Wolverhampton nursery shuts after damning Ofsted report

The Glengarry Children's Daycare Nursery, in Wolverhampton, closed on Friday.

Combined Care Ltd, which ran the three-year-old facility in Finchfield Road, confirmed the nursery had suffered from dwindling numbers of parents bringing their children and low staff morale since Ofsted branded the facility inadequate in January this year.

Of particular concern in the inspectors' report was that bosses had not met safeguarding and welfare requirements for children after 'a serious incident when a child trapped their finger in a door' before the report.

Chiefs said staff had been informed of the declining prospects of the business over the past few months and had advance notice of their redundancies. A director confirmed the company had gone into administration and Findlay James Limited Chartered Accountants had been appointed. The building is leased so will now be returned to its owners to decide its future use.

A spokesman for Combined Care Ltd said: "We thought we had turned the nursery around but in the last quarter of last year a number of incidents happened which put in jeopardy the long-term future of the business.

"It was apparent we needed to do more in terms of those incidents and the training given to staff but we were running out of money. We made staff aware of that though. It has not been snap decision.

"We have been agonising over this for quite some time but we could not avoid administration unfortunately.

"It is the first time we have found ourselves in this position as directors of a company and we will of course give references to those staff who request them."

At the time of the January inspection the facility had 83 children on its roll with 75 in the early years age group up to five years old and seven between five and eight years old.

Ofsted said at the time: "Prompt action was not taken to fully minimise the identified risk which the doors pose to fingers following a recent serious incident when a child trapped their finger in a door.

"As a result of this incident, existing faulty finger guards have been replaced and some additional guards fitted to doors. However, the action taken is not fully effective, as some doors remain unguarded and many of the guards fitted are only fitted part way up the door and some are ill-fitted.

"Consequently, reasonable steps have not been taken to minimise or remove this hazard and children are at risk." Inspectors added that there was also a risk of children being able to walk out of the nursery at the time due a 'low level lock on the main door'.