Alton campus nursery at Havant and South Downs College rated inadequate by Ofsted

A spokesperson for the nursery at Alton College said staff are confident it will get a better rating next time

Children were put at risk of falling high chairs after an inadequate nursery's staff stacked them inappropriately, inspectors said.

Ofsted visited Alton College Nursery at Havant and South Downs College's Alton Campus in April.

It was previously rated outstanding in June 2015.

A spokesperson said staff were "disappointed" but felt the inspection was not an "accurate reflection" of their nursery.

Inspectors found that children generally behaved well, but that a "weakness in the routine and structure" meant that in the afternoons they became frustrated and their behaviour "dipped".

A total of 47 children were on the roll at the time inspectors visited.

They found children's safety was "compromised" because of an "ineffective risk assessment".

"Staff stack high chairs, leaving harnesses exposed, so the chairs are at risk of being pulled over," their report said.

Young babies were not "effectively" supervised because they were put to sleep in a dedicated sleep room, which inspectors said was "out of the sight and sound of staff".

But staff were found to be "kind" and that children were happy to attend the nursery.

A spokesperson from Alton College Nursery said: "Whilst the team is disappointed with this outcome and do not believe it is an accurate reflection of our setting, we acknowledge the report and its findings.

"We have already undertaken much work to act upon and resolve the points raised in the report."

They said other improvements will be implemented in coming weeks.

"We are confident that there will be a very different outcome when Ofsted visits again," they added.