URN EY253975 · Inspected 2026-02-05 · Published 2026-06-05 · Inspector: Jenny Gordon
Bright Horizons New Southgate Day Nursery andPreschool Unique reference number (URN): EY253975 Address: 60 Beaconsfield Road, London, N11 3AE Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 09/01/2003 Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited Inspection report: 5 February 2026 Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement Needs attention Safeguarding standards not met Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm. While leaders provide training to staff relating to safeguarding and child protection processes and procedures, they do not ensure all staff understand the necessary processes to follow if they have concerns about the wellbeing of a child. In particular, some staff have a poor understanding of the correct whistleblowing procedures. Leaders have some systems in place to ensure the suitability of staff. While leaders have some systems in place to follow safer recruitment practices, they do not consider information made available to them when assessing the ongoing suitability of staff. This lack of robustness in ensuring the ongoing suitability of staff impacts on the safeguarding culture of the setting. How we evaluate safeguarding When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes: Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Achievement Needs attention Children, including those who may have barriers to their learning, do not make the necessary progress to close the gaps in their learning that have been identified. In particular, children do not always receive high-quality interaction from staff, which restricts their communication and language development. For example, when some staff ask children questions, they do not respond because staff do not give them enough time to process and formulate an answer. Children develop some of the skills they need to prepare for the next stage of their learning, such as school. For example, children develop independence skills. They serve themselves at lunchtime, get their own tissues, blow their noses and put the tissue in the bin. Children also learn important self-care skills, such as washing their hands at appropriate times and taking off or putting on their coats and shoes. Curriculum and teaching Needs attention Leaders have designed a progressive curriculum that includes the knowledge and skills children need for the next stage of their learning. However, they do not yet ensure staff have a secure understanding of the curriculum. The provider also does not ensure staff deliver it effectively across all areas of the early years foundation stage. Leaders do not have robust Urgent improvement systems in place to ensure that all staff have a sufficient knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and how to implement and adapt it for all children. This has an impact on the quality of teaching that children receive, including those who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities or other barriers to their learning. Support for children's communication and language is inconsistent. Some staff get down to children's level and use songs, stories, repetition and narration to build vocabulary and develop children's communication skills. For example, staff repeat descriptive language as babies explore textures, such as, 'It's soft, very soft,' helping them learn new words. However, where practice is weaker, staff interact less with children who are quiet and more reserved. They do not consider how to support their mathematical or descriptive vocabulary to support their language development. Staff do not consistently accurately identify what children know and can do, which means that learning opportunities are not always planned to build on children's next steps. In the baby room, staff plan effectively for children's physical development, such as providing tummy time to strengthen core muscles. However, in other rooms, learning is sometimes incidental and does not support children's personal, social or emotional development well enough. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Urgent improvement Leaders and staff have low expectations of children's behaviours. Some staff do not offer enough praise to support children's behaviour. For example, staff ask children to tidy up but do not praise the few children who do help. This lack of consistent, explicit praise does not support children to understand and display expected behaviours. At times, staff move children physically, rather than helping children to understand behaviour expectations in positive and effective ways. Leaders do not effectively support staff to understand children's behaviour. Staff lack positive approaches to support children's attitudes to learning and knowing what is expected of them. Some routines are embedded. For example, staff support children to follow hygiene routines after using the toilet. However, some staff do not ensure that transition times are carefully planned. Children wait too long for some activities to be set up. At these times, children become restless and unsettled. In addition, staff sometimes expect children to wait too long for their turn. For example, a large group of children bake a cake together. Although they are excited about this, the group size means they lose interest and engagement because they wait too long for their turn. Leaders have systems in place to support children to attend regularly and on time. If children do not attend without prior notice, leaders contact parents or emergency contacts and then external agencies where necessary. This supports children's wellbeing. Children's welfare and wellbeing Urgent improvement There are inconsistencies within the key-person system, which have a significant impact on children's wellbeing. Some staff do not support children's wellbeing sufficiently in their role as key person. For example, where children transition to a new room, staff do not always ensure that there are thorough and robust handover processes in place. This does not support children to settle into their new rooms, or ensure that the new key person has a thorough understanding of each child's individual learning journey. Leaders do not support staff to make improvements to the key-person system so that all staff consistently understand and meet the individual needs of their key children and to support children's wellbeing and development. However, some staff have an appropriate understanding of supporting children's needs. When this happens, staff build supportive relationships with their key children. They offer calm reassurance and distract children by using their interests. Staff ensure that mealtime routines meet children's individual dietary needs. They supervise children carefully as they eat. However, staff do not consistently use mealtimes as an opportunity to support children's communication and language development. Interactions between staff and children during mealtimes are often limited to instructions or questions about what children would like to eat. Inclusion Urgent improvement Leaders do not quickly identify when children need extra support or interventions, or when there may be barriers to their learning or gaps in their development. This means they do not implement the strategies necessary to support these children to make progress. Leaders do not liaise with external professionals early enough to obtain the necessary support for some children. In addition, staff do not engage with parents promptly when there are areas of learning in which children have gaps. While staff are able to explain strategies to support children, they do not consistently implement these strategies to help children close the gaps in their learning. For instance, staff know that children require additional support in communication and language. However, they do not effectively provide this support. Staff do not ensure targeted support is consistently provided for children. Some leaders are able to explain the weaknesses in provision and in support for children who face barriers to their learning. However, they have not yet provided staff with the training needed to identify individual needs or to put appropriate strategies in place. Leaders do not