A BASINGSTOKE nursery school which was ordered to improve because it was putting children ‘at potential risk of harm’ has now been told it is ‘good’. 

As previously reported, Busy Bees Day Nursery at Basingstoke hospital, in Aldermaston Road, was visited by Ofsted inspectors in April who graded it as ‘inadequate’ in all areas.

It was served a ‘welfare requirement notice’ asking the nursery to take action by May 2 including in relation to its safeguarding practices.

The owners of Busy Bees, which runs 379 nurseries across the country including in Chineham and Hatch Warren, apologised to parents and children and said it was “disappointed” with the outcome.

Since then, the number of children on roll at the nursery has gone down from 101 to 63 while the number of staff has reduced from 29 to 17.

READ MORE: Basingstoke nursery ordered to improve as children left crying, bored and with runny noses

The nursery was visited by Ofsted again in August and a report published on September 22 said it is now ‘good’.

The report said: “All children benefit from a safe and secure environment where their emotional wellbeing is fostered to a high level.”

It added: “Children are confident, engaged and motivated to learn.”

Ofsted said the centre manager provides “strong leadership” and is “relentless in her pursuit to deliver a high-quality service”.

It added: “Leaders have successfully remedied the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection.”

The arrangements for safeguarding were found to be ‘effective’ by Ofsted.

To improve, leaders were asked to identify “clear priorities for continuous improvement that accurately reflect the needs of the children and their families”.

Ofsted also visited Busy Bees in May and said it was satisfied that the provider had met the safeguarding and welfare actions raised in the inspection report.

SEE ALSO: Nursery apologises for 'disappointing' Ofsted report which found children at 'potential risk of harm'

The nursery opens from 7am to 6pm five days a week, all year round.

Jon Maloney, area director for Busy Bees, said: “We are delighted to have turned our Ofsted around with a recent ‘good’ inspection – this is a testament to the hard work of our team who have continuously improved the service we offer at the nursery.

"Since our last Ofsted inspection, we have recruited new team members who are committed and passionate about giving children the best start in life and meeting their needs.

"We’re looking forward to building on our success even further and I have no doubt the team will continue to provide a safe and secure environment where children can thrive.”

Busy Bees said the majority of the drop in numbers was because of school leavers during July to September.