A DAY nursery has been closed down for six weeks to allow Ofsted to investigate “our belief that a child may be exposed to a risk of harm.”

A Notice of Suspension has been posted on the front of Kinder Active in Bournemouth town centre, revealing that the suspension runs until January 17.

The notice says that Ofsted requires time to investigate and for any necessary steps to be taken to eliminate or reduce the risk of harm.

It goes on: “We will regularly review the situation and will stop the suspension within this period if we believe children are no longer at risk.”

The notice says suspension does not automatically mean that a provider is unsuitable to provide childcare in the future.

However, it also says: “We only take steps to cancel the registration if we consider that the provider is no longer suitable to provide childcare.”

A spokesman for government inspection body Ofsted said they are unable to provide further details while an investigation is under way.

Ofsted stressed it is an offence to provide childcare while a suspension is in place.

Kinder Active is located in The Avenue shopping centre with its access at the rear of the centre, near the entrance to the old Marks and Spencer store.

In October 2017 it was graded as Inadequate after inspectors said safety was compromised.

The report said: “The provider does not ensure that the premises are secure to prevent any unauthorised persons from entering when children are present.

“Management does not assign new children with a key person. As a result staff do not form good working relationships with new parents to help support children’s emotional well-being from the start.”

It said children “lose interest” due to insufficient challenge.

The unannounced inspection followed a complaint to Ofsted and the nursery was issued with a Notice to Improve.

It was inspected again in April this year and given an overall rating of Requires Improvement.

Inspectors said: “The management does not deploy staff effectively to ensure that the staff qualification ratio requirements are being met at all times.

“Staff do not maintain an accurate record of all children’s hours of attendance. Staff do not support children’s learning well enough.

“They do not differentiate the activities to take into account younger children’s abilities or provide suitable challenge for older children’s learning.”

The nursery, usually open from 8am until 6pm from Monday to Friday, prides itself on learning through sport.

It offers morning and afternoon sessions as well as breakfast, lunch and supper clubs.

In April this year it had a total of 52 children on roll using 35 full-time places. Its website says it also has a facility in Southampton.