Parent criticises inspectors' report

The Butterflies Nursery in Musselburgh was given the lowest possible rating of 'unsatisfactory' in all areas after an inspection in September. The setting, part of Happitots Day Nurseries, was served with six requirements of improvement.

Parent Robert McCahill strongly criticised the report in a formal complaint to HMIE, copied to education secretary Fiona Hyslop, local MSP Kenny MacAskill and Butterflies.

Mr McCahill wrote, 'It is full of contradictions and inconsistencies and the five "unsatisfactory" verdicts do not reflect the main body of the report. You have provided misinformation.

'I, like dozens of other parents, leave my child in good faith at the nursery. I need staff there to feel valued ... Your report has made them feel worthless. I hope no permanent damage has been done. I suspect it has.'

Mr McCahill said it is most important for his child to be safe, warm, dry, fed properly and happy at nursery, and Butterflies has fulfilled that.

The nursery's management, including a newly recruited nursery manager, has been working with the Care Commission to meet the requirements.

Areas for improvement were identified as: ensuring enough suitably qualified and competent staff were covering during breaks; meeting development needs; ventilation; replacing hard tiles; respecting privacy during nappy changes; and arranging sleeping mats to minimise cross-infection risks.

Ronnie Hill, director of children's services regulation at the Care Commission, said, 'We work vigorously to root out poor and unacceptable practice and take swift action to ensure improvement. That is exactly what is happening at Happitots Day Nursery in Musselburgh. We want to assure parents that the safety and welfare of the children using the service is our priority at all times.

'We are happy to see the service has been responding positively to the requirements and that important changes have been made.'

CEO of Happitots, Graeme Scott, said, 'We accept the findings of the HMIE report in relation to the Musselburgh nursery and it is a matter of deep regret to everyone in our team that this situation arose. It is reassuring to have received positive comments and support from parents.'