THE owners of a Portishead nursery are to lodge a complaint against Ofsted following a recent report.

Honey Tree Day Nursery is challenging the findings of inspector Phillippa Wallis following the publication of the report which found the overall quality of early years provision to be inadequate.

Managing director of Honey Tree, Phil Weston, said: “We were devastated to receive a less than favourable report. This has never happened before and we have already worked hard to put any failings on our part right.

“But it’s frustrating that we now have to wait several months before another inspection, when we will be able to publicly demonstrate proof of the improvements that we carried out immediately after publication of the report.”

Mr Weston says he has met with the parents of children attending the nursery who are aware of the changes that have now taken place and they are confident in the service provided as a result.

In the report, the effectiveness of partnerships, and engagement with parents and carers was deemed satisfactory, as was the extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles.

However leadership, management and effectiveness of safeguarding the children were said to be inadequate.

In its previous Ofsted report in 2007, the quality and standards of care at Honey Tree were recorded as good and the quality and standards of nursery education were satisfactory.

Mr Weston added: “I have been running successful nurseries for 20 years and it is difficult to understand how we can go from a green light in one inspection to a red light at the next. However, we have been given time to improve things and have now done so.”

Ofsted press officer Rebecca Hall said it is not their policy to comment on individual cases.

A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “North Somerset’s Early Years Team continues to work in close partnership with the leadership team at The Honeytree Day Nursery.

“We are currently supporting them to implement their quality improvement action plan which addresses the actions and recommendations outlined in their latest Ofsted report.”