Mulberry Bush Ofsted: Leeds nursery closes its doors temporarily after 'inadequate' rating from inspectors

The nursery was slammed in a recent report by Ofsted inspectors, with a number of criticisms, including children’s safety being “compromised” and staff don’t place children to sleep “in a safe and comforting manner”.

But the nursery announced this afternoon that it was in fact closing until the middle of January in order to address its problems – and insisted parents would have their costs covered during this time.

A spokesperson for Mulberry Bush and its parent company Just Childcare said: “On November 22, 2022, The Mulberry Bush was inspected by Ofsted. Their report has now been published and the nursery has received an inadequate grade.

"We are hugely disappointed by not only the overall result but by some of the issues highlighted within in the operation of the nursery. These results fall well below the standards we set and expect to be delivered to all the children placed in our care and we are already taking steps to rectify these issues fully.

“To enable the most effective response and the ensure all the necessary improvements are made, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily close the nursery from Friday 23rd December, re-opening on Monday 16th January. This will allow the opportunity for the necessary training and changes to be made to enable us to deliver the exceptional early years care we expect to deliver.”

It added that the company had written to parents and families impacted, “confirming our actions and our commitment to finding alternate placings” for the children impacted by the closure, in neighbouring nurseries.

The statement concluded: “Furthermore, have confirmed that all nursery costs will be covered by Just Childcare through this closure period and until 30th January. A member of our team is contacting all the parents and families impacted to support in any necessary arrangements.”

The Ofsted report was published following an inspection last month, and said staff were often “not pronouncing letters properly” during lessons, and that there were “serious concerns” around conduct from certain members of staff not being good role models for children.