Parents have come out in force to support a nursery hit by a highly critical Ofsted report, saying staff have “nothing but love” for the children who attend.
The Mulberry Tree Holiday Club, a nursery on Bertram Drive in Hoylake, Wirral, was given an inadequate rating by Ofsted after its March 4 inspection. The report said the premises and equipment were unclean and that children were exposed to several hazards including radiators which were extremely hot and may cause injury and large kitchen knives.
A spokesperson for The Mulberry Tree Holiday Club, which provided full day care for 35 children aged between three and four at the time of the inspection, said it is appealing the report and claimed there were a number of factual inaccuracies and false statements within it.
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Many parents of children taught at the nursery wanted to support it. Richard Stubbs, 33, from Hoylake, said: “My wife and I turned to the Mulberry Tree after receiving some exceptionally poor service at another nursery for both of our children. I am not one to shy away from complaining where I feel the service is not up to scratch and I can safely say I have nothing but admiration for the team at the Mulberry Tree.
“The team has provided not only care for the children so that we can work, but they have been instrumental in their development and shaping the people they have and will become.” He felt the claim the school was unsafe was completely untrue.
Mr Stubbs added: “I have been inside the nursery at the Kingsmead setting many times and not once have I ever seen anything that would make me think that my child is unsafe. I along with every parent I have met whose children have been to this nursery, have nothing but praise for the entire team, from the way they encourage learning and the healthy food they provide to the plethora of activities they carry out to entertain.
“They have nothing but love for the children that attend.” Alison Rogan, 34, from Hoylake, agreed. She said: “I fully support the nursery, so much so that both of my children attend in pre-school and wrap around (care before and after regular school.)
“I have never feared for my children's safety, and having a child with SEN (Special Educational Needs) and another with separation anxiety from lockdown, the nursery has done nothing but work with me to help both children. Please let people know that this isn’t a place of danger, our children are our priority and we wouldn’t send them there if we didn’t fully support them.”
These two parents were not the only ones to come out in support of the nursery. Caitlin Allen, 38, from Hoylake, said: “Despite the Ofsted report, that was to do with issues out of the pre-school’s hands, I feel they need to be represented for the good quality care they provide.
“My son attends the pre-school each week and is so happy there. They provide them with so many adventures and day trips out and I couldn’t be happier with the setting [which is] meeting his needs and development.
“The owner and manager have kept all parents up to date with what’s going on via face-to-face meetings and regular emails.” Several other parents gave similar accounts detailing how they feel the nursery offers a great service and a good standard of care for their children.
A spokesperson for The Mulberry Tree Holiday Club said: “We are currently working with Ofsted and appealing our recent report as there are a number of factual inaccuracies and false statements within it. This has been a highly stressful time for a small independent family business, alongside the challenges of a pandemic.
“We continue to thank our wonderful families who have supported us through everything and we know this issue will be rectified as soon as possible. As always the children in our setting remain at the heart of everything we do and we will not let this misjudgement defeat us.”
