Boy left Bedford nursery on busy road unsupervised - Ofsted

Monkey Puzzle nursery is situated on Shakespeare Road and Clapham Road

A young child left a nursery by a busy main road unsupervised, a report has found.

Ofsted said Monkey Puzzle, in Bedford, had been served with a welfare notice after the incident.

Katrina Gani said she witnessed a boy running out of the nursery's car park in August, and she stopped him crossing "an extremely busy road".

The nursery, on Shakespeare Road, by the Clapham Road roundabout on the A600, said actions had been taken.

The entrance to the nursery on Shakespeare Road is close to a busy roundabout

Mrs Gani said she was a passenger in a car passing the nursery and saw a child "run out of the car park and along the road and up to the new crossing by Sainsburys".

"At the crossing I leapt out of the car, just as the child was about to run across an extremely busy road, and walked him back to the nursery."

She logged the incident, which had left her "angry", with Bedfordshire Police and Ofsted.

The Ofsted report said the "child was able to leave the premises unsupervised" and they had been informed of the incident by the nursery and via a complaint.

On 30, 31 August and 2 September, Ofsted said it made a number of "regulatory" phone calls and found the nursery had not met some of their requirements and a welfare notice was served.

The educational inspectors told the nursery that by 16 September it had to ensure staff were deployed effectively to support children's safety and that staff understood their role in assessing and minimising risks, particularly when supervising children.

The nursery was rated outstanding in its last Ofsted report in May 2022

After a visit on 21 September, Ofsted said all doors and gates at the nursery for about 100 children, had been fitted with "mechanisms that were suitable to prevent children from exiting the premises".

The company had also reviewed its risk assessment and policies and "staff deployed themselves to help ensure children were adequately supervised", Ofsted added.

"We are satisfied the provider has met the safeguarding and welfare actions raised," it said.

Ofsted said the ages of the children at the time of the inspection ranged from "0-4". On its Facebook page, the nursery said it provides "care and education for children from six weeks old to five years".

Saskia Powell, the nursery's deputy manager said: "All parents and Ofsted were notified on the day.

"All required actions have been taken and satisfactorily met."