'Outstanding' Walthamstow nursery suspended after child goes missing

An ‘outstanding’ Walthamstow nursery has been suspended by Ofsted after a three-year-old boy went missing.

The child was discovered by a member of the public in a nearby park after leaving Lloyd Park Children's Centre through an open gate.

They raised the alarm after noticing the child was alone and nobody came to him when he cried.

A police spokesperson confirmed they were called to the park at around 11am to “an unaccompanied child”, adding that “no criminal offences were established”.

The boy’s mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said she still struggled to speak about the incident without crying and that it would be “very difficult” to trust the nursery again.

She said: “I really hope they’ll learn from their mistake because it should be all about the safety of the children there and I was trusting them to look after my son and keep him safe.

“(The police) told me that my son managed to get out of the nursery because the gate wasn’t locked and they found him in the sandpit playing by himself.

“He was missing for at least half an hour without anyone knowing, they never realised he was missing until police brought him back to them.

Lloyd Park Children’s Charity, which runs the centre, was told by Ofsted in February to ensure that children are “always within sight or hearing” of staff after a separate incident.

A spokesperson for the charity said they “cannot release any information” at this stage “due to the investigation”.

A notice on the charity’s website states: “It is unfortunate that we need to report that Grow Wild will remain closed.

“We hope to open Grow Wild in the near future and look forward to welcoming you back. Thank you for your cooperation.”