Nursery Ofsted downgraded terminated toddlers’ places

The places of at least 10 toddlers at Little Adventures Nursery at Victoria Park were terminated “with no right to appeal” on April 4, 2025, following an “internal review”. Many of the children had been at the nursery for longer than one year.

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Each of the parents affected received a message from the nursery’s CEO, Tom Filer, stating that they had “breached our terms & conditions, namely section 5.2, which states ‘We will immediately end this agreement… if you behave unacceptably, as we do not tolerate any physical or verbal abuse or threats towards staff.’

But parents affected by the decision spoke to the Bridgwater Mercury to strongly dispute the claims and said there has been no evidence or further communication from the nursery.

One parent said they had received “no explanation” for the decision and had to “urgently find alternative nursery provision” for their child.

Another parent said they had “never had any problem with the nursery” and had recently raised an issue with their child’s welfare with nursery staff. Since the termination decision, they have heard “absolutely nothing.”

For one parent, the whole experience had been “very stressful” and cited how they had been “classed as abusive, which just isn’t true.”

In response for a request for comment, a spokesperson Little Adventures Nursery said: “At Little Adventures Nursery, we are committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for every child, family, and member of our team.”

“We cannot comment on individual cases due to ongoing police and legal matters, but we operate a strict zero-tolerance policy towards harassment or abuse—whether in person or online.”

“Where necessary, we act in line with our safeguarding policies and terms and conditions to protect our team and wider nursery community”, the spokesperson added.

“We understand that such decisions can be distressing, but our priority is always the wellbeing of our team and the integrity of the environment we create for children.”

“Due to ongoing police and legal involvement, and to protect everyone’s privacy, we will not comment further on specific circumstances.”

“We are incredibly proud of our teams and the work they do every day to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children. Their wellbeing remains our priority, alongside our unwavering commitment to the children and families we serve.”

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On April 17, 2025, Ofsted carried out a regulatory visit of the nursery following complaints received related to child ratios, health, information and record keeping and safety and suitability of premises, environment and equipment.

It found the provider “was not meeting one of the requirements” and issued an action to “improve information sharing between key persons and staff who are working with children” to be completed by May 2, 2025.

Ofsted was approached for comment about the placement terminations. A spokesperson said: “We don’t comment on complaints, but we take seriously all concerns raised with us.”

“For background, Ofsted cannot intervene on a nursery’s decision about individual placements or admission policies. However, we do use all the information we receive when planning and carrying out our inspection and regulatory activities.”