Wendy House nursery in York receives two star food hygiene rating

The Wendy House Children's Day nursery, on St Helen's Road, Dringhouses, was awarded the food hygiene rating of two stars, meaning that improvements are necessary, following a City of York Council inspection on February 7.

The two-star rating is despite the fact that inspectors only found the 'food safety and hygiene' category of the report to be in need of improvements.

Wendy House Children's Day Nursery receives two star food hygiene rating Picture: Google Street View

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The previous food hygiene rating of the nursery was five stars, and was rated Good by Ofsted in 2019.

The Press has approached Wendy House nursery for their views on the rating and will publish their side of the story when we hear from them.

As previously reported in The Press, York food businesses have claimed that they have been unfairly rated after the recent round of inspections.

Anthony Dean, Public Protection Manager (Investigations and Compliance), said:  "Where a business feels that their score is incorrect they can ask questions of the inspecting officer and, if still concerned by the score awarded, lodge an appeal.

"All food hygiene inspections are carried out by professionally qualified officers who follow guidance issued by the Food Standards Agency.

“Every year we also carry out consistency training with every food safety officer at City of York Council, as well as across the country, to ensure the same standards are applied consistently across the city, and the country.”

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The food safety and hygiene category of the nursery's report, which refers to the food handling procedures, of the report was the only section that inspectors regarded as 'improvement necessary'.

This means that the inspector found instances of some major non-compliance with the statutory obligations, and more effort is needed to prevent a fall in standards.

However, the other two categories of structural compliance and confidence in management were rated much higher by inspectors.

The structural compliance, which refers to the facilities, cleanliness, and layout of the nursery, was rated as 'very good' by inspectors, meaning that the inspectors found a high standard of compliance with statutory obligations and the nursery conforms to good practices.

The confidence in management's food safety compliance was rated 'good' by inspectors, meaning that the management had a reasonable record of compliance, had effective control of hazards, and a satisfactory documented food safety management system.