A round of nursery inspections in Maldon district has revealed a mixed bag of quality.

Ofsted inspectors have visited four pre-schools and nurseries in recent months, labelling two of them “good”, but telling the other two they “require improvement”.

Its manager, Vikki Mitchell, said: “There was a much better feel about the inspection this time around and it seemed much more thorough."

However, Little Oaks Nursery, in Langford, and Tollesbury Preschool, in Tollesbury, were told both required improvement.

It is an improvement for Little Oaks, however, after it was branded “inadequate” in April for weak management and failing to safeguard children.

The report, released earlier this month, showed improvements in those areas, but said staff were not using group activities well enough or giving children the opportunity to learn about diversity.

It also took issue with staffing levels.

No one from Little Oaks responded to requests for comment.

Tollesbury Preschool dropped from “good” to “requires improvement” for weaknesses in planning, teaching, and failing to develop good working relationships with surrounding schools.

Its manager, Amanda Czuba who was “upset” following the report, but said the team were already taking steps to improve.