, a week or more.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS: Our after-school clubs are run on school sites for 1 hour directly after a school day. The clubs runs with a different activity every week, always involving games, creativity, learning new skills, communication & teamwork. Parents’ book for the term, for the school their child attends.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES & OTHER CELEBRATIONS: Here at The Outdoors Project, we love to party! Taking elements from our most loved clubs, we keep the children entertained with our super energetic and fun instructors. We have several different party sessions for the birthday child to choose from including Harry Potter Day, Nerfageddon and Bushcraft.

SAPLINGS PARENT & TODDLER GROUP - Saplings is our fun, nature-inspired activity group for pre-school children and their parents. If your child is active, interested in nature and loves playing in the great outdoors then this is for them! Your child will learn, play and create with sensory activities inspired by nature, including bug hunts, mud painting, natural art. They will be introduced to the changing seasons, a range of wildlife, they will forage, make things to take home.

SCHOOL WORKSHOPS - We run workshops at schools. Helping to bring learning to life, we offer a range of curriculum-based workshops, such as Vikings & Crusaders, Stone Age to Iron Age, and non-curriculum workshops, where the focus can be on team-building, tactical play or survival skills, for example.

Read all about our holiday clubs here.

The Outdoors Project have locations across the UK. Find out information about specific sites by choosing your location and then clicking the 'holiday club info' button.

To make a booking, choose your location, then scroll down to 'book holiday clubs' and select the holiday period you want to book. The list of all holiday club days in your area will appear, sorted by date.

Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear when clubs go on sale and other news, information and discounts

Read all about our after school clubs here.

For specific locations, choose your nearest location, and click the 'after school club info' button. To book, again choose your nearest location and then click 'book after school clubs' - a list of all the schools we run the clubs at will appear, with the option to book.

Clubs run directly after school, on school premises usually for 1 hour (check the individual school details as times differ by school). After school clubs are only open to pupils at the school. Booking tends to open about 2 months before the next term (usually around half term). We don't have a subsription-based serivce, so bookings need to be made for each new term.

Activities will change every term so our long-term members continue to gain new experiences and skills.

Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear as clubs go on sale.

To book, choose your nearest location from our homepage and click 'send us a birthday party enquiry'.

For more information about our parties, read birthday party details.

The following are for Saplings sessions (Parent & Toddler Groups, ages 18 months (or, confident walkers) to 4 years / pre-school):

Do I leave my child or stay with them?
The parent must stay with the child for these sessions.

Am I able to join Saplings part way through the term?
Yes - we would just charge you for any remaining sessions.

They have a younger sibling, under 18 months, can they come along?
No problem. The baby can come free of charge.

I'm not sure if my toddler would get on well with these sessions. Can I come for a taster session?
Sure. We can charge you for one session at £7.50. Please get in touch to request this. If they're happy and want to come for the rest of the term, let us know and we'll put them on the register for the rest of the term and charge you for the remaining amount of sessions.

We're often busy / my toddler is not always in the mood. Can I book on an ad-hoc basis / session-by-session?
No, we only take bookings for a whole term or however many sessions are remaining.

Full information about specific locations can be found by choosing your nearest location and then clicking the 'Saplings parent & toddler group info' button.

Holiday Clubs: Please pack a drink (water refills are available on site), a packed lunch, sturdy shoes and weather appropriate clothes - we recommend layers, a sunhat / waterproof / warm clothes depending on the weather.  Always check the forecast if you can, but if in doubt pack a shower proof coat - it’s never too much of a risk to pack!

After School Clubs: There is no need for children to get changed (unless they want to) but please ensure they have suitable footwear to run around in and weather appropriate clothing (see above). Some children bring a snack to eat at sign in.

For Nerf activities, we have a huge choice of Nerf blasters and darts for everyone to use and we do not expect you to bring your own equipment. If your child wants to bring their own Nerf blaster please ensure isn't battery powered (this avoids frustration when the battery runs out mid-club), make sure it's clearly named and it comes home with your child at the end of the day as it can be difficult to locate once mixed up with all our equipment.

Our Saplings parent & toddler group runs from the time toddlers are confident walkers, often around 18 months, and extends up to 4 years old. 

Our holiday/weekend/after school clubs & parties are open to children in primary school Years 1 to Year 6 (they must have already begun Year 1, rather than going into Year 1 soon in September). We strongly recommend that children are 6 plus when booking onto our popular Nerf days please, due to the more competitive nature of this day.

