A Glasgow nursery that received a damning care inspectorate report after they were found to have served 'raw meat' to kids has been forced to close.
Little Einsteins Nursery in Pollokshields failed to secure relevant insurance needed to continue to operate after an inspection in August 2021 raised serious concerns about food safety.
Glasgow City Council has now said funding for places at the south side nursery had been withdrawn after the owners breached their contact.
During their visit last year, Inspectors discovered children had been fed meat that had not been safely prepared and that was still raw.
The food was immediately removed by staff when they discovered it was unsafe for consumption, however, children had already begun eating the meal before the risk was identified.
After the inspection the owners, Forth Care Limited, were issued with an Emergency Condition Notice which stated, "Food prepared in the kitchen located at 620 Shields Road, Glasgow G41 2RD must not be served to children using the service or permitted to be consumed by them."
Prior to closure, 17 staff were employed at the nursery and 63 children were registered pupils.
The report also found that children were unnecessarily exposed to potential risks from infection because not all staff working in the service were following guidance on infection prevention and control.
It stated some of the staff undertaking cleaning tasks where unclear what procedures should be followed to minimise the risk of transmission across the setting.
The outdoor play was found to not have been maximised to reduce the spread of infection or provide all children with regular energetic play across the day.
The report read "there were major weaknesses in critical aspects of practice which required immediate remedial action to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of children."
Little Einsteins has been closed since March 18.
Furious staff posted about the situation at the nursery on social media this morning.
A Facebook post read: "Firstly, we would like to make everyone aware of the situation at Little Einsteins Nursery.
"At the moment the nursery remains closed to staff and families due to a lack of insurance and support from higher management.
The staff team would like to thank everyone for their support at this difficult time.
"However, this post comes with a great sadness, going forward all staff will no longer represent Little Einsteins nursery.
"There has been no communication regarding nursery closure or redundancy from the director or owner and they have now failed to pay wages owed despite parents having paid for a service that was not provided to them and Glasgow City Council making funded payments for children’s childcare."
Staff told the Daily Record they were gutted at the situation.
Manager Kyrie Anderson said she felt very let down by the owners of Little Einsteins and said the situation has upset many staff and parents.
Kyrie's partner and daughter also work at the nursery.
She said: "This will have a massive effect of my family. That's three of us left with no incomes.
"I'm just totally gutted that it's came to this. I've been very loyal to my bosses. Myself and my staff don't deserve to be treated this way. We have been nothing but supportive and this us how they repay us.
"The way they have handled this shows they have no consideration for our wellbeing's.
"I am determined to fight to try to get my staff they money they are owed."
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said it had issued a letter to parents on March 25 to inform them that funding was being withdrawn "as the nursery could not reassure us that they could get insurance."
Heather Douglas, Head of Early Learning and Childcare, writes: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our children and we are not prepared to take any risks when it comes to their daily care.
"We are aware that the nursery is currently closed and of course, you can choose to continue to send your child to the nursery should it re-open but please be aware that the nursery will no longer receive council funding for your child’s place and you must meet the nursery charges for your child yourself."
"We are also unable to support providers who breach their legal contract with the council.
Forth Care Limited is listed as "permanently closed". The company failed to respond to calls from the Daily Record today.
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