Nursery Chain May Have Violated Law by Not Reporting Child Abuser to Ofsted

Bright Horizons, a large nursery chain in the UK, may have broken the law by not reporting suspicions about a staff member, Vincent Chan, to the education regulator Ofsted. Chan was later jailed for 18 years after admitting to sexually assaulting and filming young girls in his care.

Concerns were raised by at least one parent about Chan at a Bright Horizons nursery in Finchley, north London, in 2021. Instead of reporting these concerns to Ofsted as required, the nursery conducted an internal investigation. Following this investigation, Chan was cleared to return to work.

Department for Education rules stipulate that registered providers must inform Ofsted of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by a worker within 14 days. Failing to comply with this requirement is considered an offense, though the specific law and whether it applies to the company or individuals was not confirmed by the Department for Education.

Parents have expressed anger and distress over the nursery's actions. One mother, whose daughter was under Chan's direct care for over 2,000 hours after the 2021 allegation, stated that the trust parents placed in Bright Horizons was "utterly misplaced." She added that the nursery's decision to investigate internally, not alert the regulator, and then allow Chan to continue working with children meant that Ofsted was denied the opportunity to uncover wider safeguarding failures and potentially protect more children.

The nursery initially escalated the concerns to Camden Council, but the council referred the matter back to the business for internal handling. Bright Horizons, which operates over 300 nurseries across the UK, declined to comment on the specific claims of failing to notify Ofsted, but issued a statement affirming their commitment to participating in an ongoing Children's Safeguarding Practice Review. The statement indicated that they would not comment further to avoid prejudicing the review.

The nursery branch where Chan was employed has since closed.