Mum's nightmare: 'I couldn't help but think of little April Jones'
SHOCKED mum Natasha Stokes found her three-year-old son Alfie wandering a busy road alone after preschool staff failed to keep a lookout.
Alfie was found looking "confused" by his mum in Matson Avenue on Friday afternoon.
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Natasha Stokes with son Alfie, three, who she found wandering the streets after his preschool didn't keep a close eye on him.
She has criticised preschool workers at Robinswood Primary School for failing to notice her son's disappearance while he was in their care.
Head teacher Martin Latham admitted yesterday: "It was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened."
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Miss Stokes, of Drayton Way, Gloucester, said she wept at the roadside as she comforted her son – fearing the worst in light of the high-profile investigation into the abduction of five-year-old April Jones in Wales.
The 24-year-old said: "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My heart was in my throat. Alfie could have been kidnapped or killed. I couldn't help but think of little April Jones.
"I was crying my eyes out and he was very confused so I just cuddled him.
"I asked him what he was doing there and he said that his teacher had let him go."
Four members of staff were present at the preschool, but Alfie managed to bypass them all.
The school installed a new security gate at the weekend and Mr Latham held crisis talks with the mother yesterday.
But she won't take her son back to the school just yet.
She said: "I am not convinced they can ensure his safety.
"When I went back to the school, all they could do was say sorry, but how do we know it won't happen again?"
Miss Stokes is meeting Mr Latham again tomorrow to decide what to do with Alfie.
Mr Latham said: "We have a clear system of how the children leave the preschool. We thought we had a secure system but something went wrong.
"It can be quite congested at home time and I think he had got out around the back.
"We have looked into it straight away and over the weekend we installed a new gate.
"It is not an excuse and we hold our hands up to it – it is ultimately my responsibility.
"We were just as concerned that he had come out of the preschool on his own.
"It is ultimately the mother's decision as to whether Alfie returns and we will be discussing this tomorrow."
Comments
by FreeRadical1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:17PM
“The school is entirely to blame. I don't know Natasha, but I do know that if I were in the same situation, I'd be furious to find my three-year-old wandering on his own. It was rather more likely that he could have been hit by a car than abducted, but the sad story of April Jones was in the headlines, so it was a natural possibility to come to mind.”
by Glos_Girl
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 11:12AM
“Still seems a one sided story to me, also the school apologised and acted before this story went to press so I'm not 100% sure about the comment "the school didn't take action till I went to the paper" .....But of course the mother has comented on her side of the story so it must be true!!!!”
by CaptCX
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 8:17AM
“To be fair to the people who have posted negative comments about Natasha on this thread, the original article certainly doesn't make it clear that the school were not going to take any action until she went to the press.
I would've thought that this was quite an important factor in a case such as this.
Also, the timeline of events (as reported in the article) seems to suggest that the school took this very seriously from the outset:-
Friday 5th Oct: Alfie manages to get out of the school & is found near the road
Sat/Sun 6th/7th Oct: School review security procedures & install new security gate
They have also had at least one meeting with Natasha between the time the event happened and Tuesday, when this article was published.
If I was Natasha, I'd be angry too (and yes, I am a parent), but the school do seem to have taken this incident very seriously, have admitted their mistake and have acted quickly to try to ensure it doesn't happen again.”
by Eggybred
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 1:24AM
“That sheds a whole new light on the matter.
So it wasn't a case of the mother being late and the child slipping through the crush of the playground to meet her. The child should have been safe in class.
And it wasn't a case of the mother running to the paper to cause a scene. If correct, Natasha simply went to the paper in order to get things done and, because of the publicity, things were done.
So the people who have commented that she's seeking attention or being thick or vengeful or trying to cover up her own failures will surely act as the upstanding citizens they all appear to be and make an apology?
Of course they will, because people who announce that others need to learn lessons are ALWAYS willing to accept they themselves have made a mistake...”
by ladygray
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 10:12PM
“Natasha hun, how was it that you saw him in the road, did you just happen to be out there? At least he is safe and fair play to the school, who have taken it very seriously”
by natasha22
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 9:27PM
“I am alfies mother . i wasnt paid for this artical and i wasnt late i was eairly by 10 mins . The school didnt take action till i went to the paper .i was shocked by all you small mined people anythink couldd of happened to him .Im sure if it was ur child u would of done the same so if u dont like it dont comment it as simple as that . Thank u to all the people that backed me up much greatfull thank u xx lets hope it dont happen to any of ur children x”
by photogirl
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 7:00PM
“School failed the child by letting it out, no doubt about that - and even less doubt that they will make doubly sure it never happens again. Amuses me though about the child looking confused.... have to wonder whether it was the intellect of the child or the hysterics of the mother "crying her eyes out" that caused the confusion. He may just have wondered what all the fuss was about. As for locking the children in - there has to be some way of accessing the school for bona fide visitors and a way of getting in and out in an emergency.... shouldn't make a drama out of a crisis!”
by Glos_Girl
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 6:50PM
“The mother and this paper should be ashamed of themselves for comparing this to what has happened to April Jones and the nightmare that that family is going through. And as for this story how ridiculously one sided it is, the school have acted so what exactly is this mother alerting the public to?”
by Glos_Girl
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 6:46PM
“.”
by bonzaharris1
Tuesday, October 09 2012, 6:38PM
“The only thing that really matters, is that Alfie is safe. The school have apologised and taken steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again by installing a security gate. The Mother has every right to be upset, the school have accepted that they failed in their responsibilty to the child. Pity that some people on here are being vile.”