Children’s clubs are tightening their safeguarding policies or cancelling sessions while they conduct reviews, as the industry reacts to the killing of three girls in Southport.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested following the knife attack on children in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday.
Many clubs and classes for children are now reviewing how they keep children safe and reassuring parents.
Louise Willan, chief executive of Jets Centre in Liverpool’s Waterloo area, said she has been through policies with staff, spoken to Sefton Council and emailed updates to parents.
“We have reviewed everything, even though they are very robust,” Ms Willan said.
“We are quite tight. No visitor can come in unless we keycode them in. Plus, we have CCTV, as well as locked [outer] gates.”
The club, which looks after 2-11-year-olds from “very diverse” communities, also asks for a password at pick-up time that is unique to each child, Ms Willan said.
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“It’s just very frightening. We are scared.”
Last night’s riots had “really upset the community”, she told Sky News.
“We went to a lovely vigil and within half hour the town had been turned upside down. That’s how sad it was that people have got that way.”
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Carnival Chaos Circus school in Southport cancelled its classes until further notice on Monday so it can “review safety and security at the studio”, it posted online.
Liverpool Trojans Baseball Club has also made the “difficult decision” to pause youth sessions while it reviews processes to “ensure that we are keeping your children as safe as possible”.
“We have looked on in disbelief as news of the horrific incident in Southport has unfolded”, while concern for child safety is “at an all-time high”, the club wrote on Facebook yesterday.
Read more:
Grieving mum of victim says ‘stop the violence’
What happened in Southport? How the attack unfolded
Anouska Cassells, a former nursery manager, runs music and movement classes for toddlers at her home in Hadfield, Derbyshire.
She used to sometimes leave her front door open, especially during the current hot weather, but now it is always locked, she said.
“From now, everyone will be greeted by me and exited by me. I can see who is outside,” she told Sky News, adding she has updated parents directly.
She called it was beyond anyone’s “wildest” fears that “anything could ever happen like this”.
“The upset is horrendous, I can’t imagine what families are going through. To drop a child off somewhere that they know and love, and for this to happen, is just heartbreaking.”
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Freedom Dancers in Greater Manchester is also double-checking its procedures.
“We have a locked door, CCTV at our studio and door camera in place however please rest assure we will be reviewing our safety protocols before you return to class. Safeguarding our students is paramount,” it said in a comment on Facebook.
In London’s Walthamstow, Sylvestrian Leisure Centre emailed parents to tell them about new “drop-off and collection procedures to ensure the safety of all children attending our holiday camp”.
Guidance from the government’s education department, published in April, says ‘education settings’ should have a “security lead… to develop and maintain policies and plans which promote a good security culture and deters someone intending to cause harm from targeting your setting”.
