St Leonard's nursery shut over concerns about standards
A private nursery in East Sussex has been forced to close temporarily after Ofsted suspended its registration following concerns about standards.
Ofsted said it was investigating ABC Nursery, in St Leonards, which looks after children aged up to five, "to make sure that children are safe".
A total of 44 children were enrolled at the facility in May. No-one from the nursery has commented yet.
It was rated inadequate by Ofsted in November 2012 but satisfactory in May.
A spokeswoman for Ofsted said: "We are investigating to make sure that children are safe at the nursery. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
"Details of what happens when we suspend an early years provider's registration are set out on our website."
In a statement, East Sussex County Council said: "This nursery is privately-owned and operated and does not have any children whose placements are funded by the council, therefore our only involvement is to provide information, guidance and advice as required.
"After the nursery received an inadequate Ofsted judgement in November 2012, we provided intensive support to staff to try and help them address the issues raised in that report.
"We subsequently raised our own concerns with Ofsted about the standards of provision at the nursery, but the power to take enforcement action against the nursery rests entirely with Ofsted."
It continued: "Families will understandably be disappointed and inconvenienced and our role is to offer information, advice and support through our Information for Families service, to help parents find alternative childcare places and ensure they have access to the best possible provision for their children."