Private nursery told to improve after parent complains to Ofsted

A private nursery in Sproughton has been investigated by Ofsted after it received a complaint from a parent whose toddler had picked up a sterilising fluid bottle while playing in the garden.

The education watchdog carried out an unannounced visit to Oakland Hall Day Nursery in Hadleigh Road this month and found appropriate risk assessments had not been completed for the outdoor play area.

It followed a complaint by the pupil’s mother, who says she was told by staff that her 16-month-old daughter had been found holding a bottle of Milton steriliser in her hand, with her mouth over the neck of the bottle.

“When I collected her the first thing I asked for was the bottle,” said the parent, who asked not to be named. “The smell was so strong and the bottle was completely wet from where it had been rinsed out.”

The parent was notified at 3.05pm when she collected her daughter from nursery.

She has been given a written statement regarding the incident, which happened at 11.40am.

The parent has since removed both her daughter and two-year-old son from the nursery, which charges £59 a day for children under the age of two and £57 for children aged between two and three.

The Ofsted complaint report, which was published on its website on September 7, also found the nursery manager had not ensured robust recruitment procedures were followed and that new staff had received induction training.

The nursery was given a welfare requirement notice, which asks it to ensure effective risk assessments are carried out.

It was also issued with a notice to improve, which includes ensuring people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role and that all new staff receive induction training.

An Ofsted spokeswoman said: “We will be monitoring the nursery to assess whether the actions have been taken.”

Gillian Dovey, owner and director of Oakland Hall Nursery, said: “On August 24 an empty washed-out Milton bottle was found outside. It was picked up by a child in our outdoor area and the bottle was quickly removed by a member of staff.

“The child’s parent was informed that evening upon pick-up and the child remained in our care until the end of the week.

“At this point, the parent chose to remove her from our nursery and to complain to Ofsted who made recommendations to our risk assessments. These have all been implemented.

“We are, and always will be, committed to the well-being and development of our children, and their safety and happiness is central in everything that we do.”

The nursery, which opened in 2013, received a ‘good’ rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection, undertaken in October 2013.