Nursery distances itself from setting where one-year-old died, sparking police investigation
A nursery has distanced itself from the childcare provider where a one-year-old boy died last month, leading to six arrests.
Bosses at Fairytales Nursery, located in Great Barr, have reassured parents who send their children to the nursery, that it is not associated with the similarly named Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley.
On Thursday West Midlands Police announced that six people had been arrested after officers, ambulance crews and the Midlands Air Ambulance were scrambled to Bourne Street on December 9 to reports of a child suffering a cardiac arrest.
The force said it was treating the death as "suspicious" and an investigation was under way. The education watchdog, Ofsted, closed down the nursery, along with other linked premises, after carrying out an inspection in the days following the tragedy.
Fairytales Nursery in Birmingham Road, Great Barr, posted a statement on Friday, saying it was "in no way associated or affiliated with the other setting where this incident occurred".
The Facebook post said: "It is with great sadness that we share this post with you however we feel it would be wrong of us not to make a comment at this point.
"We would like to start by sharing how upsetting it is to hear of the death of a child in Dudley, so close to home and in such sad circumstances. Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers are with the family of the little boy.
"Whilst we cannot comment on any of the events that have taken place, as we have no more information on the matter than what has been provided in the media, we would like to reassure our parents that we are in no way associated or affiliated with the other setting where this incident occurred.
"We would also like to reiterate that the safety of the children in our care is always paramount. Our team of practitioners are caring and highly qualified, and while it still remains unclear what happened to cause such an awful incident, we want to offer reassurance to our parents that the safety and well-being of the children in our care remain our number one priority.
"If you are a parent of a child at our nurseries, our door is open if you need further reassurance."
Following a police investigation into the Bourne Street nursery, three women – aged 20, 23 and 50 – were arrested on December 16 on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
They were released on bail with strict conditions while enquiries continue.
A further three women – aged 51, 53 and 37 - were arrested on Wednesday – two were arrested on suspicion of corporate manslaughter and one on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police say the family of the baby boy is being supported by specially trained officers.
A post mortem has taken place but further tests will be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.