have effective oversight of support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or for children known or previously known to social care. This means they do not routinely review the impact of support or check whether children are making the progress they should. Children do not receive timely or well-targeted help. Leadership and governance Urgent improvement Leadership is ineffective. There has been a period of instability within the leadership at the setting, with several changes in management. Leaders do not consistently identify weaknesses in staff practice. They do not provide targeted and effective professional development to support staff to improve their practice where required. Leaders identify some areas for improvement within the setting and have appropriate plans in place to address these. Leaders have begun to model practice within the rooms and have started to support staff with planning learning opportunities. However, this has not yet had the necessary impact on the quality of care and learning provided. Leaders consider the wellbeing of staff when making decisions, and staff report that they feel well supported. Leaders have made some improvements to parent partnership within the setting. For example, they have increased communication through regular newsletters and by planning workshops for parents to attend. Some staff work effectively with parents to support children's progress. For example, when children are toilet training, staff work with parents to ensure that strategies used at home are also used at nursery. However, some staff have not communicated effectively with parents when there are concerns about children's development, which impacts the support children receive. Compulsory Childcare Register requirements This setting has not met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met Voluntary Childcare Register requirements This setting has not met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register. How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare Register When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes: Met Not met What it's like to be a child at this setting Weaknesses in leaders' systems to ensure the ongoing suitability of staff impact on the safety and wellbeing of children at the setting. They also do not ensure staff understand child protection procedures. Staff follow processes if a child has an accident or injury and understand the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's wellbeing. However, the variability in practice means not all children's experiences are consistently positive. Staff have not effectively identified all children who have barriers to their learning or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means that some children are not receiving the support they need and are entitled to. Even where staff have recognised that children need additional support, they do not consistently implement strategies well enough for these children to make the progress they should. Where practice is better, staff use warm, nurturing interactions with children. They get down to children's level and support them to extend their learning and thinking. For example, staff encourage children to collect rainwater in jugs and talk about the splashing sounds, helping them build their observational skills and language. These moments help children enjoy their learning. However, where practice is weaker, staff do not plan learning opportunities that are engaging or suited to children's age and stage of development. For example, staff introduce letters of the alphabet or telling the time too early, so children are not able to access or enjoy the activity. Staff do not always address misconceptions, such as when children count incorrectly. This limits children's progress and impacts on how well they achieve. Some children form warm relationships with staff and their peers. They enjoy a range of activities including potato printing, singing, dancing and role play. Some children behave positively and show that they can share and take turns. However, staff do not always plan routines well enough or offer enough positive praise. This impacts on children's understanding of behaviour expectations. Next steps The provider is not meeting the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register and Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. We will issue a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring the provider to have taken the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that there are effective arrangements in place to identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities at the earliest opportunity, and that appropriate strategies, targets and support are implemented consistently, including engagement with parents and external professionals where necessary 22/05/2026 ensure that key persons consistently understand and meet children's individual needs, including their wellbeing, progress and next steps in their learning, and that this information is effectively shared during transitions and used to plan appropriate learning opportunities and care routines 22/05/2026 ensure that staff use consistent, positive and respectful approaches to help children understand behaviour expectations, including effective planning of routines and transitions, so that children's social and emotional development is supported 22/05/2026 ensure that leaders systematically identify weaknesses in staff practice, and provide timely, targeted and effective professional development and support, so that staff practice is consistently of a high quality and supports children's learning, development and wellbeing 22/05/2026 ensure that all staff understand and consistently follow safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures, including clear processes for reporting concerns about staff conduct immediately to the designated safeguarding lead or appropriate external agencies, in line with the local safeguarding partnership arrangements 22/05/2026 Inspector: Jenny Gordon About this setting Action Completion Date ensure that leaders robustly assess and review the ongoing suitability of staff, including by considering all relevant information, patterns of concern, previous allegations and investigation outcomes, and take prompt and appropriate action where concerns about suitability are identified 22/05/2026 To meet the requirements of the Early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must take the following actions by the assigned date: Action Completion Date ensure that the quality of staff interactions with children is of a consistently high standard, to support children to make progress in their language development 22/05/2026 ensure that the curriculum is understood, and implemented consistently by all staff to ensure progress for all children 22/05/2026 About this inspection The inspector spoke with leaders, practitioners and the special educational needs coordinator during the inspection. We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. The inspection started on 5 February 2026. The inspector returned on 26 March 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. The inspector returned again on 28 April 2026 to gather further additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Unique reference number (URN): EY253975 Address: 60 Beaconsfield Road London N11 3AE Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registration date: 09/01/2003 Registered person: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 08:00 - 18:00 Local authority: Barnet Facts and figures used on inspection This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection. This data is from 5 February 2026 Children numbers Age range of children at the time of inspection 0 to 4 Total number of places 58 Our grades explained Exceptional Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it. Strong standard The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them. Expected standard The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them. Needs attention The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements. Urgent improvement The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. 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