A dad has been left shocked and angry after his daughter was left bloodied and bruised following an accident at nursery - with her injuries requiring hospital treatment.
Neil Dumoulin says his daughter Delilah, who is nearly three, has been left very upset and in pain following an incident at her nursery in York on Monday (May 15). On that day, she suffered a cut over her eye.
The nursery, Little Green Rascals, has launched an investigation into the incident and says it will share the conclusions when it is complete. Neil has told Yorkshire Live that staff phoned him just as he was about to collect Delilah on Monday to say she had fallen and hurt herself.
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The dad-of-five took a photograph of his daughter which shows her bloodied and bruised eye and then took her to the Accident and Emergency Department in York where the 1.5cm cut was cleaned and closed with glue.
Mr Dumoulin, from York, has submitted a complaint to nursery bosses and says his daughter had previously suffered minor scapes while playing, which were reported to him by nursery staff. He said his daughter had been 'clumsy' in the past but he was so concerned about the May 15 incident he has withdrawn Delilah from the nursery and reported the matter to Ofsted.
In an accident report, the nursery told Mr Dumoulin that staff had not seen how Delilah had hurt her eye but that she had told a member of staff that she hit it on a chair. The report said a member of staff had turned around and found Delilah on the floor by a table with a cut to her eye.
Mr Dumoulin said the family had been left "very traumatised" and his daughter was tearful, in pain, and not sleeping well.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Little Green Rascals, said it was 'saddened' by the accident and was conducting an investigation.
"The safety of children, team members and visitors is the top priority at Little Green Rascals," they said. "We are saddened that an accident has occurred to a child within our care.
"We are conducting a robust investigation and a summary of findings will be shared with the parents at the point of conclusion.
"We liaise and work with regulatory bodies where applicable and are in contact with the Local Authority and Ofsted."
Martin Kelly, corporate director of children and education from City of York Council, said: "We are aware of the situation that took place at Little Green Rascals Nursery, and we are engaged with relevant bodies to provide guidance and gain appropriate assurance."
Little Green Rascals is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted in a report published in 2022. On September 12, 2022, Ofsted carried out a regulatory visit after the provider notified Ofsted that a child was able to get out of the premises earlier that month.
Ofsted noted that the nursery had taken action by changing the type of locks on the garden gate and by adding a further fenced area to stop children from being able to get out of the nursery garden and into the car park.
A further regulatory visit was carried out on September 20 by Ofsted. During this visit, Ofsted discussed "additional areas of concern" and issued actions for the nursery to take, including ensuring the "deployment of staff is effective across the nursery, including when children are outdoors to help keep them safe and well." Ofsted also told the nursery to make sure all risk assessments are effective and carried out at appropriate times of the day.
On October 3, the nursery responded to the action plan set by Ofsted.
In a summary posted online, Ofsted said: "We found that the necessary steps had been taken to ensure staff deployment is effective, including when children are playing outside. Action taken included introducing walkie talkies to aid staff communication.
"Also, management had issued staff with a clear directive about the protocols to follow to maintain effective staff deployment. Managers continue to complete room observations and spot checks to ensure staff are always deployed effectively."
Ofsted concluded: "We are satisfied the provider has met the actions raised. The provider is still registered with Ofsted."
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