A nursery school has been given a poor rating by the education watchdog amid concerns about safety and not giving children enough attention.

Following the inspection Little Stars nursery in Gravesend says it will de-register from Ofsted, which means it will have to close.

The nursery in Devonshire Road was rated inadequate following the Ofsted inspection in January.

Lack of interaction, understanding and effective teaching were all subject to criticism in the inspector’s report.

It was noted children were not receiving appropriate engagement and interaction from staff and youngsters didn’t always understand what was expected of them.

Inspector Claire Parnell stated in her report: “Children’s emotional well-being is not promoted effectively.

“Some children do not receive appropriate engagement and interaction from staff.

“Less confident children do not receive attention from staff as they describe the children as shy.

“Staff manage children with stronger personalities during mealtimes, through discussion and positive interaction.

“However, children who are quieter and less confident are left to eat without engagement from adults during lunchtime.”

The Ofsted inspection also highlighted concerns over safety, concluding staff did not have adequate knowledge of their responsibility to record children’s accidents.

It was noted staff did not monitor where accidents occurred to help them recognise and address potential hazards.

For example, several youngsters fell over running from the artificial grass to the concrete play area outside but staff had not identified this as a hazardous area.

However, it was acknowledged staff had improved management of children’s behaviour since the previous inspection in May last year and implemented positive practice to support understanding of right and wrong.

Parents also felt positively about the care and development of their children, by receiving daily verbal information about children’s play and their achievements.

Staff also had an appropriate knowledge of the procedures to follow if they had a concern about a child in their care and also carried out regular fire evacuation procedures to promote awareness of how to stay safe in an emergency.

The inspector stated: “Staff take into consideration children’s interests and preferences in their play.

“They talk confidently about what children like to play with and have a better knowledge of using this information to provide for children’s learning, but do not always consistently implement this.”

The nursery, which has 11 children aged one to four on its roll but spaces for 25, was rated good by Ofsted in May 2017 but a return visit in January last year found it to be inadequate.

In May last year it was rated as requires improvement.

Manager Lisa Puipp said: “We are de-registering from Ofsted as we have had two inadequate reports within a year.”

A spokesman for Ofsted said if a nursery de-registers it has to close.

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