The education watchdog Ofsted has issued a warning that many nurseries are not equipped to offer adequate care for children from the moment they open their doors.

Inspectors, who usually inspect nurseries during core operating hours, visited 45 day nurseries during their opening hours of 7am to 8am. They found a series of issues, ranging from not enough staff, to poor security allowing strangers to wander in off the streets. Children were left unattended, without anything to play with, and in three cases inspectors gained access without their identity being challenged or checked.

In a speech today, Dorian Bradley, Ofsted's deputy director, will tell a childcare conference: 'There is evidence that, although the majority of nurseries offer adequate care to children during the first hour of the day, the care that they receive is likely to be of poorer quality than during core hours, with a lack of planning and organisation.

'The weaknesses arising from staff deployment and organisation in the early morning could occur at the end of the day when tidying away activities.'

• Choosing A Nursery For Your Baby
  
• What Our Members Are Discussing Today
  
• This Week's News