CHILDREN'S health, well-being and safety are being "put at risk" at one Hampshire preschool, a damning report has claimed.

Bright Horizons Chandlers Ford Day Nursery and Preschool has been slammed by Ofsted reporters in its most recent inspection, in which it was rated inadequate.

Inspectors found that children show "signs of distress" by crying or clinging to comforters as they are "cared for by adults who are unfamiliar to them".

The preschool, on Holcombe Road, cares for children aged three-months-old to five-years-old.

The inspection, carried out on July 7, found that the school had dropped from outstanding to inadequate.

The report, which is publicly available on the Ofsted website, states that "children's health, well-being and safety are put at risk".

It states that there is not sufficient staff with the appropriate qualifications, the curriculum is "poorly planned" and implemented, and staff demonstrate a "poor understanding" of how to support children's communication and language development.

Inspectors found that the management team "consistently fail to ensure" that there are sufficient staff to work directly with the children and " do not ensure staff understand their roles and responsibilities".

They added that the children do not receive adequate teaching from staff, stating that "staff do not have effective skills and knowledge to offer all children challenging learning opportunities".

The report reads: "Babies receive insufficient interaction and children do not benefit from activities that support their ages and stages of development.

"This leads to boredom or loss of concentration due to staff failing to understand what they teach."

Inspectors highlighted that younger children demonstrate that they do not have secure attachments and show "signs of distress" such as crying and clinging to their comforters.

Children, including those who receive additional funding and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are "not supported effectively", the report states.

The inspection found that arrangements for safeguarding were "not effective", stating that the designated safeguarding officer and the staff caring for the children have a "poor regard" to the guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'.

A nursery spokesperson said: “We take Ofsted’s feedback very seriously and apologise to parents for falling below the standards they expect of us. 

"We are of course disappointed with the inspection judgement, but accept it and commit to addressing the points raised in the report. 

"We already have a development plan in place and many of the points raised have been acted upon and resolved. 

"Our priority, as always, is the wellbeing and education of the children in our care and our partnership with parents. 

"We know that parents place their trust in us to do the best for their family and are doing all we can, as a matter of urgency, to maintain this trust and confidence. 

"We are committed to ensuring that the next time Ofsted visits, the outcome of their inspection will be very different.”