The LGA is calling for tougher powers for councils to oversee and regulate ‘out-of-school’ settings, including being able to shut down illegal schools.
It follows an independent report, commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE), which revealed major safeguarding concerns about such settings.
They include sports and leisure clubs, tutoring, supplementary schools, faith-based organisations, ‘uniformed’ organisations (such as Brownies, Cubs and Scouts) and arts clubs attended by millions of children and young people.
The DfE funded a pilot, in 16 council areas over an 18-month period, into the oversight of out-of-school settings (OOSS), examining safeguarding risks and existing legal powers available to councils.
The pilot identified multiple safeguarding risks, including physical chastisement and corporal punishment, grooming and sexual abuse, child exploitation, extremism and radicalisation.
It also found current legal powers to act are not widely understood, making it difficult for councils to intervene.
The LGA is calling on the DfE to act on the report’s findings and give councils tougher powers to ensure children’s safety, while making sure they are adequately funded and resourced to do so.
Currently, OOSS are not required to notify councils about their provision or to allow access to it, while many parents assume they are regulated in a similar way to schools or childcare providers.
Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Most out-of-school settings will provide safe, positive and enjoyable environments for children, and have a key role to play in furthering their learning and development.
“However, parents and carers sending their children to an OOSS will rightly expect that they are subject to the appropriate regulation, as seen in schools or childcare providers.”