A Rainham nursery has lost its “good” rating after an Ofsted inspection.

Abbs Cross Day Nursery, in Lowen Road, was last inspected in October 2012, and has since been rated “satisfactory” overall and for how well the early years’ provision meets the needs of children; the contribution of the provision to their well-being and the effectiveness of leadership and management.

The report said it needs to improve as “staff do not always provide the youngest children a wide range of interesting and stimulating resources for exploratory and messy play”.

They added that: “The babies do not have many opportunities to explore a wide range of different styles of books, as there is a limited selection.”

Ofsted has asked the nursery to provide a wider range of resources for the youngest children.

And to improve further, Ofsted suggested developing “the range of books available to enable children to make choices as to what they would like to look at or share with an adult”.

However, inspectors said children’s communication and language development is well supported through staff’s “effective use of questioning techniques” and allowing children time to think their ideas through.

They praised the partnerships with parents which ensure the continuity of children’s care routines and the two-way flow of information to support their learning and development.

They said the team ensures that the recruitment procedures are robust and new staff complete the necessary checks to be suitable to be working with children.

Ofsted added that the “strong management team” have a “clear understanding” of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, which means that children are well cared for in a safe and secure environment.