Four nurseries in Kingston and Elmbridge have been told that they need to improve, with a fifth pre-school in Walton being told it is ‘inadequate’.

Toad Hall Nursery in Walton, Hook Pre-School in Hook, Castle Stars day nursery in New Malden and Playtime Day Nursery in Surbiton have been told they require improvement in Ofsted reports released in the last six weeks.

Stagecoach Montessori School in Hersham Road, Walton, was rated ‘outstanding’ in July 2011 but inspectors said it was ‘inadequate’ this May, and that “staff whose suitability has not been checked are left unsupervised with children”, while “poor practice puts children’s welfare at significant risk of harm”.

They added: “The manager and staff do not supervise children adequately.”

Toad Hall, in Cambridge Road, branded ‘outstanding’ at its last inspection in July 2011, was criticised by the education watchdog for its “inconsistent” quality of teaching.

A report, published on June 9, said “staff do not encourage children consistently to complete manageable tasks for themselves” or use assessments well enough to plan “engaging and challenging” activities.

Castle Stars, in Manor Drive North, failed to share information “well enough” with parents, with staff missing opportunities to increase children’s awareness of safety, according to a report published on May 25.

Inspectors said: “The manager does not evaluate the provision accurately to identify breaches in requirements and areas for improvements”.

The identification of next steps in children’s learning, staff effectiveness in helping children settle into new areas of the nursery, and monitoring if or how additional funding improves learning outcomes for children were contributing factors in Playtime Day Nursery’s new rating in a report published on June 23.

Hook Pre-School in Hook Road attained a ‘satisfactory’ rating in July 2013, but was told the effectiveness of its leadership and how it managed personal development, behaviour and welfare needed to improve on June 9.

But teaching and children’s outcomes were judged ‘good’.

Toad Hall, Playtime Nursery and Hook Pre-School declined to comment due to ongoing talks with Ofsted.

Castle Stars manager Michelle Akintoye said that she would look to hold tea party and coffee sessions with parents to improve communication, as well as displaying children’s achievements more openly.

A Stagecoach Montessori spokesman said: “Following a recent inspection, we have implemented new procedures, largely due to the layout of the premises to meet expectations outlined in the report.

“We are working with Ofsted to improve our status in accordance with their new criteria and have informed parents of the changes. We will continue to cultivate an atmosphere of fun, creativity and learning in a safe environment.”