Children's nursery near Horsham told it needs to improve

Bright Horizons in Broadbridge Heath – which officially opened in new purpose-built premises in Wickhurst Lane last September – has been rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ following its first Ofsted inspection.

The nursery hit the headlines last month when parents complained that it had faced repeated sudden closures.

Now Ofsted inspector Helen Penticost, in a report just out, has said that it needs to improve in all categories: overall effectiveness, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

In her report she said that the nursery manager intended to provide a broad curriculum for the youngsters but there were ‘weaknesses in adhering to processes’ and that some children, such as those with special educational needs or disabilities, could be missing out.

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She added that children received effective praise from staff, boosting their self-esteem and well-being, but some older children struggled to manage their behaviour and did not always ‘show that they understand their impact on others.’

She said staff commented positively about the 'open-door policy' of the manager, but due to working directly with the children, the manager had not been able to complete staff supervisions.

And, while staff adopted positive working relationships with parents and shared information about children's development they did not always have time to provide the information consistently to help parents support children's learning at home, the inspector said.

Bright Horizons is one of a chain of nurseries owned by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.

A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with this inspection result but are making improvements as a matter of priority, taking on board the Ofsted feedback.

"Children and families are at the heart of what we do, and we recognise that this rating is not good enough.

"We are addressing these concerns with immediate effect, and we have provided additional support to the nursery from our highly qualified Early Years specialists and Regional team.

" As has been widely reported, the early years sector is experiencing nationwide shortages of qualified staff, and this has affected our nursery, but we are working hard to resolve the problem.”