A mother whose son attended the same nursery where a 14-month-old toddler died has described her “complete horror and disbelief” and warned that “more children will die” unless urgent reforms are implemented. Michelle Leech, from Dudley, said she felt guilt every day after learning about the death of Noah Sibanda at Fairytales Day Nursery in December 2022.
What Happened to Noah Sibanda
Noah was found unresponsive in the baby room and pronounced dead in hospital an hour later. Last month, nursery worker Kimberley Cookson was jailed for three years and four months for gross negligence manslaughter. CCTV footage showed Cookson tightly wrapping Noah in a sleeping bag, placing a blanket over his head, laying him face down in an indoor tepee, and restraining him with her leg. He was left unchecked for two hours. The nursery was permanently closed by Ofsted in April 2023.
Parents Speak Out
Ms Leech, whose son Jenson was 11 months old at the time, recalled arriving to find the nursery flooded with ambulances and police. “My first thought was, is my son involved?” she said. “It plagues me every day. The guilt that we feel as parents sending him there to what could have been his death, it just comes back, and it haunts you.” She is demanding urgent changes to childcare safeguarding, including more extensive background checks, child protection training for staff, stricter enforcement of health and safety standards, and tighter checks on sleeping arrangements.
Kayleigh Arnold, mother of a two-year-old who attended the nursery, said her trust in childcare has been completely shattered. “Your heart goes in your throat, and you just think, what on earth did I do letting my daughter go there?” She has decided not to send her one-year-old to nursery, choosing to take time off work instead. “I think it's affected all of us as parents. We've waited three and a half years for some justice for what's happened,” she added.
Jonathan, a father of two boys who attended a nearby site of the same nursery, said: “You don't think these things can happen in a childcare setting. I was just completely devastated for the family and for the kid. There's a selfish feeling of guilt as a parent. You are thinking, what if that was my child, and that's a hard feeling to have.”
Wider Calls for Reform
Similar calls have been made after the death of nine-month-old Genevieve Meehan, who was suffocated on a bean bag at nursery. Her mother, Katie Wheeler, is demanding compulsory CCTV, unannounced Ofsted inspections, mandatory training, and statutory safe sleep guidance for all nursery staff. She said they were “shocked” to discover that Ofsted reports were only done every few years.
Ofsted and Police Response
An Ofsted spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Noah’s family and we are deeply sorry for their loss. No child should ever come to harm in a place that is meant to keep them safe. As the regulator and inspector of nurseries, we check that they are complying with the requirements set by the government, and we take action when concerns are raised. The government has recently announced new funding to allow us to inspect nurseries more frequently and we continually review our work, alongside our partners, to help make nurseries as safe as they can be for children.”
West Midlands Police informed other parents that unsafe sleeping practices had been taking place. A spokesperson said: “After a thorough investigation, and from the evidence we were able to obtain, we worked with the CPS to secure the charges and convictions we did, which incorporated the risk to the health and safety of other children under the Health and Safety at Work Act.”
