The BBC documentary, also recorded breaches in the minimum staff-to-child ratios and the flouting of basic hygiene rules like hand washing after nappy changing.

Contrary to Ofsted regulation, the undercover reporter Lizz Brown, was able to obtain voluntary work and left in sole-charge of toddlers without checks on her background.

The private nurseries had been previously approved by Ofsted inspectors.

Are your children in a nursery? Are you happy about the quality of nursery care? Should nurseries be given notice of Ofsted inspections?

Real Story: Nurseries undercover was broadcast on BBC One on Thursday 12 August and can be viewed online on the Real Story website.

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

I watched the first 5 minutes of the programme and switched it off. I am a teacher and off for the summer yet I have still been taking my son to nursery. This is because he needs a routine and it would not be fair to him to keep him at home for 6 weeks and then when term time starts again drop him off at nursery for the whole day. I'm incensed at the comments on this board such as "If people think that their time is better spent out earning cash (to pay for such nurseries) rather than giving their constant time and love to their kids, then I'm sorry but they deserve what they get". How rude, uninformed and ignorant. Not only that, it's such a cop out. The fact is, poor day-care at some nurseries has been exposed. Instead of vilifying parents who make the choice to send their child/children to nurseries, for whatever reason, we should be uniting as parents and saying "ok, this has happened, what can we now do to make sure it doesn't happen again?".
Angela, Milton Keynes, UK

In the cases highlighted the fault lies with the owners/managers of the nurseries Jenny, Buckinghamshire

I have worked in childcare for 16 years. I think it is important to recognise, that there is far more high quality child care in UK than poor, and the majority of day nurseries provide excellent care for children. There are strict regulations regarding the level of qualified staff who need to be employed for a setting to operate within the law. In the cases highlighted the fault lies with the owners/managers of the nurseries who should, if they are doing their job properly know exactly what is going on in their nursery, and these members of staff should never have been employed in the first place. The employer also has to legally ensure that no member of staff who is unqualified or awaiting their police check is left alone with children. Additionally the fault also lies with Ofsted who should be better organised and resourced, so that spot inspections are the norm, and no notice is given to nurseries.
Jenny, Buckinghamshire

My child attends a non profit making nursery/school, that pays its staff very well. All profits are ploughed back into the nursery/school to ensure a high standard of care is maintained.
Rose, Notts,UK, Nottingham

What a paranoid lot we've all become. Let's keep some perspective here... no-one's perfect, yet judicious editing of stories can make them area like monsters. I positively hate this sort of journalism (be it TV or press) - it only ends up scaring us all unnecessarily.
Charlotte D, Hemel Hempstead, UK

Why have children if you are not prepared to look after them yourself?
Alex, Leeds UK

My daughter has blossomed in Nursery. We kept her home for the first two years then to Nursery this year, fabulous to watch her confidence with other children and adults grow.
Gerry, Scotland

The should be no opportunity for special conditions to be put in place over the period of a notified inspection Barry Thompson, Chichester, UK

It is questionable just how seriously one can view the shortcomings described without having more detail on the specific circumstances. However it is difficult to understand why any notice should be given of an Ofsted inspection, whether of a nursery or a school. Surely the aim of such an inspection is to identify how the operation is being run on a day to day basis. The should be no opportunity for special conditions to be put in place over the period of a notified inspection.
Barry Thompson, Chichester, UK

I have seen both sides; nursery and leaving my child with my mother. My first daughter started in a private nursery when she was 14 months old and I didn't have the experience to spot any abuse at the time until it was too late. One of the nursery worker was very abusive in shouting and screaming at the children which affected my daughter's confidence even to date (she is now 7).
As a result of this experience I refused to leave my second child with childminder/nursery. I am a professional mother working full time and it was not possible to take career break. Therefore, I had to leave my child with her grandmother in my home country for sometime and it was a very tough decision and hard not to see my child for several months. I definitely would not advise any parents to leave their children in either nursery or childminders until the child starts talking so they can at least tell what happened to them.
Emy, Oxford

I have three daughters all who work in a private nursery, while accept that they are bad nurseries all my daughters where checked and asked to provide police and work checks. It is upsetting to them as programmes like this make people think that all nurseries are the same, fortunately this is not the case and most carry a high standard of care and love to the children that they look after
S Adams, London

