A third arrest has been made in connection with the death of a baby girl who fell ill at a Stockport nursery. Greater Manchester Police is continuing to investigate following the nine-month-old's death back on May 9.
Emergency services had raced out to Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery, in Cheadle Hulme, following a report of the child suffering a medical episode. She was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but sadly died later on the same day.
Detectives investigating the death arrested two women, aged 35 and 34, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on May 13. In an update issued today (October 28), GMP told the Manchester Evening News that a third person has since been arrested.
The 24-year-old woman was arrested on October 12, on suspicion of child neglect. All three women are currently on bail pending further enquiries.
It comes as the nursery, on Mellor Road, has confirmed it is closing down permanently. Ofsted had suspended Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery back in May 'to allow time for other agencies to complete their enquiries'.
A statement posted online by Ofsted this week says Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery had appealed the decision to suspend its registration. However, before the appeal could take place, the provider resigned its registration with Ofsted.
In the statement, Ofsted said: "We suspended the provider's registration on May 10, 2022 because we believe children maybe at risk of harm. Suspension allows time for the provider to take steps to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm to children."
Following the suspension, Ofsted says it carried out three regulatory visits at Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery on September 2, 5 and 28. It says the provider 'was not meeting some of the requirements' Ofsted had placed on the suspended nursery following those visits.
The M.E.N. understands parents whose children attended Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery were emailed about the provider resigning its registration on Monday (October 24), citing financial issues. Parents were also told that a new nursery is expected to open at the site, and Ofsted has confirmed it has received an application from the new, unnamed provider.
A spokesperson for Ofsted told the M.E.N. : "We have received a new application for registration at the site of a former day nursery in Cheadle. All such applications are subject to our robust registration process. The original nursery closed as the provider resigned the registration."
A spokesperson for Tiny Toes Children's Day Nursery added: "We have continued to fully support all the investigations into this very sad and tragic incident. Our heartfelt condolences and deepest sorrow are always with the parents and family.
"This has been a devastating experience for all of us and we have taken the decision to permanently close the nursery. Given ongoing investigation we are unable to comment any further at this time.”
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