Child care club given poor Ofsted report

A discarded lawnmower, metal spikes and wood with nails sticking out were all found on an inspection last month at Funbase in Gunthorpe Road, which provides child care outside of school hours.

Moreover, during its inspection Ofsted discovered the gate to the playground was not secure and that staff were not alert to the risks of unauthorised people entering the play area or children leaving the club unattended.

Rating the club as ‘inadequate’, inspectors wrote: “The provider demonstrates a poor capacity to improve. Actions raised at the last inspection have not been addressed.

“The members of the committee do not have a secure knowledge and understanding of their legal roles and responsibilities as the provider of the club.”

Other criticisms included:

l “Ofsted has not been provided with the necessary information to complete suitability assessments on some committee members.”

l Management and staff are not aware of the current child protection procedures with particular regard to identifying children who may be at risk from extreme ideas and behaviours.

l “Management is not aware of the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures to be followed in the event of an allegation being made against a member of staff.”

l “Staff do not work consistently with parents or the schools that children attend in order to complement and support their prior learning and interests.”

l “Weak self-evaluation contributes to the poor practice in the club. The management is not offering staff effective support to identify training needs and improve the quality of their practice.”

According to Ofsted Funbase is open Monday to Friday and provides care before and after school. It also operates as a holiday club during the school holidays.

It has 147 children on its roll who are aged between four and 11. It was previously rated as ‘requires improvement’ after an inspection in May 2016.

The latest report adds: “Generally, children are happy at the club. They have a range of toys and resources to occupy them. Children particularly enjoy games outside. They negotiate the space available as they play team games, such as bean bag relay. Children behave well and staff are good role models. Staff are calm and support children to negotiate when minor disagreements occur.”