A BASINGSTOKE nursery said an Ofsted inspection grading it as ‘requires improvement’ is “not reflective of our day-to-day practice”.

Brighton Horizons Chineham Park Day Nursery, at Chineham Business Park, was visited by the education watchdog on Monday, July 17.

A report published on Monday, August 21 graded it as ‘requires improvement’ overall.

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Inspectors found that while children are “generally happy and enjoy their time at nursery”, they said that not all staff “provide consistently good teaching”.

Ofsted said staff deployment and their interactions are “not fully effective”, meaning children’s care and learning is not aways supported.

It added: “Children have 'safe spaces', where they can handle resources, such as books and sensory toys, to help them feel calmer. However, despite these positive strategies, children do not always receive guidance to develop their understanding about safe behaviours.”

The report said that staff do not consistently manage and organise daily routines, resulting in, at times, “a chaotic environment”.

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It added: “This leads to children becoming unsettled or waiting for long periods of time, such as during mealtimes. Furthermore, staff do not always notice or explain to children that they should not swap cutlery or put knives in their mouths.”

It said that staff offer children “appropriate meals and snacks”. However, sometimes, the daily menu “does not consistently provide a better balance of healthier options to further promote healthy eating”.

Children were found to have fun in the garden, where they enjoy a mud kitchen, wheeled toys and sensory play activities.

However, Ofsted said some children “engage in energetic play through which the consequences to themselves and others go unnoticed”.

On the day of the inspection, some older children were seen using large tools in an “inappropriate way”, while other children were seen running around “boisterously” and “without showing consideration for themselves or others”.

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The nursery, which has 90 children on its roll aged one to four, was given various ways to improve, including teaching the children how to recognise and mange behaviours that may be a potential risk and hazard; considering how more experienced and lead staff members guide other staff; and reviewing the daily menu to ensure that it offers children consistently well-balanced, healthy options.

To meet the requirements of the early years' foundation stage, the nursery provider was asked to ensure staff are deployed to support children’s care and learning needs effectively.

A spokesperson for the nursery, which was previously graded as ‘good’ following an inspection in 2018, said: “This recent disappointing inspection grading was not a judgement we were expecting based on the usual high standards in place at the nursery and we do not feel it is reflective of our day-to-day practice.

“However, we respect the inspector’s view and have already implemented a plan to address the aspects of provision identified for improvement.

“We were pleased to see that the inspector commented favourably on many of the nursery's positive practices, and we are heartened by the supportive feedback we received from our families both before and after the publication of the report. We will be reinspected within 12 months and are confident that the team will achieve a positive rating.”