A CHILD care centre in Rossendale has been criticised after its first inspection since 2008.

Acorns Club, which is based at Helmshore Primary School, was told that it no longer meets the legal requirements for early years settings following the visit from Ofsted in April.

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Having previously been rated as ‘good’ seven years ago, the centre in Gregory Fold has now been told that it requires improvement.

The centre was set up in 2002, employs nine members of childcare staff and has 95 children on its roll.

Lead inspector Jacqueline Midgley said: “The management team are not clear about their roles and responsibilities.

“Managers do not ensure that all the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage are implemented.

“Changes to the management committee and the club manager have not been notified to Ofsted.

“Managers do not have robust systems for ensuring documentation, such as the club policies, fully comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

“For example, the safeguarding policy does not include details regarding the use of mobile phones and cameras in the club.

“Self-evaluation is not yet robust in identifying and acting on areas to improve.”

However, Mrs Midgley said that the centre had a number of strengths including children being consulted and being asked to contribute towards the planning of activities and the practitioner’s ‘warm and secure’ relationships with the children.

She said: “Partnerships with parents and professionals at the school are good.

“Practitioners effectively complement children’s learning in school and parents praise the level of care that practitioners provide for their children.

“All children make good progress because there is a shared approach to their learning and development.

“Practitioners have a good understanding of child protection procedures and support children’s growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe.”

Helmshore Primary School headteacher Christine Myers said: “We were disappointed that the Acorns Club received this judgement which came in spite of the fact that the Ofsted inspector was very impressed by the quality of relationships, the variety of activities on offer and the overall organisation of the Acorns Club.

“The judgement does not reflect the quality and effectiveness of the club and its staff members but it comes as a result of an administrative oversight to update Ofsted of staffing changes via the Ofsted Online Gateway.

“We have now addressed these administrative issues and look forward to continuing to ensure that our children are safe and happy in the club.”