Wadebridge Sticky Fingers Day Care Nursery closure hits 70 children

GOVERNMENT inspectors have ordered a Wadebridge nursery to close down after a mix-up over registration.

Sticky Fingers Day Care Nursery was closed last Thursday after a visit from Ofsted which claimed the business was not registered, leaving 70 children without nursery provision.

Nikki Walford, the nursery's manager, felt the closure would only be temporary, and blamed Ofsted for the situation.

She said a new company was created a few months ago to take over the existing business, and the inclusion of two new directors, who had invested in it, had invalidated their certificate.

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"Prior to the new company taking over the nursery, we had sought guidance over the telephone on the registration from Ofsted, which informed us that, as the new directors were not involved in the daily running of the business and nothing else had changed, a transfer of registration could take place,'' she said.

"Now Ofsted claim they have no record of this telephone call and have started an internal investigation to try and trace it,'' said Mrs Walford, stressing that the mix-up had nothing to do with childcare issues.

"This is a very upsetting time for all involved, especially for the 70 or so children who love coming to us.

"Ofsted has assured us that the new certificate will be a formality and were very impressed with the level of care and atmosphere at the nursery at the inspection.

"Naturally this is a huge shock and disappointment to us, and our current parents, who rely on us to care for their children. We have informed the parents who have been hugely supportive and are prepared to make temporary arrangements until we are open again," she said.

Sticky Fingers has managed to secure temporary care for some children at Happy Days Nursery, and the management says it is confident they will soon be up and running again.

Mrs Walford said: "While we are not in agreement over the reasons of why we had to close the nursery over a paperwork issue, we can understand that the paperwork and relevant checks need to be done. Whether it was in the children's best interests for Ofsted to act in this way is still doubtful in our view. My staff and parents have all been so supportive and I would like to thank them for their wonderful support."

Parent, Greg Carter, also a teacher at Wadebridge School said: "This has been a challenging time for all involved and I am looking forward to having this sorted as quickly as possible. I am delighted with the level of care for both my girls at Sticky Fingers and I really appreciate the extra support Nikki and her team have given in trying to help us in arranging temporary, alternative care. We are looking forward to getting back to normal and wish them all well."