A nursery has been suspended by a watchdog after a 'significant incident' where a driver claimed to find a child wandering along a busy road. Aaron Hawkins, 43, previously spoke of how he spotted the boy, who he said was no older than five, walking up the side of the A453 outside the Little Toes Day Nursery on Green Lane, Clifton, at around 11am on Tuesday, September 13.
According to Mr Hawkins, the child was about to step into the road when he stepped in and moved him away from the busy route. Ofsted have now confirmed they are aware of a 'significant incident' at the nursery, and that its registration is currently suspended.
Ofsted only do this if they believe a child or children may be at risk of harm, with it meaning the provider cannot provide childcare that requires registration with the watchdog. However, a statement on their website outlines this does not always mean the provider has done something wrong, with the suspension giving Ofsted and other agencies, such as the police or the local authority, time to look into concerns.
Read more: Driver's anger after rescuing boy who was 'about to step on to busy Nottinghamshire road'
An Ofsted spokesperson said: "We are aware of a significant incident at this setting and the registration is currently suspended. As part of our enquiries, we will monitor the provider and check whether the necessary improvements have been made to keep children safe."
According to the authority's website, registration suspensions last for a set period of six weeks. This suspension is ended as soon as they believe that children are no longer at risk of harm.
On January 31, 2020, an Ofsted report stated the nursery had failed to notify them of what was described as a previous significant event, which is a requirement of the registration. The inspector took no further action as the nursery was "now clear on the requirement to notify Ofsted of such events in the future".
The nature of the previous incident is unclear.
Mr Hawkins, who is a father himself, had spoken of how the most recent incident had affected him. He claimed the event had caused him to have flashbacks of the young boy's near miss.
The child's parents moved to thank Mr Hawkins after the incident. Nottinghamshire Live approached the boy's parents for comment.
When previously faced with the allegations made by Mr Hawkins, a member of staff said there were 'inaccuracies' in Mr Hawkins' account. However, they declined to comment further.
In an official statement at the time, a spokesperson for Little Toes Day Nursery Clifton, then added: “Following an incident on 13/09/22 the nursery are currently liaising with Ofsted and other agencies and are therefore unable to comment at this time.” Nottinghamshire Live contacted Little Toes Day Nursery Clifton for further comment.
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