Page - Our Services
Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee
Registered Charity number 1172048
Here is a brief description of our services and activities. Services provided by other organisation at the Dovecote and some useful information.
To give us your feedback and ideas please call in and see us or click here to use our feedback form.
Afterschool Club
Dovecote afterschool club operates Tuesday to Thursday 3.30 pm until 5.15 Term Time only for children aged 4 to 12 years old. The cost per session per child is £3.00. We offer a walking bus service from Windale Primary School for an extra cost of £1.50 per child. Children have the opportunity to make new friends and enjoy a variety of activities and experiences such as; art and craft activities, baking, team games, computer games, role play, outside play and much more. To download a registration form please click here.
Afterschool clubs, classes and creative sessions provide fun ways for children to play, learn new skills and gain fresh experiences. Activities after school don’t just keep restless kids busy or entertained. They can also offer great developmental benefits that will help them academically and socially.
Benefits to children
- Mixing with existing friends in a new environment helps children learn to share and appreciate each other’s talents and abilities.
- Engaging with new friends and being in a productive environment helps strengthen confidence and independence.
- Developing and succeeding in new activities helps build character and enhance strong leadership skills.
- After-school activities give children something positive to do when parents are working.
Peep Sessions
For details of Peep Learning Together programme, please contact Peep on 01865 395145 or click on this link https://www.peeple.org.uk/.
Stay and Play
Little Doves Stay and Play sessions run on a Monday 9.30 am until 12 pm and Wednesday 9.30 am until 12 pm, (Term Time Only) The cost is £1 entry fee to support us to provide a variety of resources for little ones. The £1 also covers the cost of a hot drink, tea or coffee and a healthy snack for little ones. We model our sessions on former Mother and Toddler groups. We encourage, welcome and value parents involvement in planning, setting up and clearing away and delivery of sessions. Sessions are a great way for families to meet each other and have a change of scene and activities. Sessions provide a relaxing way for parents to chat together, while their children play with other children and toys. Along with offer a fantastic opportunity to share ideas with parents and carers about how they can support their children’s learning through everyday activities.
Benefits to children 
- Positive social interaction with other children
- Learn through playing, explore the world around them
- Choose from a wide variety of toys and activities
- Physical activity has a positive impact on their well-being and health
Benefits to parents/carers
- Change of scenery can be equally beneficial for parents as well as children
- Share your experiences with other parents and exchange opinions with other families.
- Both your children and you can make friends
- Volunteers and staff aim to create a friendly atmosphere and are always willing to provide support and advice to families
Playschemes
Our Easter scheme operate from 10 am to 3 pm during usually Monday to Thursday, depending on when the Easter bank holiday weekend falls. The cost is £40 per week per child
Our summer scheme operates for the first four weeks of the summer holidays, 10 am until 3 pm Monday to Thursday. The cost again is £40 per child per week, £8 per day. You can have the first two weeks of the scheme or the last two weeks. If you would like your child to attend all four weeks we only offer this if there are spaces operates the same days and times as above. Please check our facebook page or our blog for date of registration for both schemes. To download a registration form please click here.
Schemes are for children aged 4 to 12 years old. As we are a community project, priority is given to Blackbird Leys parents/carers for spaces in our holiday schemes
Our play schemes are a busy, vibrant environment that offer children lots of fun activities and opportunities.
We support the idea of free flow play for the children attending so although we encourage involvement in activities, many make their own choices about what they will do throughout the session.
Children enjoy themselves, make friends and to take part in a range of activities in a safe, happy atmosphere. There is a good ratio of Playworkers to children which is based on the ages onsite and the types of activities on offer. We work with a ratio of 1:8 regardless of children being over 8 Ofsted ratio for over 8’s is 1:10
Our playworkers role is to support the children’s play, get involved, encourage ideas and at times act as a mediator.
While we are aware of and take into account the different needs of children across the age ranges, everyone is able to mix with others as they please.
At Dovecote play schemes we take children’s play seriously even when it involves children getting very messy. We also understand that children need and want to take risks when they play and as such we aim to provide play experiences that stimulate and challenge the children into exploring and developing their abilities. We understand that without a child’s strongly motivated response to challenge and risk they would have never learnt to walk, climb or even ride a bike. As such we encourage the children to stretch themselves, test and develop their abilities in fun and exciting ways. It is the role of the Playworker’s to offer a wide range of play opportunities that expose children to acceptable risk enabling children to play freely and be the masters of their own play.
Sensory Play
We have a purpose built sensory room which we use during our afterschool club, playscheme and stay and play sessions. The room can be hired for one to one use. Please contact Carol on 01865 71299 to find out how you can access this fabulous play resource. As well as having a purpose built sensory room we also have a fabulous outdoor sensory garden launched in April this year. The garden provides lots of sensory smells, colours, textures and sound.
Parenting Support
Being a parent is probably one of the most difficult, but also for many people, one of the most rewarding things to do!
Our Children & Families Services Manager is only too happy to offer a helping hand such as a friendly ear, support to access services, training, etc.
If you are living on the Leys and feel in need of extra help/advice around parenting then please talk to your health visitor or give us a call on 01865 779615. We have an outreach team who help families in their own home.
You might also like to meet other parents who have children the same age, just to know you are not alone in the challenges you might face.
Our Stay and Play session is open access for all families with children birth – 5 yrs. Coming along to the session provides opportunities to meet other parents and also find tips and possibly new ways of understanding behaviours you might be finding difficult (e.g. tantrums, anger, not listening, aggressive behaviour, etc) Along with people often make new friends, find out more about what going on in your local community and much more.
The Health Visitors from the Leys Health Centre work provide health promotion, advice and support to promote health and wellbeing for babies, children and their families as well as working with the midwives to provide support during pregnancy.
You can come and see a Health Visitor at the following Health Visitor lead clinics:
Monday 1.45 pm – 15.00 pm at The Leys Health Centre
Tuesdays 11.00 am -12.00 pm Healthy Child Clinic at the Leys
Thursday – 11.00 am – 12.45 pm at The Leys Health Centre
The Leys Health Visiting Team
Telephone: 01865 788688
Email: oxfordhealth.LeyHVteam@nhs.net
Courses Info
Through our work as an Adult Tutor with Abingdon & Witney college, we are able to run a variety of courses such as Introduction to Childcare, CV writing workshops, Maths and English workshops and much more from Peers School campus. Why not give Carol a call on 01865 712299?
Childcare Info
For the most up to date information about the different types of childcare, support for arranging and paying for childcare please visit the Oxfordshire Family Information Directory:
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/find-childcare
Free early education for 2 year olds
Some 2 year olds are eligible for 15 hours free early education funding.
If your child is two or nearly two and you receive certain benefits you may qualify for 15 hours free early education each week. This can be used at day nurseries, preschools and some accredited childminders
You can check your eligibility for the funding by using the Oxfordshire County Council Citizen Portal.
To check your eligibility under the economic criteria (1, 2) you will need your national insurance number. The citizen portal will provide an immediate outcome for those families applying under these criteria.
To check if you are eligible under the non-economic criteria (3, 4) you will need to supply evidence that supports your application. We may request further evidence to verify your eligibility.
The Government will fund the cost of some early education for 3 and 4 year olds. More details on Oxford County Council early educaton page