An ALEXANDRIA nursery has been told it must do better following a Care Inspectorate visit.

Carousel Nursery, on Luss Road, was assessed as being “adequate” for their quality of care and support, and for the quality of staffing.

It had previously been graded at level five – very good – during all earlier inspections stretching back over a decade.

During the most recent visit, on November 7, inspectors say parents told them there had been a high turnover of staff recently, and that they believe this to be responsible for the nursery not getting as good a score as it previously did.

One parent told them: “I feel completely confident that at least one member of staff knows my child well and is very caring towards my child.

“However, some new staff can seem inexperienced and nervous which as a parent can be worrying. I am confident this will settle over time.

“Staff are always professional, hard-working, and deserve praise and support.”

The report found that children engaged well in outdoor play, and that “most of them were smiling and laughing as they played with friends”.

But inspectors said that there needed to be improvements made to lunchtimes to “create a more homely experience”.

And they noted that “staff and management changes had impacted on the progress of the service”.

They also called on the owners to improve staff training, as despite seeing some positive examples of staff nurturing and responding to children, they had observed “missed opportunities” for staff to do so.

Inspectors also asked the management to have a look at creating more space for the children to play in, but did report they saw children “smiling and laughing” during their visit.

The nursery is based in a detached villa, and is licensed to look after up to 73 children at a time, from six-weeks-old, to school age.