K8Z Cheeky Monkeyz, a nursery and crèche in Bootle, has closed after an Ofsted inspection in May found that children were put at risk of harm and urgent improvement was required. The watchdog reported that leaders failed to ensure an open and positive culture around safeguarding, did not review staff references thoroughly, and did not follow up on concerns.
Staffing Failures and Safeguarding Breaches
Ofsted found that not all staff had complete references, there were inconsistencies in application forms, and employment history gaps were not thoroughly explored. Checks to determine the suitability of staff were not in place. The report stated: “This places children at risk of harm.” A spokesperson for the nursery said: “Unfortunately, due to not having our own team due to long-term sickness and crisis in early years recruitment and having to rely heavily on agency, this put immense pressure on us and our team. Sadly we weren’t able to meet all the Ofsted requirements, no matter how hard we tried and the lengths we went to. I’m absolutely heartbroken and devastated it has come to this.”
Curriculum and Learning Deficiencies
Ofsted also found that children could not make the progress of which they were capable because the curriculum did not support their learning. Many children did not develop the language skills expected for their age and lacked the social skills needed for school. Outdoor play was described as “unplanned and unfocused, leaving children to wander without direction,” sometimes resulting in destructive behaviour. While babies benefited from warm interactions, older children had limited opportunities to learn new skills. The nursery’s curriculum was not well planned or designed, and staff were not aware of the purpose of activities. For example, children joined in painting activities but staff did not engage to build on their skills.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Support Lacking
Nursery leaders had not recognised that staff lacked a secure understanding of key children assigned to them and were not delivering plans to assist those with SEND. The report noted: “Staff identify that some children are delayed but do not take action to address this. There are no clear plans in place to support their development or remove barriers to their learning, and these children do not thrive. Some children who have experienced delays in their learning for a significant period of time have not received any intervention which increases their developmental delay.” As a result, children spent time wandering and not engaged in purposeful play.
Behavioural and Safety Concerns
During story time, some children could not sustain attention and disrupted others. Staff requested children to do something but did not reinforce instructions, leading to a disorderly environment. Overall, attitudes to learning were poor, and children did not develop concentration skills. In terms of welfare, the nursery repeatedly failed to ensure thorough risk assessments, impacting children’s safety. An ongoing failure to follow safer eating guidelines put children at risk of choking, and poor staff deployment led to lack of supervision at mealtimes, with children walking and climbing while eating.
Leadership and Regulatory Action
Ofsted stated that the nursery leader “does not have the capacity to improve the setting” and lacks effective oversight. Although some areas for improvement were identified, they “do not reflect the seriousness of the breaches.” The watchdog issued a welfare requirements notice demanding that concerns about children’s development be discussed with parents, effective procedures for identifying SEND children be implemented, and robust pre-employment checks be carried out. These actions had to be completed by the end of May, along with implementing effective risk assessments, a robust key person system, and an effective safe eating system.
