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Toddler slips out of Northfield nursery and gets home to mum – who is told by staff ‘he’s in the garden’

Cooper, 3 and Naomi, 33
Cooper, 3 and Naomi, 33

A Northfield mum has “lost all faith” in her son’s nursery after he was able to scale the fence and walk home alone.

Cooper Scott, three, had just completed his first-week-and-a-half at Heathryburn Nursery in Northfield when he fell and hurt himself and decided to “go home to mummy”.

After climbing the nursery fence and crossing four busy streets to get home, the toddler told mum Naomi Scott that he had hurt his knee and staff were “ignoring” him.

Aberdeen City Council has launched an investigation into Wednesday’s incident and is working with the Care Inspectorate.

Heathryburn School.

Miss Scott said she had popped to the shops when her step-son, 16-year-old Gary Main, called to say Cooper had arrived home.

She told us: “He just so happened to look out the window and saw Cooper trying to get in the gate.

“He phoned me and said ‘are you trying to play tricks on me?’”

Immediately, Miss Scott abandoned her shopping and rushed home to find Cooper in her living room, just over two hours since dropping him at the nursery at 8am.

She said: “He hurt himself and he was ignored, because he was ignored, he decided he was going to come home to his mum.

‘It’s OK mummy, the car stopped’

“I said to him that he could have been run over or hurt and he said: ‘It’s OK mummy, the car stopped’”.

When she called the nursery, the 33-year-old decided to simply ask them if her son was all right.

She claims nursery staff told her Cooper was “fine and was in the garden playing”.

“I asked them if they wanted to go and double check that because my son is standing in my living room,” she added.

“I went round to the school, no apologies, no nothing, they just kept telling me to calm down and that this situation could be resolved.

“There is no way this situation could be resolved, my three-year-old was missing and they didn’t even know he was missing.

“Is my son going to be the only child who disappears from the nursery? They didn’t even know he was gone.

“I have lost all faith in the school, I have removed my older two from the school as well.”

Cooper had to cross this busy road to get home. Picture by Kath Flannery.

Investigation under way

Miss Scott said her children will not go back to the school until she can be assured they will be said.

“It has broken me, the thought of what could have happened to my child yesterday,” she said.

“I think the worst part out of all of it, because thankfully he is OK, is that they didn’t even know that he was missing.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We are continuing to work closely with the school and Care Inspectorate to investigate the incident involving a nursery pupil at Heathryburn School yesterday.

“The pupil is safe and well, and a review of all risk assessments and procedures in light of this incident are being completed to ensure all appropriate action is taken.”

Earlier this year, a similar incident was investigated after a child got out of a Westhill nursery’s grounds by slipping through the fence.

This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.