A WINCHESTER nursery run by a troubled childcare provider has been criticised once again for failing to safeguard those in its care.

Casa dei Bambini Day Nursery, in St John’s Street, Winchester, was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, following an inspection in June. The education watchdog returned just four months later, in October, but inspectors said the nursery had “made insufficient progress” and it has been hit with another ‘inadequate’ mark.

The nursery is run by Hartley House Montessori Limited, whose director is Susan Hartley-Raven. In July, The Lido Nursery School and Activity Club, also owned by Mrs Hartley-Raven, closed when inspectors found that it had failed to resolve welfare concerns and children did not make good progress.

Despite some improvements, Ofsted said the health and safety of the children is “not assured because there are breaches of requirements relating to safeguarding and welfare”.

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Inspectors said that while children are “well supervised”, staff do not remove plastic bags that are accessible to youngsters, and they prop up wood against discarded and broken toys where children play.

The report published on December 24 said: “Older children enjoy a better learning experience than younger children. Staff show good teaching skills in this age group and help children make the progress they are capable of. Babies, particularly the newest ones, are unsettled because they are not able to form strong emotional bonds with their key person. The staff can change daily and babies’ care needs are not always met.”

Inspectors noted that nappy changing lacks privacy for babies and sleeping arrangements do not consistently meet their needs.

Staff are also not clear on their roles and responsibilities, with some in key roles have not completed children protection training.

The report added: “Parents speak positively of the setting. They report their children are happy and progressing well in their development. There is good communication with the staff.”

A nursery spokeswoman said: “We were exceptionally disappointed to be re-inspected just three months after the initial inspection. Even though we are on track with our strategy to improve and raise the quality of care, teaching and learning, we had not had sufficient time to embed the changes fully.

“We continue to drive forwards positively, taking into account the feedback from the inspection, we are confident that the changes we have made will ensure that we will achieve the results that we are striving for on our next inspection. This was reflected in the feedback following a recent support visit from the local authorities.

“The new nursery manager and the team are continuing to work exceptionally hard to evaluate every area of practice and bring awe, wonder and joy each and every day to the children in our setting. Our families are continuing to support us and we would like to thank them for their commitment and understanding.”