Ofsted report is inaccurate says Thatcham club
After-school club owner appeals against watchdogs 'inadequate' rating and wants re-inspection
AN after-school and holiday club in Thatcham has lodged an appeal against Ofsted's ‘inadequate' rating, after it was criticised for welfare issues.
An inspection of the privately owned Fun Time Club, which is based at Spurcroft Primary School, Spurcroft Road, was carried out by inspector Melissa Cox on January 20, who said in her report that the club had inadequate provision for keeping children safe.
The owner of the club, Debbie Barnes, responded this week by claiming that the findings in the report were untrue and said that she had appealed to Ofsted.
She said that she hoped to clear the club's name with a re-inspection.
Ms Barnes added that the report was having a negative effect on her business and that half the parents had raised concerns since the report was published.
She said that when the inspector visited the school, Ms Cox offered her feedback, much of which was positive, and she was shocked to see that the report released over a month later gave a completely different picture.
The report criticised the staff for a poor understanding of their responsibilities to the children and safeguarding them.
It also stated that self-evaluation procedures were so ineffective that several welfare requirements were not being met, and that, on occasions, there was not a suitably qualified member of staff in place.
Ms Cox also mentioned that the club was almost prosecuted by Ofsted after it failed to notify it that the person in charge of managing the facility had changed.
However, Ms Barnes said that when Ms Cox spoke to her, she had raised many positive aspects of the club and commented that the were children so happy that did not want to go
home.
She said: “We were shocked when we read the report as it does not read well.
“Safeguarding is paramount for us.
“All of our staff have been on training and our policies have been updated.
“There has always been a qualified member of staff on site, so that was incorrect.”
The report also stated that the staff at the club failed to ensure that information was gathered
to assess the suitability of volunteers who had regular contact with the children.
Ms Barnes also disputes this point.
She said that staff had all the personal information needed on people working there, including relevant CRB checks and proof of identification.
She said that she understood that inspections needed to be carried out, but that she looked into some of the points raised and believed they were inaccurate.
He said: “I'm annoyed with Ofsted. It seems that everyone is against us at the moment.
“We don't feel like it was a true reflection of us.
“We don't feel like we have done anything wrong.
“The number one priority for us is the children being safe so this has been quite damaging.”
Ofsted spokeswoman Rebecca Hill said that she could not comment on individual provision, particularly if there was a complaint, to ensure the matter was kept fair between Ofsted and the provider.
