AN AFTER-school club, which was told the children in its care are not safe, has been informed it has not taken enough action to address problem areas.

As reported in The Gazette, last August Bishopswood After School Club was graded as “inadequate” by Ofsted and issued with a welfare notice to improve, because the children in its care were considered to be “at risk of harm”.

Since then, the club, held at Bishopswood Infant School, in Barlows Road, Tadley, has received several monitoring visits from the education watchdog to ensure it is on track to improve and has also recruited a new manager However, a report published in January said: “The inspector is of the opinion that the setting has not taken prompt and effective action to address the points for improvement.”

Ofsted will now take enforcement action.

Following the inspection last year, the club was told it was in breach of a number of legal requirements, including following rigorous health and hygiene procedures and ensuring a suitable manager and deputy manager were in place.

Inspectors noted that not all of the committee members had been checked to ensure their suitability to have contact with children, which the report said “puts children’s wellbeing and safety at risk”.

The report added: “Children’s safety is put further at risk as the staff have a very poor understanding for a child’s well-being.

“This is detrimental to the safety of the children and places children at risk of harm.”

A monitoring visit in October last year found that the club had taken action to meet most of the requirements, however, a further notice was issued in November regarding child protection.

In December, the inspector found that staff had received in-house training around safeguarding.

The inspector also spoke to the recently appointed managed about a key-person system which is now in place.

The report said: “Although it is in its early stages, observations are being undertaken and recorded to ensure that children’s development is monitored effectively and progressed.”

However, the inspector found that a suitable deputy manager had not been formally recruited, and it was not clear if steps were being taken to fill that role.

A welfare requirement notice was issued as a result.

The inspector also found that a supervision system to monitor staff performance had not been implemented.

Joanna Roberts, committee secretary at the club, said Ofsted had re-visited the club on Monday, and had lifted the welfare notice.

She added: “We have worked extremely hard with Ofsted and we have recruited a new manager who is working extremely hard with the rest of the team and members of the committee to ensure that we have acted on everything that Ofsted has asked us to do.

“We are confident that when Ofsted come to do their full visit at some point this year, we will be in a much better position to receive a better Ofsted.”