An Erskine nursery has been handed a scathing report after inspectors found a number of children to be "unsettled and distressed" during their visit.

Happitots Erskine was graded as "weak" for its care, play and learning, as well as for its setting, leadership and staff team.

Officers from the Care Inspectorate who made an unannounced visit in September said they had various concerns on a number of fronts.

Their report states: "Most staff were kind, caring and respectful in their interactions with children and engaged well with children down at their level, offering comfort, cuddles, and reassurance. 

"This resulted in some children feeling safe and secure. However, we found a number of children were unsettled and distressed for long periods throughout the inspection. 

"For children settling into the service, the transition did not fully support their emotional wellbeing, and inconsistencies in the staff team contributed to them being upset. 

"The management and staff team should review their settling-in and transition processes to ensure effective planning for children's care."

READ NEXT: Man arrested over 'assault of woman' released without charge

The report highlighted that staff did not consistently store medication across all playrooms and their documentation did not always reflect children's current medical conditions, which had "the potential to cause harm" to youngsters.

It said: "For example, a parental permission signature had not been completed to confirm the permission for one child, and dosage instructions did not reflect the dispensing labels for some children.

"Management understood the significance of improved medication recordings and storage. 

"The provider and management should take action to review and improve medication administration processes to ensure that children are kept safe."

Inspectors also found youngsters had "limited opportunities" to lead their play throughout the day.

The report added: "While some children enjoyed playing with their friends, we found that approaches to planning for play and learning were not consistently in place to support children's interests.

READ NEXT: New sports bar and games club to open in Johnstone

"This resulted in missed opportunities to help children to be meaningfully involved in leading their play. 

"Staff should improve planning processes in all playrooms to support children's interests and offer meaningful engagement, support, and challenge."

A spokesperson for Happitots Erskine said: "We take the report from the Care Inspectorate incredibly seriously and are disappointed with their findings.

"A robust improvement action plan has been drawn up, while the team have already begun a six-week training programme to address the issues raised in the inspection including best practice on mealtimes and medication as well as safe environments and risk assessments.

"As part of our desire to improve, we are working closely with the Care Inspectorate who have agreed to make support visits to help us progress.

"Like many other nurseries across the UK, recruitment and staffing has been a significant issue for us. We have a relatively new team, and our focus is to support their development, whilst also finding new staff to help us provide quality childcare and education.

"We were pleased the inspector noted staff were kind, caring and respectful in interactions with the children and hope to build on these traits with them."