Outrage as two-year-old boy wanders out of nursery and into scary wood quarter of a mile away after carer nipped to the loo
Little Thomas Hartley was found in the woods beside his school after his carer 'took their eye off the ball'
A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy went missing from nursery after wandering out and into "scary" woods a quarter-of-a-mile away when his carer nipped to the loo.
Little Thomas Hartley was found by a member of the public wandering alone in the woodland after managing to escape.
The kid, who can barely walk, wandered off from Appletree Day Nursery's Forest School - an outdoor activities class run by the preschool - while a member of staff was on a three-minute "comfort break".
Eight children were being cared for at the nursery in Epsom, Surrey, by two members of staff and a volunteer on Friday.
While the others were on a lunch break the member of staff left the room for three minutes to use the loo.
When they returned, a headcount was carried out and Thomas was nowhere to be seen.
One member of staff stayed with the remaining kids while the other two adults frantically searched for the little boy.
The toddler was missing for a terrifying eight minutes before he was found in the woods, which are next to a busy road, by a member of the public.
Thomas' mum, Susannah Hartley, slammed the member of staff for "taking their eye off the ball".
She said: "The whole thing was so scary. It's every parent's worst nightmare and I am just so glad he's OK."
On Facebook, she added: "It makes me feel ill to think what could have happened to him and I'm so grateful he is safe and well.
"On a normal day I would sing the praises of the nursery. My son loves going there.
"But it appears someone took their eye off the ball today and in childcare you can't afford to do that."
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In a letter sent to parents after Thomas' disappearance, Dennis Hockey, Ofsted registered person for the Epsom nursery, said the toddler was "unhurt and in no distress".
He added an internal investigation was being undertaken and that there would be no more Forest School sessions until this has been completed.
Jo Young, Director of Quality and Nursing at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the nursery, said: "We are extremely thankful the child was unharmed and not in any distress, and offer again our sincere apologies to the family.
"I would like to extend my gratitude to the member of public who stayed with the child until the nursery staff located them soon after the child left the group attending the Forest School.
"We are mortified that we didn't maintain our usual high standards on this occasion and need to assure ourselves and our families lessons are learned from this incident, and all necessary changes to procedures are made, before any Forest School sessions can continue.
"We are currently undertaking an internal investigation and will be fully implementing any identified actions to improve our vigilance and practice during nursery outings before these recommence.
"We have been in contact with all of the parents whose children attend the nursery and encourage any parents with ongoing concerns to talk to our nursery managers."
A spokesperson for Surrey and Borders said the toddler was missing for eight minutes after the headcount was carried out.
An Ofsted spokesperson said: "We can confirm we have been made aware of an incident at this setting and are investigating the matter further."
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