I would never put my children in a private nursery, they are a rip-off, too restrictive over hours and have incompatible terms and conditions. Not only that, children develop bad habits and go on to be aggressive when they are older. Children under 5 need parental one to one care or with a childminder who treats them as one of the family before starting school
CB, Stevenage, UK

Bring back trust and common sense and stop this voyeurism now Sharon Wilkinson, Berkhamstead, UK

I wish to speak out for the as ever silent majority who is very happy with my nursery. They are brilliant - and do a marvellous job, despite all the wretched media (now including the BBC) trying to make them all out as potential abusers until proven innocent. Bring back trust and common sense and stop this voyeurism now. In the end our children suffer because everyone's too afraid. Your programme just panders to tabloid hysteria.
Sharon Wilkinson, Berkhamstead, UK

Spot checks should be used by Ofsted for nurseries in addition to scheduled visits. Though concerns over day to day workings can only be solved by the type of parent rota employed by some, to spend a day as onlooker (not staff). Parents can be more certain then of the normal standards.
Jo Kinder, Stoke-on-Trent, England

We have two children and one of us has given up work to look after them even though this caused financial hardship. I simply do not understand how people can entrust their own children to be cared by total strangers. People in society are more precious about who drives their car! If you want to be sure your children are well looked after do it yourselves. No one else can ever care for them as well as you can.
John, Weybridge, UK

I work as an Ofsted inspector. After watching your programme I must admit that the concerns you raised are concerns a lot of us have as inspectors. Last month we were told that from April 2005 we will be "improving Ofsted". Some of the proposals put forward included changing inspections from two to three years with what they call the "lightest touch possible". There will be fewer inspectors as natural wastage we will not be replaced.
A concerned inspector, UK

I would like to comment that it would have been nice to see the reporter working in nurseries which did offer high quality care and education for the children, because there are a lot that do!
Julie Kelly, England

I watched the Real Story programme and have been moved, as many will have, to tears. There must be more inspections of nurseries and play groups. No warnings of visits should be given. There's not enough vetting of staff either. Some of these children could be emotionally damaged in later life. The staff that, hopefully, are identified should never work in child care again.
Mrs J Dyson, UK

I believe that the results of this 4 month investigation into nurseries is unfair in only showing the bad. These nurseries are a small percentage of all and I hope the BBC is going to also inform the public of the GOOD ones.
Elizabeth Adair, UK

Just watched the programme about nurseries. Isn't it typical of modern journalism that the good nursery she visited wasn't even named or described for more than 20 seconds. I suppose good standards don't make a good story !
Stephen Kay, UK

Quality of nursery care is a natural worry for any parent Lucy Kalra, West Midlands

Quality of nursery care is a natural worry for any parent. What I find more concerning is how implementing OFSTED requirements (and other government guidelines and policies) affects the running of the good and bad nursery. How is a nursery supposed to hold on to quality staff pressured to help implement all the regulations coupled with low pay?
Lucy Kalra, West Midlands

I can't say I am that concerned as I don't have children. I would rather that the government concentrated on serious problems instead of things that parents should take care of themselves. Stop using my tax � on this.
Gilles, Birmingham, UK

No I don't, but the Government should be. Those of us who brought our own children up can see the difference.
Tony, Welling Kent

I am a fully qualified nursery nurse who works in a private day nursery. I am appalled at what I have read about this story. I for one would like little or next to no notice for inspections as we have nothing to hide. I work in a lovely nursery where the child is paramount. I hope parents do not tar us all with the same brush!
Maria Vanstone, Cardiff

If we abdicate our responsibilities as mothers and then go finger-pointing like this, we must remember there are still three fingers pointing back at you.
Mrs S.Wilkinson, Berkhamstead

Having worked in childcare and a private nursery I would like to stress that this investigation is not representative of the majority Louise, Edinburgh

Having worked in childcare and a private nursery I would like to stress that this investigation is not representative of the majority of childcare workers. Childcare is a stressful, underpaid job and rarely given the respect it deserves. Obviously it is important that all workers are correctly trained and subject to adequate monitors such as background checks. Situations such as understaffing and cultures of poor practise would never be allowed to arise if nursery managers are performing their job responsibly.
Louise, Edinburgh

The only way that a parent can ensure that a child is brought up safely and without fear of abuse is for the mother to look after the child herself.
Gwen, Wales

If people think that their time is better spent out earning cash (to pay for such nurseries) rather than giving their constant time and love to their kids, then I'm sorry but they deserve what they get. You can't sub-contract love... and if you try to, your children will be forever the losers.
Andrew, Bletchley

