Based on a detailed risk assessment, Ofsted staff carried out inspections, site visits and direct engagement with senior leaders at 172 Bright Horizon nurseries, identifying breaches of requirements in 69 of these settings. These findings have been published in individual nursery reports, as usual.
Given the number of concerns, and the issues relating to oversight of these settings, Ofsted has now served a Welfare Requirements Notice (WRN) requiring the Bright Horizons group to address all identified safeguarding and welfare failures by 1 August 2026. The WRN is intended to prompt urgent improvement at the highest level of the organisation to ensure higher standards for children across the group.
Because of this regulatory action against the Bright Horizon group, an outcome summary has been published on Ofsted’s reports page for each of Bright Horizons’ 247 settings. As that outcome summary makes clear, these actions relate to organisational arrangements and do not necessarily reflect concerns identified at individual nurseries.
In taking these steps, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, has reiterated the importance of serious action being taken by the Bright Horizons group, while seeking to assure parents that the latest Ofsted report for their child’s nursery remains the best source of information – with the majority of Bright Horizons nurseries continuing to meet requirements.
Ofsted will monitor Bright Horizons’ response to ensure that the required actions are completed.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, said
The outcome summary we’ve published today sets out clearly what the Bright Horizons group must do, and by when. We will be monitoring their progress closely.
My message to parents is to read your nursery’s latest inspection report or update on the Ofsted website. The majority of Bright Horizons nurseries are meeting requirements. We have already published reports and updates on all of the nurseries that we visited – today’s action is about identifying improvements that need to happen at a management level within the Bright Horizons group.
The Department for Education has announced additional funding to support our work in early years – including thousands more no-notice inspections. This is great news and will strengthen our work to check that children are getting the safe, high-quality care they deserve.
Notes to editors
- Where concerns have been identified at an individual Bright Horizons nursery, these will be set out in its most recently published inspection report or outcome summary. These are published on our inspection reports website.
- A WRN is issued under Regulation 10 of The Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations 2012 when Ofsted considers that a provider is failing, or has failed, to meet one or more of the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
- A WRN sets out actions that a provider must complete within a specified timeframe.
