4 hours Ago By Evening Standard
A holiday club operating at an Outstanding-rated Chelsea primary school has been ordered to improve security following an incident that put children at risk. Ofsted inspectors visited Active Day Camps at Marlborough Primary School in October after an unspecified security breach during summer 2024. The watchdog found the provider had "not taken the required action" to secure the site and prevent unauthorised access.
Neither the school nor Active Day Camps (ADC) would disclose details of the incident that triggered the inspection. The holiday club operates at the school through Schools Plus, an organisation that manages lettings between schools and external providers. Headteacher Sally Keck confirmed the school has asked Schools Plus to review ADC's use of the premises following the inspection.
"Both those organisations are responsible for risk assessments and security during their clubs and lettings," she said. The inspection report, published on January 16, specifically highlighted concerns about "unaccompanied people accessing the setting" during holiday club sessions. The criticism does not reflect on Marlborough Primary School itself, which maintains its Outstanding Ofsted rating.
Ms Keck said the safeguarding of children was of the “utmost importance” and that the school took any concerns on its premises seriously “whether in school time or not”. She added: “The school and the council have already asked Schools Plus to review their security procedures and these have been observed to be in place. Given this new Ofsted report, we have asked Schools Plus to reconsider all lettings to Active Day Camps.
” After Ofsted’s visit on October 30, inspectors wrote: “The provider has not taken steps to improve the security of the setting within the shared building, which puts children at risk. Furthermore, staff have a poor understanding of the risk assessments, which means they fail to take steps to keep the premises safe and secure.” Rebby Wallis, Active Day Camps’ designated safeguarding lead, said the provider treats its safeguarding obligations with ‘utmost seriousness’ and rigorously adheres to all applicable standards of care.
He said it takes considerable measures to ensure the safety and security of all children. Mr Wallis also said the incident referred to in Ofsted’s report ‘arose from an unfortunate and highly anomalous incident’ and the company did not face any enforcement action from the watchdog. He said: “We confirm that ADC has adopted all recommended actions made in the OFSTED report, and would welcome another inspection as soon as possible.
” The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the incident occurred when several clubs were on site at Marlborough Primary School at the same time. The school quickly referred the matter to the local authority and the council initiated a safeguarding review. Kensington and Chelsea Council is also reviewing any contracts with ADC as a result of the inspection.
The LDRS understands that ADC has not operated a school holiday club at Marlborough Primary since October half-term. The Ofsted report detailed the following areas of concern around ADC’s holiday club at Marlborough Primary: However Ofsted did say children are happy at the holiday clubs, they behave well and staff help them solve problems like how to share resources. They said children with special needs are well supported, and parents feel they are listened to.
Inspectors also highlighted how staff engage with storytelling which helps children develop their imagination and language skills. Ofsted gave Active Day Camps until November 22 to make the following improvements: ADC’s operation at Marlborough Primary was registered in 2020. It runs clubs during the school holiday and employs eight members of staff, according to Ofsted.
Marlborough Primary was separately inspected by Ofsted in September 2024 and given an Outstanding rating. Safeguarding arrangements for the school were described as effective. Ofsted was contacted for further comment but said it does not comment on individual providers.
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