I am a parent of a soon-to-be 3 year old (plus a 6 year old). My partner and I are starting to consider in sending our daughter to a nursery in the next year or so. We are worried about knowing how we could check on how she is doing, and have considered asking any potential nurseries whether they have web cams installed so worried parents can check.
Lee Staniforth, Manchester, England

I am not worried about private nursery care as it clearly exactly mirrors what happens in normal families.
Mike, Bedford

These reports are shocking and the emotional abuse done to these children will very likely have serious repercussions in later years. It is a sad indictment of our society which encourages mothers to return to work as soon as possible after the birth of a child in order to maintain a lifestyle promoted by the media, and also to boost the economy.
We seem to undervalue the full-time job of caring for a small child, yet the consequences of this are that the children are dumped like possessions on overworked, under-paid staff who cannot care as much for a child as its own mother. Is it not time that we placed a higher value on the nurturing of the next generation to produce happy, well-adjusted children?
Mrs J Compton-Bishop, London, UK

There aren't many child care places to choose from and those available are very expensive Melaku, Kent

There aren't many child care places to choose from and those available are very expensive. Most parents do not have the choice but to put their children in any available place without proper check. So, the government is responsible to provide safe and affordable child care places for our next generation. The current trend is very worrying for all of us.
Melaku, Kent

I am a nursery nurse, in a very good nursery. I am lucky in that there is not the emphasis on money making and we are able to do the job we all love caring for the children. However I trained for two years at college, and feel that there is so much lacking from that training, such how to deal with children who are having a tantrum etc. This is college training, so I dread to think of the standard of training received while doing an NVQ qualification at a substandard nursery. The footage I have seen of this programme looks terrible, however I do wonder how much is clever editing?
Sue, Suffolk

As a parent who has a 1 year old in a private nursery, it is not only hard to read about this program and the children involved but the resulting backlash on parents who have taken the time to build relationships with their nursery carers and who have a thriving happy child is going to be unbearable. I can see my phone ringing off the hook tonight with relatives saying that we should consider other options based on the findings of this program alone and hence questioning our judgement, something no working parent needs to be made feel more guilty about.
Anon, London

My child attends Petits Enfants nursery in Teddington (one of the nurseries mentioned) and I echo the sentiments of the Director of social services, health and housing Eeni Ioannides in that I am "wondering whether the BBC, having spent time and money putting a reporter into the home, is simply now trying to justify the time and effort by running the story anyway." Lizz Brown visited my wife and I one Saturday morning, putting the fear of god into us that something terrible had happened to our child.

We were shown footage supposedly of our child in danger by not being strapped into a 'high' chair. This 'high' chair turned out to be a low rocker chair and our child was being attended to by two nursery staff. There was absolutely no danger as my child was very able to crawl out and in to that type of chair. This is something that the regular staff at the nursery (thought not Ms Brown) would have known. Ms Brown seemed surprised by our lack of concern at this point. It seems that Petits Enfants is included in this programme because they had to justify Lizz Brown's time there. I'm sure if you looked anywhere for long enough undercover (including the BBC) you would find minor transgressions. We have written to the BBC expressing our wish that we do not want our child shown on this programme. Let's hope they respect parent's wishes over the BBC's desire to sensationalise.
Anon, UK

Vetting alone doesn't always reveal peoples tendency to have mood swings and bad attitudes Anon, Bognor Regis

Our son (3 1/2) attends an excellent nursery, all he ever talks about is going to school to see the carers and play with his friends. Being from the security industry, I know the complications of vetting but am also aware of its importance. But vetting alone doesn't always reveal peoples tendency to have mood swings and bad attitudes, there are other methods of interviewing that can do this. If I found that my son had been physically or verbally abused by someone who I am paying to care for him, I would remove him from the threat area and potential abuse immediately. The risk isn't worth taking with something as delicate as a child. It is also worth bearing in mind that this may be due to one persons actions not necessarily the staff as a whole. Web cams, CCTV anything that can monitor the individuals. Don't vilify the parents for sending their children to nursery, if we didn't have to we wouldn't but we do and he loves going.
Anon, Bognor Regis

