Lost fees fear after Darlaston nursery shuts doors
Parents of children at a nursery that closed its doors suddenly today said they were not contacted by bosses and are worried about losing fees they have paid up front.
Catherine's Cross day nursery in Darlaston has shut, with Ofsted saying it had suspended its registration to 'protect children' amid concerns over children's safety.
Michelle Parker, whose three-year-old son Logan-Zidane has used the nursery since he was 10 months old, today spoke of her shock over the closure. She said her son uses the nursery every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – and she only found out about last Friday's closure through a friend over the weekend.
Miss Parker, aged 41, of Darlaston, said she has paid £320 up front for a month's care up front two weeks ago – so would be owed money back. She said her partner Evan Moore, 36, had been forced to take time off from his job as a product support worker at Carphone Warehouse while they find a new nursery.
After calling Walsall Council to raise her concerns, she said the authority has offered to help pay for Logan-Zidane to spend a week at Sure Start in Darlaston.
But Mrs Parker said she felt parents should have been contacted earlier by managers at the nursery when it encountered problems.
She said: "I'm really worried that there were obviously concerns and my son has been there all that time. We just suddenly found out the nursery was shut and then we have had to deal with it, so it's put us in a difficult situation."
Ofsted has confirmed it is carrying out an investigation but would not disclose any details.
A recent Ofsted report revealed a visit was carried out by inspectors at the Pinfold Street nursery on September 6.
This was after a previous inspection in July found the provision offered to be 'inadequate'. In response to the July inspection, a welfare requirements notice was issued requiring the nursery to ensure a health and safety policy was implemented rigorously at all times.
It made particular reference to ensuring all staff using private vehicles to transport children must provide evidence of valid insurance cover, and to take steps to make sure children were kept safe at all times.
The report said the nursery had demonstrated some action had been taken to meet requirements at the monitoring visit in September, but overall progress was 'inadequate'.
Councillor Rachel Andrew, Walsall Council's portfolio holder for children's services, said: "We are working closely with the families to ensure they are receiving the support they need."
The nursery could not be contacted for comment.
