Taking a class register

[LaraS2511]

My 10 yr old son goes to basketball club at a local community leisure centre, there are 3 different classes for 3 different age groups. They never take a register of the children each week arriving, parents stay & it’s not a drop & go but some parents pop to the toilet, coffee bar in the reception or the Asda next door. The leisure centre’s reception just let people walk through the gate so it’s not like they know who has arrived or who is leaving! It worries me, I am being unreasonable?

What are you worried about specifically?

10 year old will know not to go off with the wrong person.

I think you're being unreasonable.

Surely at 10 years old, given it's in the local leisure centre, a lot of children are making their own way to and from the class by themselves anyway.

How do you know they dont? I run a sports club and just tick off on the pad while they are warming up&

They don’t know half the kids names, they certainly don’t know my son’s!

Health & safety particularly fire, safeguarding etc.

This is normal - if a parent thinks their child is responsible enough to cope without them, they go get a coffee. If they don’t, they stay to be responsible for their child. The centre is not a childcare service, they just coach them in basketball. If you’re worried, then stay with your kid.

Interesting question, I am not sure of the legalities here regarding the leisure centre’s duty of care but as the parents are staying and it isn’t drop and go, maybe they don’t have to do a register. However, I would say it would be best practice to do one or make it clear to parents, that they are still responsible for their children in this case. Yes, at 10 the children should not be running off but if the parents do go for a coffee/ loo, who is responsible for the child?

The leisure centre never knows exactly who is on site. So fire /evacuation will be the same as for normal operation - alarms and tannoy to get everyone out, the sweep the whole area.

Safeguarding - what are you concerned about? Your child choosing to leave with a stranger? The club won't know if Doris next door is picking up your son tonight. Or if he's going home with Bob's mum. I don't think a register would help here.

They never visibly took a register at my son's football training - and that was probably 70 kids and 6 coaches. But the normal coaches knew everyone's name in that age group. And they also knew who to chase for none payment. So they absolutely did know who was there.

English schools are very funny about relrwseing to known adults til quite far through primary. I DID have kittens when my 6 year old child was released from the classroom, was to walk through campus (3000 kids) and get on the right bus. And it was fine. Most kids are way more sensible they they are given credit for. If you have one who isn't ready yet, it's for you to put methods in place, not the club.

I would have thought they would need a register for fire safety if there's lots of kids and people go into different parts of the building.

At that age I'd expect kids to be fairly independent and not worry about them wandering off

If it's not a drop and go then you should be staying and responsible for your child. If parents choose to leave the area that's up to them.

However, as it's for 10 year olds I wouldn't expect them to be wondering off etc. Do they have parental contact details if there was an accident?

Yes, they should take a register. If anything happened (however unlikely), then saying 'we don't keep track of the children we teach' would not be a good answer.

I wouldn't be happy about this either. What if there's a fire? How would they know if a child runs off upset?