A 50-year-old pre-school has closed with immediate effect after it was found to be putting children at risk.

St Giles Pre-School in St Giles Church, Nazeing, put the two to five-year-olds at risk through lack of supervision and also offered poor teaching, according to inspectors who visited last week.

There was also no valid liaibility insurance and inappropriate hygiene routines at the school. 

The Parochial Church council which managed the school closed it down yesterday.

A spokesman said: "The inspection highlighted weakness in several areas and stated that children were ‘at risk’. 

"It would require rapid and significant improvements in many areas in order to convince Ofsted that the pre-school could overcome these weaknesses. 

"We do not feel we have the resources to address these weaknesses in the timescales available.

‘We are very sorry that this will leave parents without childcare at such short notice. 

"We have enjoyed working with parents and children in our community for over 50 years and we are heartbroken to close in this way."

St Giles Interim Priest, Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould, said: “Ofsted sets understandably high standards these days.

“We started out as a little church-run play school 50 years ago and the expectations and regulations have changed enormously since we first started.

“We haven’t been able to keep up with these as well as we might, and we regret this.”