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There have been almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in nurseries in England in the past five years, the BBC has found. That is an average of about 75 “significant events” reported to Ofsted each week – including incidents of serious injury or significant harm. There have even been rare cases involving deaths.
Nurseries made more than 4,200 reports of serious childcare incidents in 2023-24, compared with 3,021 in 2019-20 – according to Ofsted figures, obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request.
Incidents could range from injuries or illnesses, to serious accidents and deaths. They also include events affecting nursery premises, such as fires or floods.
Ofsted’s broad criteria for reporting can mean nursery workers “err on the side of caution”, the Early Years Alliance says. This means investigations often find no safeguarding breach has, in fact, occurred – it adds.
The rise in the number of reports highlights a “dire situation”, says Helen Penn, professor of early childhood from the University of East London. “Standards [of care] are so low that the government surely has an obligation to improve them,” she says.
Parents often rely on Ofsted’s inspections and subsequent ratings to help them choose the best childcare setting. Full inspections usually happen every six years, but the regulator can inspect more often if a nursery is graded as inadequate or requiring improvement – or if concerns are raised.
One former nursery worker said 15 babies had been left sleeping in a room with only a baby monitor and no staff members to look after them. But when Ofsted announced an inspection, managers called in staff from other locations.
The parents of a baby who was killed at a now-closed nursery in Greater Manchester have told the BBC they want more frequent Ofsted inspections in nurseries – and for inspectors to check CCTV, which is not current practice.
As police reviewed nursery CCTV as part of their investigation, it revealed a second staff member had also been causing harm to children.
Local authorities are responsible for investigating any safeguarding concerns at nurseries. In light of our findings from Ofsted about a broad range of incidents, we asked councils across England about the specific number of times harm had been caused to children by nursery workers.
Reports of harm to young children almost tripled over that time – from 1,303 between 2010-15, to 3,342 between 2019-24. These figures may include cases where the incident was either accidental or unproven.
Standards of care are low and if something does not change there will be “more accidents, more harm to babies, more unhappy parents and children,” says early childhood professor Helen Penn.
The government says it is introducing stronger safeguarding measures at early years settings from September.
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