Wednesday July 1st 2026
Jedburgh Grammar Campus
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A trio of mums and their supporters have united to start turning around the fortunes of a Borders out of school club.
A Care Inspectorate report on Jedburgh Out of School Club published in the summer of last year rated leadership as ‘weak’ and found that the provider needed to develop an improvement plan.
In April this year a new committee was formed under the stewardship of co-chairs Hannah Grout, Victoria Brown and Katherine Finlayson, all of whom have children who attend the club.
A new Care Inspectorate report acknowledges improvements carried out with the leadership rating moving from the previous ‘weak’ to ‘satisfactory’.
The inspection found that children were valued, secure and supported because staff created a “consistently nurturing environment”.
Jedburgh Out of School Club is registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide a service to a maximum of 44 children who attend primary school or S1 at any one time.
The club operates a breakfast, after school and holiday club and has use of a dining hall within the Jedburgh Grammar Campus.
Opportunities for outdoor play are provided in the school playground and nearby wooded area.
Co-chair Katherine said the new improved report represented a “stepping stone” for further upgrades.
She said: “Our children are using the club so it’s to the benefit of our children to make it a good experience, it’s really at the forefront of our minds as a committee. That motivates us.
“Children need to have a space that is a nurturing environment with lots of things to do and we are making good use of some lovely outdoor spaces, particularly when the weather is fine.
“We are really pleased with this report because if you go back to previous reports there are quite a lot of areas of work. There is a lot of recognition of the work put in by ourselves and the staff. This is a stepping stone to further improvements.
“Our committee is made up of dedicated volunteers, including two members who are parents of children with complex additional needs.
“They understand first hand the importance of services like Jedburgh Out of School Club and have invested significant time and effort into making the club a success despite the many challenges involved.
“As a committee, we have worked incredibly hard to make significant changes to this club for the benefit of children and families in our community.
“This is something we do alongside our full-time jobs, giving up our own time because we genuinely care about providing this much-needed service.”
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