Childcare: Call for action on out-of-school clubs
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Improving childcare for school children must be made "an urgent priority," a leading childcare charity has said.
4Children urged the Government to match cash and developments forunder-fives with out-of-school childcare.
The call follows an Ofsted report that revealed out-of-school clubs hadthe poorest record on childcare health and safety. Of the 2,400 clubsinspected last year, more than one in 10 were judged "inadequate" andseven per cent failed to meet basic safety standards.
Anne Longfield, 4Children's chief executive, said there was a need formore cash and staff training for out-of-school childcare. That includedextending the Government's Transformation Fund for workforcedevelopment.
In its report, Ofsted said all childcare providers could do more toimprove child safety. The watchdog stressed the vast majority of the25,000 settings inspected in 2005/06 - 96 per cent - were satisfactoryor better at keeping children safe.
But it made recommendations for improvement to nearly half the 25,000nurseries, childminders and out-of-school clubs it visited said itsreport - Early Years: Safe and Sound.
- www.ofsted.gov.uk.
