Finding ways to cut costs, manage staffing and maintain school’s standard is an everyday battle for most head teachers.
This is especially true as the government sets to introduce mandatory changes regarding wraparound care. From September 2026, primary school families will have access to term-time childcare from 8am – 6pm.
While wraparound provision is vital for supporting families, delivering breakfast and after school clubs in-house can increase workload and operational costs. Staffing, safeguarding, planning, and funding quickly become major headaches.
What many schools don’t realise is that wraparound care can also provide a practical solution to rising PPA cover costs.
By partnering with external specialist providers to deliver wraparound clubs, schools can deliver high-quality childcare for families without any of the stress. Additionally, renting your facilities to external specialists is a fantastic way to generate extra revenue.
In this blog, we explore how wraparound care supports school communities, why external providers offer real value, and how this approach can significantly reduce PPA cover costs.
Why Wraparound Care Matters More Than Ever
Wraparound care plays a significant role in supporting primary school families.
For parents, wraparound clubs provide safe, consistent and structured childcare that fits around working hours and is often cheaper than childminders.
For children, breakfast and after school clubs offer fun, active and engaging activities that support physical, emotional and social development, helping pupils feel settled and ready to learn.
For schools, high-quality wraparound care can improve classroom engagement, enhance pupil behaviour and promote better attendance.
When delivered by external specialists, like LSC, wraparound care not only enhances outcomes for pupils but also reduces operational pressure on staff.
How Primary Schools Can Cut Costs of PPA Cover With Wraparound Care
A secret tool to boosting your budgets to fund important school services, such as PPA cover, is by renting out your school facilities to out-of-school club providers.
💡 Instead of viewing wraparound care as an added responsibility, it becomes a tactical financial tool.
Income generated from before and after school clubs, as well as holiday clubs, can be allocated towards your PPA budget.
For example, if your school currently pay £7,400 a year for 1 day of PPA cover a week. If you start renting your school hall to an external provider, such as LSC, 5 days a week, you could earn £12,000. If you use this income, rather than your usual budget to pay for PPA cover, you will gain an additional £4,600 per year.
This net gain can be invested in school resources, staffing or special programmes to better your school.
Alternatively, this can be used to deliver additional PPA cover, helping protect more teachers’ planning & preparation time.
To put it simply:
More wraparound hours = more income = greater PPA savings.
Calculate your PPA Cover Savings with Wraparound Care Rental
Fill out this simple enquiry form below and Luke, LSC’s School Partnership Manager will provide you with a bespoke quote on how much your primary school can earn with LSC wraparound care.
The top 5 Benefits of Using External Wraparound Care Providers
Around 1 in 4 parents would be unable to do their job without access to flexible childcare.
In order to provide reliable before and after school clubs, schools must ensure they have the staffing, safeguarding and operational resources in place to run these wraparound clubs effectively, adding pressure to already stretched teams.
This is where external wraparound care providers can make a meaningful difference. Here are LSC’s top-5 benefits for using external wraparound care specialists:
- Consistent, high-quality provision– LSC brings expertise in childcare, from activity design to safeguarding and even covering our own absences, so your pupils receive exceptional wraparound care every day.
- No operational burden- From registers to risk assessments, external providers handle all the day-to-day admin for parent-paid breakfast and after school clubs.
- Enriching & Varied Experiences– Children will enjoy structured, fun and active sessions that go beyond simple supervision. From sports, arts & crafts, technology and more.
- Affordability– With flexible booking options and acceptance of childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare schemes, all pupils can enjoy LSC wraparound clubs.
- Additional income from renting facilities generating regular income that can be used to reduce the cost of PPA cover or other school resources.