Popular south London nursery issued urgent warning by Ofsted over key failings

A nursery in south London has been rated ‘needs attention’ in six areas after Ofsted inspectors found staff do not always report and record accidents and injuries. Bright Horizons Lewisham Day Nursery and Preschool on Belmont Hill received a ‘Needs attention’ rating in all areas by the education watchdog following an inspection on August 11, 2026.One area for improvement was around pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), who, according to the report, are not always properly supported in accessing all areas of the curriculum.The six areas assessed by Ofsted are ‘Achievement’, ‘Behaviour attitudes and establishing routines’, ‘Children’s welfare and wellbeing’, ‘Curriculum and teaching’, ‘Inclusion’, and ‘Leadership and governance’.A spokesperson for Bright Horizons said: “Ofsted confirmed that safeguarding standards are met and that children are safe and well cared for. However, we accept there were areas where we fell short of the standards families rightly expect, and we are sorry for that.”Bright Horizons in Lewisham has apologised to parents for falling short of expectationsLDRSAccording to a report published by Ofsted on October 30, inspectors found staff do not always report and record accidents and injuries, including injuries children may experience away from the setting.They said leaders have supported staff with additional training and guidance to follow such procedures, however, this is not always full implemented in practice.However, they did find staff are attentive to the care needs of children, and they support their emotional wellbeing effectively.Inspectors said: “Children seek comfort and reassurance from staff, and are supported in an age-appropriate manner which supports children’s confidence and self-esteem.“Staff positively support children that are settling into the setting and due to this, children tend to settle well and in a timely manner”On ‘Curriculum and teaching’, inspectors found weaknesses and inconsistencies in the delivery of the curriculum, which had an overall negative impact on children’s learning experience.They said children with SEND or barriers to learning are not suitably supported to access all areas of the curriculum.Additionally, when assessing ‘Achievement’, they said effective adaptations are not always implemented to help SEND children achieve from their starting points.Inspectors added: “Children are prepared emotionally for the move to school, but weaknesses in the curriculum mean that they do not always make expected progress in other areas of learning.Read More“Younger children are steadily developing their communication, physical, and social skills. However, overall achievement for every child is not yet being adequately supported.“For example, younger children are developing their independence throughout each mealtime, but older children are not always given the same opportunity to develop this skill and continue to gain independence.”Inspectors said children typically demonstrate a “positive and happy attitude to play and learning” and said they are developing their social skills. Leaders and staff show an appropriate expectation for children’s behaviour, although this is not consistently applied to for children of all ages.Inspectors said staff are not “fully supporting children’s behaviour and routines which sometimes has a negative impact on others”.They did say, however, that children develop positive relationships with the staff and their key person, and they are suitably supported with their individual care and emotional needs.On ‘Leadership and governance’, inspectors said the provider “lacks general oversight of the provision”, including supporting leaders and monitoring their suitability.They said the provider has worked with parents to share important information, such as changes in leadership, but communication and updates for parents have not been consistent with all staff changes, including changes to the key-person system.A Bright Horizons spokesperson said improvements were already underway before the inspection and all actions required by Ofsted were completed by the August deadline.They added: “We have continued to strengthen practice since and are confident the nursery will achieve a stronger outcome at reinspection.”