Children in reception are unfortunately too young for our clubs. This is due to the nature of some of the games we play and the pace that they run. We form groups each day and there are a few instructions for activities that they need to follow, we know that this can be disappointing, especially if an older sibling is at the club but we really look forward to welcoming your children when they are in Year 1 and aged 5+.  READ MORE HERE....

The Outdoors Project is on the Compulsory & Voluntary Ofsted Childcare Register but NOT on the Early Years Register (caring for children from birth to 31st August after their 5th birthday).

Older kids (12-13 years old) are perfectly welcome at holiday clubs and birthday parties. Our clubs are aimed at a core age group of 7-10 years old, so they’ll definitely be the oldest, but as long as your child is comfortable with that and wants to be there then that's fine!

If they want to book on for a few days, they might like to be taken under our wing as a young assistant volunteer. In which case, they'll be given a T-shirt and a few simple tasks to do during the day. Please note that the child's place is still chargeable at the normal rate - they're not there to lessen our work load, it's more designed as a way to encourage an older child to feel welcome.

For the full information on what Childcare Vouchers & Tax Free Childcare are, & how to pay: click here

For all the codes, and information about which franchises which aren't yet eligible to receive voucher/Tax Free Childcare payments: click here

At our Holiday Clubs & Weekend Clubs, each group eats their individual packed lunch that they have brought with them at their base camp. Instructors also eat lunch with the kids to keep a close eye on them, making sure they are eating enough to keep energy levels up and ensure they are drinking plenty of water (we offer regular water breaks throughout the day and have opportunities to refill their water bottles). 

We ask for children not to have nuts / nut butter / in their packed lunches but cannot check individuals and occasionally parents may forget, so please ensure that you let us know in advance when booking if your child has a nut allergy or any other severe allergy.

Medical information should be added to your child's personal details in your account. Please be as descriptive as possible - e.g. do they carry an epipen, inhaler or antihistamine; is it a contact allergy or ingested allergy; are they ok with 'this product may contain...' or 'made in a factory that handles...'; and for mental health illnesses, are there any triggers or coping strategies we should be made aware of? When you drop your child off at clubs, please can you ensure to speak with the club leader again, to check that we have all the information we need and handover any epipens, inhalers or anything else that your child may need.

Should your child have an epipen, please give this to the leader who will keep it on person for the day. We have at least 1 trained epipen administrator on site per day.  The instructor will be aware of allergies within the group when eating lunch and snacks, and children are reminded not to share food due to allergies within the group.  Please remember to ask the instructor at the end of the day to take this home with you as it can be a busy time at pick up for instructors to remember to do this.

When an activity involves cooking and food we cannot accommodate everyone with their likes and dislikes, but we do our best to provide alternatives for allergies and dietary requirements. Please let us know on booking so we can prepare for this. We are happy to discuss these alternatives and their ingredients in advance via a phone call or email, & on your arrival on the day if required.

At the end of each session, children will be signed out to the pickup person named on the register. Any changes to who will be picking up, please let us know prior to sign-in. Please do check that they have everything they arrived with as we often end up with lost property.

Visit our Franchise page for more details

Everything you need to know about our Refer A Friend scheme is here

Our activities are a huge mixture of gameplay, learning new skills, communication & teamwork, crafting or building, playing and creating memories to last. We work hard to create a  non-competitive "just for fun" environment, with something for everyone from the quiet and methodical to the loud and lively! Each day is different and activities are a mixture of children playing together or having the opportunity to find some space by themselves. Our goal is always the same – to keep your children enthused about being outdoors!  

We encourage a supportive and happy environment where the children can build friendships, succeed at new tasks and feel relaxed in an open green space. We encourage physical "green" exercise throughout our gameplay to promote health and wellbeing. 

During the day at our clubs, everyone joins all activities in the groups so we would advise for you to check that they would suit the plans for the days you are booking. Let’s say they don’t play Minecraft, they may really enjoy the games that day but not fully appreciate some of the Minecraft things that children are bonding over on the day, therefore booking a non gaming specific day for that child would be a better club. Perhaps they love woodcraft but hate Nerf, that’s great just book them onto a non Nerf focused day. We have created a programme that caters to all children, there really is something here that everyone will love. 
 

READ WHAT THE PARENTS SAY

Holiday Club bookings may be cancelled up to 4 weeks before the date of the booking for a full refund.

Between 4 weeks and 1 week before the date of the booking, you may switch the date of your booking (subject to availability), or cancel the booking to receive a credit note.

Within 7 days prior to the booking, no refunds or credit notes will be given.

Cancellations for credit may be made via our website. For all other changes, please call us or email us with your original booking confirmation / child name / booking location.

