Leafield House: Leeds nursery issued welfare notice by Ofsted after children put at 'significant risk of harm'
A Leeds nursery has been issued with a welfare notice by Ofsted after children were put at “significant risk of harm.”
Leafield House Nursery, located on King Lane, Moortown, was shut down in an extreme measure enforced by Ofsted inspectors, following an inspection in February and March 2025.
The nursery, which the YEP understands charged fees from £87-a-day fees for non-funded places, was rated as Inadequate in all four inspected categories - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.
Inspectors have issued the nursery with a Welfare Requirements Notice (WRN), a legal notice setting out specific actions the provider must take by a certain deadline to address the non-compliance. Failure to comply with a WRN is an offense that can lead to prosecution.
A spokesperson for Leafield House said they were “working hard to implement new measures” and continue to work closely with both Leeds City Council and Ofsted.
The education watchdog said: “Children's health, safety and welfare are significantly compromised. The provider and staff fail to recognise and respond to risks to children's safety. For example, they fail to recognise the choking risks when feeding babies and younger children.
“Staff feed babies when they are crying hysterically. They give them food to eat while laying them down to change their nappy. They do not ensure children are always in sight and hearing distance while eating. This has the potential to place children at significant risk of harm.”
The report described the nursery’s quality of children's education as “poorly planned” and said that staff “do not consistently engage” in quality interactions with children to build on their knowledge and skills.
Staff were “not deployed effectively” and do not ensure babies and toddlers are well supervised during outdoor play, inspectors found. They added that it placed children at “significant risk of harm” as they play near climbing ropes and commando nets, where they can become “trapped or choke”.
The report said staff “do not risk assess the safety and suitability” of the activities and resources provided for children and, as a result, babies and younger children aged under three-years-old had “access to resources that are not suitable for their age.”
Inspectors added: “Staff do not implement the setting's risk assessments procedures in practice to ensure the premises are safe and suitable for children. This leads to children being able to easily access cleaning products, such as carpet cleaner, disinfectant and washing-up liquid.
“The provider does not ensure staff consistently implement the setting's safe sleeping arrangements in practice. For example, babies are left sleeping with their heads propped on cushions and in baby bouncers for long periods of time.”
The report noted that staff have previously “shared concerns” with the provider about some children not making the levels of progress typical for their age and stage of development.
However, Leafield House had “failed to act on the information”, Ofsted said.
And the report said that, consequently, children who have delays in their development and/or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), “do not receive the support that they need” to help close any gaps emerging in their development.
Inspectors noted that on occasions, “some staff form positive relationships with children.” They occasionally talk and sing with them as they change their nappies. As a result, these children are “more settled.”
But the report added: “However, these opportunities are infrequent and children do not receive the support that they need to help them make good levels of progress overall.”
A spokesperson for Leafield House said: “Since the inspection two months ago, we have been working hard to implement new measures and make the required changes and improvements.
“We continue to work closely with Leeds City Council advisers and Ofsted who have both visited us twice since the inspection.We would also like to thank the team and parents for their support through what has been a challenging time for everyone.”