Kingsway mum's shock as daughter, three, found wandering alone
By The Citizen | Monday, January 14, 2013, 06:00
THREE-YEAR-OLD Ruby Payne 'could have been killed'.
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angry: Mum Leanne Payne with daughter Ruby, three. Inset, the gate at the nursery school, which it is claimed was left open.
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The gate at Beech Green Primary which it is claimed was left open
That's her mum's fear after she found her wandering alone in a car park.
Horrified Kingsway mum Leanne Payne claims staff were busy chatting and a security gate was open at Beech Green Nursery School, in Quedgeley, when she found her daughter outside in the busy car park.
The 20-year-old said: "It was Ruby's first day at nursery. She's only three and has no road sense.
"I was horrified when I went to collect her, only to find the security gate wide open and Ruby wandering around the car park which was full of big, moving cars.
"She could have been killed by a car and I would have lost my daughter."
Miss Payne, of Woodvale, has refused to take Ruby back and is looking for a new pre-school.
The nursery, which received an outstanding rating from Ofsted inspectors in 2009, is investigating the incident.
Nursery leader Tina Mansfield said: "It happened at the end of the day which is our most vulnerable time.
"The gate is open at drop off and pick up times because there are so many people coming in and out.
"I don't know the details of what happened but I am hoping to speak to the mother so we can find out.
"They say she was let out. We believe our policies were followed but it was Ruby's first day with us and she wasn't aware of our routines. But child safety is paramount for us and we follow a strict set of policies if a child goes missing. Firstly we check the toilets and to see if they have gone to collect their bag, and then we widen the search.
"The entrance to the nursery is quite a distance from the road because it is across the school grounds."
The nursery is run independently of the primary school.
Comments
It seems to me that The Citizen has committed a bit of a defamation against the nursery here. (I'm assuming that an organisation can be defamed, which I think is true). Someone should apologise for not checking their facts - step forward Mr. Mean.
By FreeRadical1 at 18:23 on 15/01/13
ReportI have used that nursery and plenty other nurseries over the years, in all of them you have to sign out your child and you are not allowed to leave with the child until you have done so. In my experience, a member of staff will hold onto a new child until they are familiar with the person collecting as well as imposing the rules of pick up onto the child. Once you have signed that child out and have left the room, the child is then your responsibility, regardless to whether you are still on school grounds.
My children have ran off from me, no parent is perfect, however, if they were involved in an accident outside Beech Green School that would be my fault, not the schools fault, for not keeping a tighter hold or eye on them. I am not saying the experience this child went through was not awful, I do think it has been blown out of proportion with a few twists added to make for a better story. The mother was wrong in contacting the newspaper, all she needed to do was approach the nursery, get the facts of what happened from them and see how they are going to deal with the incident, once happy and reassured the story ends. Its sad that this little girl will now not be attending Beech Green Nursery it's a fab place, with fantastic staff.
By annalou27 at 13:43 on 15/01/13
ReportBut a child didnt get out!!! Her Step dad picked her up and lost her himself!!!
By TWestwood at 10:20 on 15/01/13
Report@ chr1582 The nursery should review their procedures to make sure a child can't get out unsupervised. That is what should be done next.
By JASB999 at 09:23 on 15/01/13
ReportThis is utterly ridiculous this so called mother states she picked her child up when in fact a man collected her and signed her out of nursery. So in fact it's the mans fault who cannot control this child its nothing to do with the nursery. Why lie about this? What does it get you. What sort of person are you? Why didn't you contact the nursery first. Why go straight to the papers?
You are one very sad individual. It's such a shame. All my children went to beech green nursery it's fantastic.
By Ajn21 at 09:19 on 15/01/13
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