their children had been traumatised after attending.

Three parents who spoke to The Royal Gazette have withdrawn their sons - all aged two - from the Southampton Early Learning Centre.

One claimed her previously outgoing son showed distress at being left alone after spending several weeks at the Middle Road nursery.

"He was coming home screaming and very scared. Every day he was there he cried. That's unlike him.

"He had lots of headaches which is very out of character.'' "He kept saying people were hitting him. OK -- he's two-years-old and kids say anything but he would demonstrate it.

"He would say `smack, smack,' and smack himself really hard.

"He said this a couple of times. My son talks but not enough to say exactly what was going on.'' She said a doctor had found nothing physically wrong with her child.

She said her son liked being around other children and had enjoyed his previous nursery school.

"Now he won't walk around the house by himself, there has to be someone there with him.

"He's normally very bold, now he won't move without me. I have no idea what's going on.'' The parent said the problem could be to do with potty training tactics employed at the nursery.

She said her son was nearly potty trained before he went to the school and would tell her if he had had an accident.

"Now if he dirties his diaper he goes into the corner and won't tell me.'' "He used to love the water - he would say he was going swimming. Now he doesn't want anything to do with the bathroom now.

"A paediatrician recommended I remove him from the nursery.'' Another parent withdrew her son after just two and a half days at the Christian-based nursery.

She said: "He was most unhappy. It was extremely abnormal. He was screaming to high heaven.

"His reaction has never been like that. He cried when they let him out.'' Nursery investigated "He came back and went straight to sleep. On the second day he was totally despondent.'' "He vomited on both full days. On the second day I called and asked how he was and they said he was fine.'' The parent said when she picked up her son at the end of the day the teacher then told her he had vomited twice.

"They told me the first time it happened was just before I had called.'' She said her son lost his normally healthy appetite during his time there.

And she said she had witnessed distress from other children when she'd gone to pick up her child.

"Kids were screaming. I had never seen the like.'' She said when she took her child out the nursery accused her of stirring up trouble.

"I wasn't doing that. I was looking out for my child. I can't speak for other parents.

"I had no choice to remove him.'' "I was verbally attacked by Marion Lister. She wanted to know if I had heard anything negative about the nursery.

"She told me it was run on Christian principals and the devil was trying to undo what she had done.'' "I have no idea of what she was talking about. I just wanted to get my child's belongings and leave. She was just rambling.

"She kept referring to a court case, I don't know if that has something to do with the locked doors.'' And the parent attacked the way mums and dads are barred from seeing what goes on at the nursery.

She said: "The door is locked. Staff peer round to see who's there. Then they shut the door, lock it and go and get your child.

"I don't know what was going on in there.'' A third parent The Royal Gazette spoke to said she had withdrawn her child after less than two weeks for personal reasons but was now glad she had on many other grounds -- including a court case which supervisors had admitted the nursery was facing.

She said it was not unusual for a child to cry when being left with carers but she said the reaction when she picked her son up really worried her. She said: "They are normally exited to see you but that wasn't the case with my son.

"He can't even go by that school without crying. He says `No mummy, no mummy, we don't go there'.'' "That's not normal.'' She said her son avoided conversation about his time there but would admit he cried during the day. He also cried every afternoon she picked him up.

"The nursery would say he hadn't cried but his eyes were puffy. He was obviously not OK.'' She said since he left the nursery he has changed for the better. She said: "He's fine. I am just glad he's not there anymore.'' And the parent said she was treated with suspicion by staff when she called to check up on her son.

"She wanted to know why I had called to check on him. I was just calling to see how he was. She asked what had prompted me. You don't need to be prompted.

"She said `I don't appreciate you listening to rumours'.'' She said on one occasion her sister had turned up to collect her son but found him alone and unsupervised in the yard.

The mother also complained about the fact that the doors were kept locked. She said: "It's a fire risk.

"I was under the impression there was an open door policy.'' A Government spokesman said last night: "I can confirm there have been two complaints about this nursery -- they are still being investigated.'' The spokesman refused to reveal the nature of the complaints.

But he said the nursery could lose its licence if Government felt it was being run inappropriately.

Gina Lister, of the Southampton Early Learning Center, refused to answer questions about the running of the nursery and asked The Royal Gazette to talk to the nursery's lawyer.

Pepin Aslett, of King and Associates, said: "We are the attorneys for the school and we are not aware of any legal case being brought by the school or against the school.

"If parents have legitimate concerns and they wish to make a complaint about something it should be brought to my client's attention at which time there will be the necessary investigation into the matter.'' GOVERNMENT GVT