Not all nurseries are bad, but parents must follow their instincts. My son is currently enrolled at a nursery that has only recently been approved by Ofsted. We originally rejected it as it didn't have approval and instead enrolled in into one that was. Over a period 2 weeks, I was made to feel my son was a burden. I wasn't able to increase his 'settling in' hours as agreed, a child (who constantly cried and probably just wanted a cuddle) was described to me as 'just a cry-baby'. The last straw came when staff fell asleep in the room while I was still in the room! My son was clearly very unhappy there and I withdrew him. I was lucky to find him a place his current nursery at (very) short notice. All the children who attend are happy, and the staff are wonderful too. My son settled in immediately. The best bit is I pay less at the new nursery where the facilities are also better!
NP, London

I do not care how dedicated nursery nurses are there is no substitute for a Mother's love Diane Francis, Warwickshire

I was interested to read Gill's posting. Surely we are encouraging more children to grow up to be 'dysfunctional' parents by putting them in nurseries in the first place. A child's place is at home with their Mum or Dad until they are at least 4. What is the point of being a 'weekend parent'. I question why mothers are returning to work, leaving such small babies to the care of others. I do not care how dedicated nursery nurses are there is no substitute for a Mother's love. There is no mother/child bonding anymore - over 80% of all women who are pregnant will go back to work. If they need to work to live that is a different matter but lots of couples put their children into nurseries so they can pay for the second car, have holidays abroad, have all the latest electronics in their houses. We need to get back to basics in this country. Ofsted should definitely do spot checks and any decent nursery would welcome that.
Diane Francis, Warwickshire

As a full-time working mum of 2 (ages 5yrs/18mths) childcare is a constant worry. Choosing was the most important decision I've had to make and count my blessings every day that I think I've made a good choice. I'm lucky enough to have a childminder I like and trust and have a good relationship with. But I do not take that for granted - I constantly fret and worry about my sons' wellbeing and when programmes like Real Story show what could be happening to them, it sends my stress levels soaring! I support random unscheduled checks on nurseries and childminders alike to ensure children get the highest possible quality of care they deserve.
Natasha O'Donnell, Hampton, UK

The staff described my child as "being a dog" Mrs Mowbray, Sussex

Unfortunately I am not surprised by the findings of this programme. I removed my 3 year old son from a private nursery as the staff described my child as "being a dog" and kept telling him he was 'naughty' because he was easily bored and wanted more stimulation. We asked for the health visitor to observer him in case he had behavioural problems but this was refused. When I gave notice in at the nursery letting them know I was removing him they reacted by expelling him a day before he was due to leave. I do not think Ofsted inspecting the three nurseries identified by this programme is enough. There are a large number of nurseries charging escalated prices providing inadequate care and mistreating babies and toddlers emotionally and verbally. Warning should not be given and a more stringent set of measures for the quality of childcare should be used.
Mrs Mowbray, Sussex

The story of failing care in some nurseries is shocking however I feel that a more balanced picture should be provided. Many parents have no choice but to use full time childcare, such as myself and need to be supported by the media that they are not making bad choices. Although we should expose these appalling conditions we should also support and praise nurseries such as the one my 10 month and 3 year old children attend which is full of loving caring staff. I have often called into the nursery unannounced during the day and I know that my children are safe and loved there. Nurseries like this should receive the same publicity as those poor ones to help parents. I think your report exposes poor childcare but is biased and does not help parents with what to do next. You have really only done half a job.
Rachel, Liverpool, England

It is a scary situation when nursery owners hire people to work with young children, even babies, without carrying out proper checks. A friend of mine works in a private nursery and she tells me that her manager will sometimes expect young staff only 18 years old to be in a room with 5 babies as young as 6 months on their own while senior staff have meetings. I for one will be looking after my own children or have somebody I can fully trust and know well to help.
Paul, UK

You get what you pay for Peter, Nottingham, UK

Parents often only pay between �2-3/hr for child places. There must be 1 carer for every 3 children. Do the sums- after paying the staff minimum wage there's not a lot left over for decent buildings & training. You get what you pay for.
Peter, Nottingham (U.K)

The government should not run nurseries, however it should enforce laws and not allow carers to look after children without checks on their background. If people do not check out the nurseries before they use them it is their own fault. It sounds to me like Mrs Ross did the right thing. If others followed her example the bad centres would go out of business.
Tom, England

At my son's nursery there is a rota for parents. A different parent attends every session to help out. Generally a parent does 1 or 2 sessions a term. This way a person independent of the nursery or Ofsted sees on a daily basis how well or how badly they are performing.
Lisa Dormon, Sandhurst

