Bright Horizons Southfields, a nursery and pre-school in Southfields, South London, has apologised after an Ofsted inspection found that staff had limited interactions with children, leading to disengagement and weaker language development. The nursery, which supports up to 50 children aged up to four years old, has been told that its curriculum, teaching, achievement, and leadership 'need attention' and has been given a list of actions to complete by September.
Ofsted findings: limited interactions and weak teaching
The recent Ofsted report, published after an inspection, said that children played for extended periods at times without input from staff and did not benefit from all learning opportunities. Inspectors noted that when staff did engage with children, their interactions were weak, including not allowing enough time for children to think and respond during story time.
This lack of engagement limited children's language development, causing them to lose interest and not always achieve the progress they were capable of. Some children were described as not being as well prepared as they could be for their next stage of development. The report also found teaching was weak and inconsistent, as leaders lacked oversight and a complete understanding of staff performance to make improvements. Leaders had not adequately reflected on the quality of teaching, and some staff did not feel fully supported in their roles.
Positive aspects and safeguarding
Despite these concerns, Ofsted confirmed that the nursery met expected standards for safeguarding, behaviour, welfare, and inclusion. Inspectors praised staff for being kind and creating a welcoming environment, which helped them to build positive relationships with children and their families. Staff were also commended for supporting children who faced barriers to their learning and for encouraging social interactions.
Bright Horizons told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that an improvement programme has been underway at the nursery since June, with the team receiving intensive refresher training. The nursery has been given a list of actions to complete by September, including providing staff with effective support and training, ensuring an ambitious curriculum is being rolled out, and improving engagement with families.
Nursery's response and next steps
A Bright Horizons spokesperson told the LDRS: "This inspection identified areas where we fell short of the high standards that families rightly expect, and we are sorry for that. While Ofsted found the nursery's safeguarding standards are being met and confirmed the setting meets all childcare register requirements, inspectors found that the quality and consistency of teaching was not good enough. We accept those findings in full."
The spokesperson added: "An improvement programme has been under way at the nursery since June. The whole team has completed intensive refresher training, and is being supported by our regional team through coaching, observation and regular one-to-one meetings. We are confident we will meet the actions Ofsted has set by the September deadline."
