Limited CCTV evidence means some parents will never know if their children were abused. Speaking out for the first time, another mother says her child told her Bennett had “tickled” him inappropriately under his clothes.
The paedophile often worked alone in the mornings when children arrived, she says.
“I’ve got an image of seeing [my son’s] little face at the window, sometimes crying, and Nathan [Bennett] beside him waving.”
Partou nurseries were twice as likely to get a WRN from Ofsted than the average nursery in the four years to March 2025, our investigation found. But that rose to more than seven times more likely in the following 12 months, after Bennett’s arrest.
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WRNs can cover a range of issues, including a nursery failing to report allegations of abuse, unsafe premises, poor record-keeping and inadequate staff vetting.
Partou told us such figures must be interpreted carefully, as different operators may apply varying standards. Safeguarding is its “highest priority”, it said, and it has provided affected families with the “fullest possible support”.
An independent safeguarding review had identified failures by individuals at the Bristol nursery, it added, and some no longer work for the company, while others remain subject to ongoing internal actions.