I see, as a teacher in a secondary school, a good many young girls opt to do 'childcare' courses for GCSE. A good number of these girls come from dysfunctional homes in which they have not experienced good parenting. People often act as parents in the manner in which they themselves were parented - hence the number of people we hear say 'Crumbs, I sound just like my mother/father!' Clearly, there are good students going into childcare - but there are also a good number who, especially under stress, would employ the dysfunctional patterns of care that they experienced as youngsters.
Gill , Nottingham, UK

If parents want the best for their kids they should look after them instead of giving them over to strangers Jill, Glasgow

This doesn't surprise me at all, I trained to be a nursery nurse but after being on the course for 2 years I never wanted to be around kids again. Looking after them can be difficult. I don't think people realise what looking after kids entails. If parents want the best for their kids they should look after them instead of giving them over to strangers.
Jill, Glasgow

My wife works in a private nursery and is only to aware of the existence of "bad" nurseries. Lucky for her she works for a nursery that takes pride in what it does and is not money driven. The whole focus is on the child. I think Ofsted need to introduce stronger legislation and more on the spot visits.
Anon, London

My wife works in a local nursery, and it is so good that a large proportion of the children cry when it is time to go home! Nursery nurses are required to take an NVQ course in order to obtain the necessary qualifications to look after children in the same way as other professionals. This is a very serious subject for a huge amount of parents in this country, but I can't help thinking that this investigation will put all nurseries in the same pigeon hole. There are a great deal of excellent nurseries out there which don't deserve to be tagged the same way as the bad ones. I will be watching tonight's programme with great interest.
SS, Carterton, Oxon

A single incident is unlikely even to be remembered, let alone do any lasting damage Lee, Oxford, UK

How many parents can say, hand on heart, that they have never shouted at their children? Or that they have never been impatient? Or just in a bad mood? Nursery staff are human too. Of course children should not be abused and every care should be taken to ensure that they come to no harm. But taken over a whole lifetime, a single incident is unlikely even to be remembered, let alone do any lasting damage. Keep it all in perspective please!
Lee, Oxford, UK

I think Ofsted should not give any notice to nurseries as to when they will be having an inspection. What is the point of doing an inspection on a nursery if they have informed that Ofsted will be doing it? Obviously they will make sure everything is running as it should be if they are given prior warning. My little girl goes to nursery all day and to be honest some of the things highlighted by this documentary concern me greatly. How do any of us know what is happening to our children when we leave for work? The only thing we have to go on is our gut feeling and the Ofsted reports. If the Ofsted reports on childcare are flawed how are parents supposed to make an informed decision on where to send their child?
Dean, Urmston, Manchester

I am appalled by the people that the investigation caught. Why do these people enter a profession like nursery care, if they don't like kids? They should be arrested for child abuse, and banned from this line of work indefinitely.
Paul Kinsey, UK

You can't simply leave it to the Government regulators to tell you what to think Michael, North Yorkshire, UK

We took our first child out of nursery after only a couple of visits because they did not want parents coming in to see how their kids were settling in. If you have no relationship of trust with those who look after your children, what are they doing there? Trust is built up through good relationships between teachers and parents. You can't simply leave it to the Government regulators to tell you what to think!
Michael, North Yorkshire, UK

I'm not concerned about the quality of the nursery my daughter attends because I've taken the time to check it out and done my homework before enrolling her instead of relying on an external report. Lack of choice is the biggest problem here, if a parent can even get a place of course they are going to be less inclined to question the quality, desperation usually lets our guards down.
Jennifer, Netherlands, ex UK

This report has confirmed my own experiences with private nurseries. When my then 9 month old son attended a nursery in Scotland, he came home with a large scratch on his cheek and carers were very vague about the circumstances. Whenever I phoned, I was told he was always sleeping. On one occasion, I decided to visit and found that he had been crying in his cot for such a long time that he did not realise I was standing there. I managed to console him but was then told by the manager that I should not have attended. I withdrew my son and placed him with a childminder. When I complained to the local authority, they found no problems with the nursery. In another nursery, my mother witnessed my 17 month old son being berated by several staff. I think these two experiences suggest that quality issues may be widespread.
Mrs Ross, Scotland

The carers should be properly trained and vetted Peter, London

If the government ran nurseries, nursery staff would be in the same situation as teachers. The carers should be properly trained and vetted and it would remove the current situation of private firms cutting corners to make profits. The government could also make sure that prices were kept low enough so that parents could afford to go out to work, which is what the government wants after all.
Peter, London