Kids Planet Crosby nursery has been told it puts children at significant risk of harm after an Ofsted inspection found safeguarding standards are not met. The report, from an inspection on June 15, highlighted serious weaknesses in staff deployment, supervision, and collection procedures.
The nursery referred itself to Ofsted following a June 10 incident in which a man picked up two-year-old Rosie and drove away with her for at least 10 minutes before the mistake was noticed. Rosie's mother, Jody Riley, from Formby, said she experienced every parent's worst nightmare and that Rosie would not be returning to the nursery.
Ofsted findings
Ofsted published its report on August 3, stating that "children's welfare and wellbeing" and "leadership and governance" require urgent improvement. The report said: "Leaders have not ensured that safeguarding procedures are implemented consistently to keep children safe. Weaknesses in staff deployment, supervision and collection procedures place children at significant risk of harm."
During the inspection, inspectors also found that children's privacy was not consistently considered during toileting and intimate care, though the provider took immediate action to address this. Despite these weaknesses, the report noted that children develop warm and secure relationships with staff, and staff know children's individual care routines well.
Enforcement action
As the nursery failed to meet safeguarding standards and the requirements of the Childcare Register, Ofsted intends to take enforcement action. A Welfare Requirements Notice requires the provider to complete a four-point action plan by July 20, 2026.
A spokesperson for Kids Planet said: "We remain deeply sorry for the serious safeguarding incident at Kids Planet Crosby. This was an isolated and unprecedented incident, caused by human error when relevant and well established procedures were not followed."
The spokesperson added that they have implemented a comprehensive action plan covering safeguarding, training, supervision, staffing, and risk assessments. Ofsted returned on July 22 to review the work, with its outcome summary to follow.
