After leaving children in dirty nappies, a nursery has been rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted inspectors.

Redbourn House Day Nursery, which was previously rated 'good', failed to impress inspectors when they turned up on November 29, after giving the nursery 24 hours' notice.

In a report, published on December 16, inspectors criticised the staff’s attentiveness, saying children were often left thirsty with unchanged nappies.

It also said that older children were not encouraged to develop good social skills and staff were unable to accurately assess children’s learning and development.

Inspectors said the teachers did not take age or ability into consideration when planning lessons, and subsequently, children were being taught the wrong things.

Children were also often left unchallenged and not encouraged to take part in activities. While some participated in story and song time, others were allowed to wander around the room and disturb the other children.

But inspectors praised the opportunities available to children to developer their physical skills, saying: “They frequently access the outdoor area, whatever the weather.”

The report also noted that staff have good relationships with the children’s parents and have a good understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

Zoe Wright, head of operations at Redbourn House Day Nursery, said: "We acknowledge the findings of the report and are inevitably disappointed with the results.

"It does not reflect the high-quality childcare our parents have come to expect from us and we are pleased that the parents have provided their support following the inspection result.

"We note the inspectors views on improving certain aspects of teaching and learning, and look forward to receiving a further visit from Ofsted during which we can fully showcase our good practice and the inspectors can see how happy the children are in our care."