PLEASE NOTE:
The Outdoors Project is a growing franchise and each area operates as an individual company. Our times, prices and your children’s details appear on separate online systems. We are unable to transfer payments, credit notes or childcare vouchers between areas. Please get in touch with your chosen location for your enquiries as we run our businesses slightly differently.

Yes, you can add your child to a waiting list on our website. Many of our clubs do get fully booked, so sign up HERE for our mailing list to hear the first release of our holiday club dates. If a space becomes available, we will send you an email.

Please note that the waiting list for an after school club will not be carried over to a new term. Bookings reopen to everyone each term. However, those on the current register and waiting list will be emailed before anyone else once the new term goes on sale, so please add yourself to the current term's waiting list to be one of the first to hear once the new term goes on sale.

The Outdoors Project policy is that events & clubs will go ahead, regardless of the weather, as long as it’s safe to do so. The children often find the clubs even more fun in the rain! 

Weather appropriate clothing and footwear really does make a difference to their enjoyment. We will often move to a more sheltered area if the weather is particularly bad and we have large gazebos where we have our wet weather games to play whilst it passes.

We reserve the right to cancel the events/clubs on safety grounds in the case of extreme weather conditions. 

READ:  Won't The Kids Get Cold?

When we are lucky enough to see the sunshine, we encourage you to apply suncream in the morning before the clubs. 

We also offer our own suncream, should you child need it. During break times, the instructors will go around to their groups and spray suncream into the children’s hands, asking them to apply the cream themselves whilst we guide them to ensure this is done correctly. 

If your child is allergic to suncream or they wish to use their own, please make your child aware of this and send them with their own supply. We will remind them to apply this themselves during break time with everyone else.

Our holiday clubs run between 9am and 3pm.  We are aware that the timings may not work for everyone but feel from years of experience that with the high level of energy many kids use up in the clubs, 3pm is the sweet spot for them, ensuring they leave on a high. Our instructors set up early and also need plenty of time to pack away after the days fun ready to begin again the following day.

We are indeed. It isn’t simple though (of course) so here is the debrief below if you are interested in reading the full information.

Ofsted holds two registers, the Early Years Register for those caring for children from birth to 31st August after their 5th birthday, and the Childcare register which has two parts: the Compulsory part for those caring for children aged 5 up to 8 years and the Voluntary part for those caring for children aged 8 and over.  The Outdoors Project is on the Childcare Register (Compulsory & Voluntary) NOT on the Early Years Register, which is the reason we can only welcome children from School Year 1 upwards.

Brighton & Hove Ofsted URN: RP559404
Bristol Ofsted URN: 2513113
West Sussex Ofsted URN: 2528700
Others available on request

You can pay over the phone, but our online booking process is very simple to go through, plus it gives you the opportunity to fill in all the relevant details for your children at time of booking. 

Should you need someone to walk you through your booking, please call the contact number for the location you are wanting to book with or send us an email and we will get back to you when one of our leaders is in the office.

Once sign in is complete, the children will be split into their groups for the day. Before we start with our first activities the instructors will introduce themselves, run through the plan of action for the day, and brief the children with any relevant safety information they need to know.

The instructors will at this point ask the children if they have any friends or siblings they would like to switch groups to be with. We will always try our best to ensure that everyone is happy with their group before commencing a day of outdoor fun!

Yes! Read our article about this here (Read time: 1 minute)

We are inclusive and fully promote the many benefits of time spent outdoors for all children. All children are unique and rarely are two children's additional needs the same with their need for support. If your child has additional needs and would require additional support at school or at home, then please do get in touch so we will can discuss further to advise whether our club environment is the right fit for your child.

We want everyone to enjoy themselves and to go home with smiles after having plenty of fun with friends as well as learning a new skill or game.

Our session leaders are great at encouraging the children to participate, getting them involved in the activity. If they're not quite ready, a leader might encourage a child to watch from the sidelines and join in when they're ready or perhaps take the child under their wing to become a helper whilst they find their way.  

In order to maximise everyone’s enjoyment of the club, disruptive behaviour is not tolerated.  Any children being disruptive will taken aside to receive a warning and be given a chance to join back in. The leader will also decide whether it is safe for them to operate certain equipment on the day which carries risk (such as firelighting tools or whittling blades).

If behaviours are consistently disruptive each activity or week and the child is not responding to the leader’s encouragement and support, then the leader will speak to parents at the end of the session to find a solution and we may have to begin our "three strikes" policy. If three strikes are issued over a term or holiday club then we will be forced to withdraw that child’s place at the club. We ask for your support in ensuring we can work to resolve challenging behaviour and encourage children to make positive choices, to enjoy and participate in the activities in order for us to provide a fun and safe environment for all.

