Families were given less than three working days’ notice that Bright Horizons New Southgate would shut last month reports Leïla Davaud
Parents have expressed their shock after a New Southgate nursery closed suddenly last month.
Bright Horizons New Southgate was shut on 18th May due to staffing problems, with parents later being told that the nursery’s Ofsted registration had been suspended.
Talking to Barnet Post, Krisztiàn Pósch, whose two daughters attended the nursery, asked: “How are we supposed to give them our trust again?” The sudden closure created significant disruption for his family. “We were told on 14th May that the nursery would close on 18 May.
“Me and my partner had to take some time off work to figure things out and we are lucky to have been able to. Not everyone has this luxury.”
With clear disappointment, Krisztiàn added: “My daughters don’t understand why their routine changed so suddenly. We knew there was a staff shortage, but we were far from thinking it would get to this point.” He added that communication around fees and future arrangements had been difficult.
The closure has since been followed by regulatory action. On 27th May, parents received a call from Bright Horizons. “We were informed that Ofsted had suspended the nursery’s registration,” explains Krisztiàn. Ofsted is the government agency responsible inspecting services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
The Post contacted Bright Horizons to explain their position. A spokesperson said: “Following a period of significant staffing challenges, we took the decision to temporarily close New Southgate nursery because we did not believe we could continue to operate in a way that meets the standard of care our families rightly expect from us.
“This was a difficult decision, and we understand how upsetting and disruptive it has been for families and colleagues. Following the closure, Ofsted informed us of its decision to suspend the nursery’s registration. This is a temporary measure and one we are considering appealing. Our immediate focus remains on supporting affected families and colleagues, including helping children transition to alternative nearby nurseries wherever possible.”
However, parents have criticised the short notice given before the closure and questioned why they were not informed sooner about Ofsted’s concerns.
Christianna, whose child attended the nursery, said she wasn’t aware of the inspections. “We feel very upset with the fact that they weren’t transparent with us. If we had known that there were issues we would have possibly transferred our child to another nursery.”
She chose to not move her daughter to a different Bright Horizons nursery. “The alternative locations were not convenient for us, and we have lost trust in the organisation. We are aware that when the North Finchley nursery closed, parents were given two months’ notice.”
She adds: “The staff never shared any information about the challenges they were facing. Whenever we raised questions, we were directed to the management team. Over the past year, while there were changes we gave Bright Horizons the benefit of the doubt. However, this situation has changed our view.”
Another parent, who asked not to be named, said they felt they had little choice but to move their daughter to another Bright Horizons nursery after receiving such short notice.
“We were given only two and a half working days notice of the closure, along with the option to move our daughter to another Bright Horizons nursery the following week,” they said.
“If we had chosen a different nursery, we would have needed to apply for a place, pay a registration fee and complete a settling-in period. Given that both of us work full time, we simply could not take two weeks off on such short notice.”
The parent said they only learned about Ofsted’s suspension after their child had already transferred to another Bright Horizons setting. They also said they had been “unaware of the number of Ofsted visits made to the nursery in recent months.”
“We were made aware of only one Ofsted visit in February but no results were ever shared with us,” they said. “We were completely unaware that they also visited in November 2025, December 2025, March 2026 and April 2026.”
Parents said they had asked nursery management whether the closure was linked to regulatory issues but were told there was “nothing that they were aware of”.
Documents published by Ofsted make clear that inspectors had been working with Bright Horizons since last year to ensure that the nursery was able to meet regulatory requirements.
This activity was followed by a full inspection in February which highlighted a series of actions needed, with four out of six areas of activity described as requiring “urgent improvement”.
In a letter published on 7th June, Ofsted explained the timeline of its engagement with Bright Horizons. In conclusion, it said: “We suspended the provider’s registration on 26th May 2026 because we believe children may be at risk of harm.
“Suspension allows time for the provider to take steps to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm to children. The provider has a right to appeal against a suspension. The provider may not provide childcare for which registration is required while the suspension is in place and may commit an offence if they do so.
“The provider is still registered with Ofsted.”
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