A SOUTHAMPTON pre-school has been forced to close after a damning Ofsted report.

Inspectors said staff at Manor Road pre-school failed to supervise children vigilantly and do not always administer first aid to children swiftly, meaning children’s health and safety are compromised.

They said risk assessments were poor, that records were not available at inspection and managers do not have a sufficient understanding of their roles and responsibilities leading to breaches in legal requirements.

Now Southampton City Council has pulled funding for the school, leaving parents without a place for their children until September amid “high demand” in the area.

But some parents have backed nursery staff, and said the Ofsted report is not a fair portrayal of management at the pre-school, which is based at Merryoak’s Festival Hall community centre.

Mum Tracey Tarrant said: “I’m absolutely gutted for my daughter.

“It has taken her a long time to get used to her surroundings and she loves it there.

“The staff have all been amazing with her and this is going to affect her so much now.

“Most of the other preschools in the area are full and we now have to wait until September.”

In a letter to parents and carers on February 7 chairperson Vickie Yeates said she was “extremely sorry” but that managers were left with “very little choice” but to close.

She added: “In December 2018 a complaint was made to Ofsted by a parent/carer at the pre-school, which resulted in an Ofsted inspection taking place on Monday, January 7, 2019.

“The result of the Ofsted report was ‘inadequate – with actions’ which Ofsted deems to be unacceptable.

“The unacceptable nature of this report has since lead to the local authorities pulling all funding from the pre-school, which essentially means that if you are entitled to free funding, you would have to pay for it if you wanted to continue to send your child to Manor Road pre-school.

“The committee of the pre-school have met and decided that there is simply no alternative but to close the pre-school and this was confirmed by the parents present at the EGM on Wednesday, February 6.

“Therefore, the pre-school will close at 12pm on Thursday, February 14, for good.

Peartree Ward Councillor Alex Houghton said: “Currently, there is high demand for pre-school places in the Itchen and Merry Oak area, and many existing providers are unable to keep up with the growing demand. I hope that the council and local community are able to explore options to reopen a pre-school in this location.

According to the website the pre-school was the main feeder for Ludlow school.

City education boss Cllr Darren Paffey said: “In the case of Manor Road pre-school, the council has provided significant support over the years to help them raise standards that Ofsted requires. Government statutory guidance dictates that we do not fund nursery provision that is deemed to be ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, as evidence shows that higher quality provision has greater developmental benefits for children.

“We have given the pre-school details of other local provision where there are vacancies and our Family Information Service (023 8083 3014) are also able to assist parents looking for early education places. The quality of early years provision in Southampton is high with 95% of early years providers judged by Ofsted to be ‘good’ and above in their last inspection.”

Committee chairperson Vickie Yeates said the committee is following Ofsted and early years advice and recommendations and added: “The committee are saddened to have to close the preschool, but due to financial and staffing issues, there was no other way.

“With the help from early years team, we are trying to work with parents to find new preschools in the area.”

The pre-school is a charity run by a committee and managed by volunteer parents of children who attend.

In 2014 the building was deemed inadequate and was relocated to Festival Hall, Merryoak Road.

In 2016 Ofsted said the pre-school was ‘good’.