BOWERHILL Pre-school is not making the grade, according to Ofsted’s latest report which found it is still not meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Education Foundation.

The nursery, run by a committee of parents, was rated inadequate in April – the lowest rating Ofsted can give.

Four months on in their latest report, Ofsted inspector Julie Swann said that despite improvements since their last visit, staff still miss opportunities to help children’s development.

She added: “Opportunities that develop children’s independence skills are not maximised. For example, some staff wipe children’s noses for them when they could do this for themselves.

“Children are physically active outdoors where they can choose from a variety of wheeled vehicles, water and paints. However, managers and staff do not provide children with a wider selection of resources to extend on their outdoor play.

"In addition, children have few opportunities to develop and improve their skills in early maths both in the indoor and outdoor environments.”

She goes on to say that managers do not always effectively use the information gained from observing the 38 children to enhance their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.

The report added: “Teaching is not yet consistently good to fully extend on and ignite children’s curiosity for learning.

“Managers and staff do not give children time to respond to questions and sometimes provide them with answers a little too quickly. Consequently, children do not always have time to think for themselves.”

The report, however, did find that the preschool kept parents informed about activities the children, aged two to five, are involved in and how they can support learning at home, which as a result, allowed all children to make satisfactory progress.

It also said the preschool has other strengths. It said: “Managers and staff have all attended safeguarding training and have a sound knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures in line with the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

"All records are easily accessible and a daily record of children’s hours of attendance is maintained."

“As a result, children are kept safe. The manager monitors the educational programmes and staff performance by working alongside the staff and through effective coaching, training, supervisions and appraisals. For example, managers and staff have attended relevant courses to promote effective outcomes for children.

“Managers and staff share information with other settings children attend and value the support they get from the school, local authority and other agencies.”

A pre-school spokesman was unavailable for comment.