Barrow nursery registration suspended by Ofsted meant Bright Horizons Nursery at Furness General Hospital closed on 22 July with immediate effect. The shutdown lasted six weeks and left parents arranging childcare the same day.
Ofsted said the suspension was needed “to allow inquiries to be completed in relation to the concerns.” A notice on the nursery door said there was reasonable belief that children may be at risk of harm.
Bright Horizons said it understood the impact on families, was sorry for the disruption and would keep working with Ofsted. The company also said it would provide further information when it was able to do so, which leaves parents waiting on the outcome of the inquiries rather than on a fixed explanation for the closure.
Alison Murphy on Facebook
Alison Murphy said her 16 month-old daughter attends the nursery. She said she found out through a local mum's group on Facebook and had received no notice of the closure.
“I went on Facebook on the local mum's group and it said it was closed with immediate effect and that was that - it's been a nightmare,” she said.
Murphy said the family used the nursery because she and her partner work long hours. “We work really long hours which is why we use that nursery. We drop her off at seven and we pick her up at six,” she said.
Bright Horizons Nursery in Barrow
She said the staff did not appear to know when she collected her daughter on Wednesday. “When we picked her up on Wednesday, the staff didn't seem to know. They all said 'see you on Friday,'” Murphy said. That left families hearing one thing at pickup and facing a closure notice soon after.
Murphy said the practical effect was immediate. “She'll adjust to a new nursery, but until then we're going to have to take days off unpaid,” she said.
For families using Bright Horizons Nursery in Barrow, the question now is not whether the suspension happened, but how long the inquiries will take before any decision changes. Ofsted has tied the closure to safeguarding concerns, and Bright Horizons has said it will keep families updated as the process continues.
