A heartbroken mother has vowed never to return her two-year-old daughter to her nursery following an accident that left the toddler with a concussion and fractures to her forehead and eye socket. Kimberley said she received a call from Little Explorers PZ LTD in Penzance, Cornwall — not connected to Little Explorers Cornwall LTD at Grampound Road — on Tuesday. She claims she was informed that her daughter had suffered a "bump" and a "graze" after a "fall at the park", only to discover that Amethyst had actually plunged two metres off a bandstand onto a concrete wall.
Mother's Account of the Incident
Kimberley said: "I had a missed call and I didn't recognise the number so didn't answer it and I had a message from the nursery saying [she] had a fall and they had been trying to contact me. They told me she had a bump and a graze." She immediately left work and arrived at the nursery on Queen Street in Penzance roughly 35 minutes later. Speaking to Cornwall Live, the mum said: "I got there expecting just a bump and a graze, but after a head injury, I was taking her to the hospital anyway. The lights were out and she was sleeping. I turned the light on, her face was all swollen, she had a split lip and a black eye already. I kind of went into shock and there are some things I don't know, I can't remember."
"I was in panic mode and packing her stuff up and getting ready to take her to the hospital. The manager told me they would take me to the hospital and I remember thinking that I had to come past the hospital to get to my daughter and they should have already taken her."
Hospital Diagnosis and Injuries
Recalling the ordeal, Kimberley said: "She wouldn't stay awake. We got seen straight away and sent for a CT scan immediately, so we got bluelighted to Treliske [Royal Cornwall Hospital]. She has a fractured skull and eye socket and had a concussion on admission." A hospital discharge summary listed Amethyst's injuries, including a black eye, bruising, swelling, dried blood and a skull fracture on the left frontal bone extending into her eye socket.
Criticism of Nursery's Response
Kimberley stressed that it was not the accident itself that left her reeling, but the way it was handled afterwards. She continued: "I had to ask them on the phone 'did you say she was sleeping?' I said she just had a head injury, wake her up and keep her awake until I'm there." The mother-of-three revealed that the incident — a two-metre fall over the railings and off the bandstand at Morrab Gardens in Penzance — was captured on CCTV. Shockingly, it is said her daughter was wheeled back to the nursery in her pram and allowed to sleep. Kimberley and her partner have since been advised by police not to view the footage due to its distressing nature.
Ofsted Suspension
In the wake of the incident, Little Explorers PZ LTD has been suspended from providing childcare by Ofsted due to a potential risk of harm to other children. In a letter to parents, Ofsted stated: "We have suspended the registration because we reasonably believe that the continued provision of childcare may expose children to a risk of harm. The purpose of the suspension is to allow time for enquiries to be made and/or for steps to be taken to eliminate or reduce any risk of harm." The government department confirmed it could not share further details. The letter added: "Suspension is a temporary measure. We will review the situation regularly and will lift the suspension as soon as we are satisfied that children are not at risk."
Police Investigation
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We have conducted a safeguarding enquiry in relation to a report about a childcare provider in Penzance. Officers worked closely with our statutory partners. At this time, no criminal offences have been identified but should further information be reported, it will be reviewed and progressed accordingly." Little Explorers PZ LTD has been approached for comment but has not yet responded.