READ: The Quiet Child & the Boisterous Child - space for both

Each member of the club receives a stamp card for them to earn stamps throughout their time with The Outdoors Project. Children receive one stamp for each club they attend with the potential to earn more by impressing instructors during the session! Once they hit 10 stamps they will receive a gift of a patch of their choice from us as a reward.  

Please make sure to pack their stamp cards and feel free to chat to an instructor after sign out if we need to catch up on any missed stamps or lost cards. The stamps are meant as a positive reward for the great work that they do at the clubs! The patches are iron-on but we do advise sewing them on if you put them on clothing. 

READ ABOUT AND VIEW PATCHES

Each term at our after school clubs and also occasionally awarded at holiday and weekend clubs,  our club leaders will choose children at the club to receive a special patch and certificate for passion, politeness and resilience during the term. 

READ:  THE OUTDOORS PROJECT AMBASSADORS AWARD

We have special club member T-shirts. These are not a compulsory purchase but many children wear them over their own clothes at after school clubs and holiday clubs. The T-shirt is great for sewing/ironing The Outdoors Project club patches onto. We don't currently have an online shop but if you'd like to buy a T-shirt outside of booking a club please send us an email.

We are often looking for new members to join our team. We also run a franchise business, so do check in touch and see whether there is an opportunity to set up yourself in your area.

READ: FIND OUT MORE ABOUT JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND WORKING WITH THE OUTDOORS PROJECT

We receive many emails about volunteer opportunities within the company. Find out more here about our Volunteer Leadership and Development Programme

All our staff are DBS checked, Safeguarding trained and we have First Aid trained instructors at every club.

We run regular training throughout the year on our procedures, activities, health & safety, group management & behaviour tips.

Our staff come from different backgrounds and bring a range of additional experiences to the clubs: including in forest school, teaching, SEN, sports coaching, childcare and bushcraft.

If you are booking a holiday club and your child's school does not appear on the drop down list, please choose 'school not listed'.

After school clubs can only be attended by those at the school where the club is running.

Want a club at your child's school? Parents are often key to getting a club started, so let us know if you’re interested, and we can see if we can make something happen in your area. We have tonnes of fun and the activities help develop social skills: confidence, self-motivation, initiative, communication and teamwork.

Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear as clubs go on sale.

To see which schools we're at for after school clubs, click on your nearest location below then scroll down and click 'book after school clubs'. This will open a list of after school clubs running in your area.

Please click here to read all about our after school clubs.

Our clubs are often fully booked but if we have a space, you are welcome to join us for a trial session. Please contact your local office to see what is available.

Bookings are taken online for a whole term. If there are spaces, we are happy for children to join mid-term and prices are amended weekly online to reflect the missed sessions. If you are unable to pay for the whole term in advance then please get in touch to see how we can help.

Any lost property found at after school clubs will be returned to the school office or lost property area.

At our holiday clubs / weekend clubs and parties, we will remind children to take home everything they came with. Please do check that children take home everything they arrived with when you pick them up from a session.

Items lost at a holiday club will remain onsite until holiday clubs end for that holiday so you can pick up at sign-in (9am) or at sign-out (3pm).

Once returned to the office after clubs we will try and reunite named lost property with the owners, we will then clean and keep lost property in the office for 1 month before any remaining items go to a local charity.

Why let the kids have all the fun? We are happy to see if we can help arranging cross generational activities for family events or company team building... Nerf, teambuilding, bushcraft, the sky’s the limit! Please get in touch with your local club to discuss further.

"The days are varied, and always kept current, and provide her with plenty of stimulation, both physically and mentally. I can't think of a better way for her to spend a day/week during the holidays and love hearing the stories when I pick her up at the end of the day" 4th April 2023

“The staff are really kind and make my daughter feel happy and safe. She gets to make new friends and have loads of amazing adventures. My daughters words, not mine” 4th April 2023

"A wonderful day for my children. Staff are so child centred and nurturing, they bring out the best and most adventurous side to the children. Well organised, well ran. Thank you" 7th April 2023

"Outdoors Project does it brilliantly every time! Enthusiastic and kind staff. Good fun games and activities. New friends made for my daughter … just a terrific day" 13th April 2023

"Rain or shine my daughter loves it, and I love seeing her with all pink cheeks at the pick up time. All healthy oxygen soaked faces worth it!" 13th April 2023

For more reviews (we have over 3,000) please follow this link