AN ACTIVITIES centre which is visited by schoolchildren from Basingstoke has been told it is not meeting the requirements of the Childcare Register.

Calshot Activities Centre, in Southampton, was visited by inspectors from Ofsted on October 22 who carried out a childcare register inspection.

On November 11 the education watchdog reported that the centre was not meeting all of the requirements and imposed various actions as a result.

These were that it should inform Ofsted of changes to circumstances as soon as possible and inform Ofsted following the appointment of a new manager or of changes to the nominated person of the childcare provision.

Calshot Activities Centre is owned by Hampshire County Council.

The council’s Executive Members for Culture, Recreation and Countryside, Councillor Andrew Gibson, and Councillor Peter Edgar, Executive Member for Education, said: “Far from ‘not meeting demands’, this issue relates to a simple procedural process which both OfSTED and Calshot were well aware of and dealing with prior to the October inspection.

“Although Calshot do receive visits from schools in Basingstoke, this report and issue is not related to school visits. Calshot is voluntarily registered under the Childcare register scheme to accept childcare vouchers for young people attending adventure activity courses outside of schools use. Following the departure of a member of staff in September, Calshot had already been in correspondence with Ofsted regarding changes to the nominated person. This was prior to an Ofsted inspection in October. The report simply highlighted that this process was as yet incomplete, a fact that Calshot and Ofsted were fully aware of. 

“Calshot is a nationally regarded outdoor activity centre, licensed by The Adventure Activities Licensing Scheme. It holds the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, and has annual inspections from the Royal Yachting Association and the Canoe England. It is also inspected, as are all outdoor centres used by Hampshire schools by specialist professionals who are happy with the operational safeguards and procedures at the centre.

“We’d like to set the record straight, and clarify that there is and never has been any risk to any young person as a consequence of the procedural changes highlighted by OfSTED.”