Very worrying visit to new nursery - should/how do I tell OFSTED?

[moominsmummy]

Moving to a new area and looked round a nursery yesterday. Current nursery is great but this really worried me

I had to use the loo when there (which is also the staff loo) there was no soap or towels!!
In the kids handwashing area there was soap but no towels/handtowels.
Several stairgates were not shut or seemed broken and two were missing altogether.
The place seemed generally a bit tatty with cupboard doors hanging off, outside toys just dumped (current nursery would keep tidy when not in use) and more worryingly the kids seemed quite lethargic - just ambling around.
DS current nursery is just fab so there's alot to live up to but this was just awful. Do OFSTED do spot inspections? Can I tell them about the nursery?

I'd tell them. Safety issues can't be ignored...

no soap !! eeeek !

messy, ok, but broken gates , no soap and kids seem uninterested....

not good at all

if you go to their website there should be a "contact us" facility.

i agreewith mumpbump....if you feel strongly about this, then it shoud be reported.

did you tackle the staff about any of these issues?

yep - you must tell OFSTED
tattiness is forgiveable (with kids steaming about all day there will some less than prisitne paintwork etc) but not broken stairgates and poor hand washing facilities for the kids as well

I would contact OFSTED with the OP written here and urge them to carry out a spot check on this nursery. Handwashing your hands helps stop the spread of Cryptosporidiosis, Gastroenteritis, Giardiasis (admitedly rare in the UK..at the moment), Hepatitis A, Influenza, worms....the list goes on and on.

I reported a nursery last week that we went to look round (child locked in dark playroom on their own for at least 10 minutes, prob more amongst other things), and OFSTED were really nice and said that they'd be sending an inspector round unannounced that week. Theres a number on the website, you speak to the helpline staff and then they can put you straight through to the complaints team if deemed necessary.

I reported a nursery I visited once. I got a call back from ofsted a few days later to tell me they'd done a surprise visit and given the nursery a month to close down.

Yes report to Ofsted. The childrens toilet area should be completed seperate from Staff toilets and thir should be soap and towels provided.