Key facts
- A former employee claims Partou nursery managers ignored concerns about Nathan Bennett's behavior before he was discovered abusing children.
- Nathan Bennett was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing five boys aged two and three.
- Investigations found that Partou nurseries were twice as likely to receive Welfare Requirements Notices (WRNs) from Ofsted after Bennett's arrest.
- Bright Horizons nurseries also saw a significant increase in WRNs after another paedophile, Vincent Chan, was arrested at one of their London sites.
- Ofsted increased its inspection work into both Partou and Bright Horizons following these cases.
- Both nurseries involved had received 'good' Ofsted ratings prior to the arrests of the individuals.
Serious concerns about a suspected paedophile childcare worker, Nathan Bennett, were allegedly ignored for months by managers at Partou King Street Nursery in Bristol, a BBC investigation has revealed. A former employee, Bessie Martin, stated she alerted management to Bennett's behaviour, including holding children for too long and out of CCTV view, but her concerns were dismissed.
Bennett was eventually sentenced to 30 years in prison in February for sexually abusing five boys aged two and three. Partou has stated it encourages reporting of concerns and has implemented recommendations to strengthen safeguarding. However, the BBC found that Partou nurseries were more likely to receive official notices to improve safeguarding after Bennett's arrest.
Similarly, another nursery chain, Bright Horizons, which runs 270 UK nurseries, also received a higher than average number of Welfare Requirements Notices (WRNs) from Ofsted following the arrest of Vincent Chan, another paedophile, in London. Before these arrests, the figures for both chains were closer to the national average. Ofsted confirmed it increased its inspection work into both Partou and Bright Horizons after these cases emerged.
Martin reported that she was 'constantly complaining' about Bennett for months, and it was only after she filed a whistleblowing report to senior management that he was suspended. He was later allowed to return to work, and two weeks later, CCTV footage showed him abusing a boy. The nursery then suspended him again and informed the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), leading to police involvement and his arrest. Parents had also reported concerns about Bennett being 'overly physical' with children, with some of these concerns not being passed on to the LADO and Ofsted as legally required.
Vincent Chan, who worked at a Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead, was jailed for 18 years for abusing children over seven years, using nursery iPads to film his crimes. A former colleague described him as 'very cold and didn't show any emotion' but did not formally complain. Bright Horizons is now facing legal action from 46 families who claim their concerns about Chan's general behaviour were dismissed. The company stated there is no indication others working at the nursery were aware of Chan's crimes.
Dr Tammy Campbell of the Education Policy Institute noted that Ofsted ratings can be 'dangerously misleading,' as a 'good' rating does not necessarily reflect the number of complaints or WRNs a nursery has received. Both Partou King Street Nursery and the Bright Horizons site in West Hampstead had 'good' Ofsted ratings prior to the arrests of Bennett and Chan, respectively.