The director of Sunny Days nursery in Poundbury has said that the business has now met all the requirements of notices issued by Ofsted, after its rating dropped from good to inadequate.

Staffing issues were cited as one of the reasons for the inadequate rating following a recent inspection at Sunny Days, but director Joy Scadden says these have already been addressed.

She said: "I place the 'short staff' comment in context, which is that we were at the time short staffed in some job roles, and consequently for the first time in our history we had to rely upon agency staff.

"Short staff does not mean and did not mean we were placing children or staff at risk, and the ratios and regulations were always met."

Ms Scadden said that the new Dorchester manager, appointed in April, was previously manager at the Bridport nursery, is highly experienced and has worked for Sunny Days for over a decade.

"The manager and her team quickly put a plan in place to respond to the actions raised from the inspection and Ofsted have seen a significant turnaround since then," she added. 

"We have also received support from the local authority."

"Since the publication of the report last week, we have been delighted to receive a great deal of support and lovely messages from the parents, the majority of whom were shocked by the outcome as it isn't what they experience on a daily basis."

Comments from parents have included the following: "I am absolutely livid that Ofsted have rated the nursery as inadequate. As a parent, my main concern is that my child is happy, safe and well cared for and I can assure you that she is all of those.

"Personally, I think everyone in toddlers is doing a brilliant job. It's clearly a very busy room yet the staff all know my child as an individual and treat her as such."

Another commented: "I wanted to say that we have always found Sunny Days to be brilliant! My son has come on leaps and bounds since he joined you a couple of years ago. Hopefully Ofsted will see all the positive things you do when they come and review.'"

Sunnys Days has said that parents have been provided with an opportunity to discuss any concerns and have been reassured by the positive changes and plan in place.

"The staff and the management team continue to work hard to make improvements and we look forward to a very positive outcome when Ofsted returns in a few months," said the statement from the nursery.