A mum feels "sickened to the core" after sending her toddler to the same nursery where a baby became critically ill after an alleged assault.
The seven-month-old girl was rushed from the Kids Around The Clock nursery in Oldham, Greater Manchester to a hospital where she remains in a serious but stable condition.
Police were called to the scene alongside paramedics shortly before 4pm last Wednesday.
A woman in her 30s was later arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and child cruelty. She has since been released on bail with strict conditions after being questioned by police.
One parent, who picked up her two-year-old daughter from the nursery last Wednesday, has now told the Mirror of her horror at arriving to find police officers standing outside.
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Manchester Evening News)She said: "[The police officers] asked who I was there to collect. The nursery manager stood behind them and they said 'it's so and so's mum'. So I was like 'what's going on' and they said 'there's been an incident'.
"I said 'what do you mean', the manager said 'nothing to worry about, a baby has been taken ill and had to take an ambulance, as an ambulance has been called it's protocol that police have to come'.
"I took my child away and felt uneasy throughout the evening, something didn't sit right."
The nursery stayed open for four days after the incident, added the mum, before its closure was announced on the following Tuesday evening.
She said: "We received a text from the nursery at 6pm pretty much stating they had just taken the decision to close. They didn't mention Ofsted. The wording was very poor, saying it was their idea to close when clearly it wasn't.
"An hour after that I saw on social media the post that Ofsted had put on the front door saying they had closed them.
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Manchester Evening News)"My mind was then made up - she would not be returning."
The text message from the nursery, seen by the Mirror, informs parents of a "recent event where a little one fell poorly in our setting".
It continues: "Due to the investigation, the setting will be closed until further notice.
"This isn't something that we wanted to do but to ensure the quality of care and education for all our children is a priority and until we have full understand of what has actually occurred, the setting will remain closed until conclusions are made."
The text informs parents that their direct debits will be paused, adding: "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and please can we ask you all for your prayers and thoughts for everyone involved."
The mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she is "completely infuriated" by the decision for the nursery to be kept open for four days after the incident.
She continued: ""There's a few parents I've messaged and pretty much everyone has pulled their child out. They're all looking elsewhere.
"You do trust these places, and it's a big decision to put your toddler into a childcare facility in the first place.
"It's made me absolutely sick to the core."
The mum said she is looking for another nursery, and has taken unpaid leave from work while searching for a suitable alternative.
She added: "I'm really skeptical about putting her anywhere now.
"The nursery had been rated outstanding by Ofsted. Clearly that doesn't mean anything when things like this are happening."
Greater Manchester Police has launched a joint investigation with Oldham Council and Ofsted over the incident.
The injured child’s parents are being kept updated and are being supported by the investigation team, the force said.
Extensive enquiries continue to be conducted to establish the circumstances of how the child’s condition deteriorated.
A notice has been pictured on the door to the nursery which outlines the suspension is to allow "time to investigate our belief that a child may be exposed to a risk of harm" and for "any necessary steps to be taken to eliminate or reduce the risk of harm".
The suspension runs until November 7, however the notice outlines that this will be regularly reviewed and can be stopped if it is thought children are "no longer at risk".
Police added that they believe the incident is "isolated", with detectives from the Oldham Child Protection Unit working with partners as part of the ongoing investigation.
The force said in a statement: "Criminal proceedings are active and we therefore urge people to refrain from speculation and commentary online."
Anyone with concerns is urged to contact police on 0161 856 8851 quoting incident 2285 of 21/09/2022.
A spokesperson for Ofsted said yesterday: “We have suspended the nursery while other agencies conduct their enquiries. We are unable to comment further at this time.”
The Mirror has contacted Ofsted for further comment.
