A NURSERY slammed in a damning watchdog report is celebrating after receiving a new rating.

Bright Horizons Chandler's Ford Day Nursery and Preschool was previously rated as inadequate following an Ofsted inspection last summer.

Inspectors found that children showed 'signs of distress' and their health, well-being and safety were being 'put at risk'.

But now, a new inspection has seen major improvements at the Holcombe Road site, which has been rated as 'good' by inspectors.

Caring for children aged three-months-old to five-years-old, all categories have been deemed 'good' by inspectors.

Carried out in January this year, the inspection found that the wider leadership team has "worked closely" with staff to address the issues raised last year.

Manager Meggie Terndrup told the Daily Echo: "This is my first post as a nursery manager and was certainly a challenging nursery to take on with the previous inadequate inspection however the team were invested in improving and the families had every faith in the nursery that we could turn it around.

"We are absolutely thrilled with our ‘Good’ outcome from Ofsted. We have been working so hard over the last six months to invest in both our team and the nursery building so it was really great that they could see how the opportunities and experiences we provide the children with have greatly improved.

"We look forward to welcoming more children and families into Chandler's Ford over the next year and continuing to strive for excellence every day.”

Children have been described as "happy and confident" and are "eager to wave their parents and carers goodbye during drop off".

Managers have provided all staff with additional safeguarding training.

"The manager has a clear vision for what she expects all children to learn," the report reads.

"She has successfully shared her vision with staff, who implement this well. A new way of planning has been introduced.

"This enables staff to consider what children already know and to offer challenging experiences."

Inspectors found that staff communicate well with children and they "role model" language alongside children's play to support their understanding.

It was noted that staff are respectful of children's wishes and ask for permission before carrying out personal care needs.

Inspectors found that parents talk positively about changes that have been put in place since the last inspection.

The report said: "The manager is competent and has helped them resolve any questions. Some parents say communication is good.

"However, some say that staff could share more information about activities. This is something the manager continues to work on."