Ofsted Questions Quality of Teaching at Southfields Nursery

Inspectors conclude that aspects of care at Bright Horizons ‘need attention’

Picture: Bright Horizons Southfields

August 25, 2026

Staff at a Southfields nursery have limited interactions with children, leading to them becoming disengaged, an inspection has found. The local branch of Bright Horizons has been told its curriculum and teaching, achievement and leadership ‘need attention’ by Ofsted. This is the second lowest rating given with only the requirement for urgent improvement below

A new Ofsted report said children played for extended periods at times without input from staff and did not benefit from all learning opportunities, after a recent inspection of the nursery and pre-school. It found when staff did engage with children their interactions were weak, including not allowing enough time for them to think and respond during story time.

Inspectors said this lack of engagement limited children’s language development, which caused them to lose interest and not always achieve 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.

Bright Horizons told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) an improvement programme has been underway at the nursery since June, with the team receiving intensive refresher training.

The report also found teaching was weak and inconsistent, as leaders lacked oversight and complete understanding of staff performance to make improvements. It said leaders had not adequately reflected on the quality of teaching, while some staff did not feel fully supported in their roles.

However, Ofsted said 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. They said staff supported children who faced barriers to their learning and encouraged social interactions.

The nursery supports up to 50 children aged up to four years old. It has been given a list of actions to complete by September, including providing staff with effective support and training, making sure an ambitious curriculum is being rolled out and improving engagement with families.

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.

“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.”

Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter