A Grays preschool has closed down after an incident where two toddlers managed to leave the premises and get onto a street unsupervised. On February 24 two three-year-olds at Acorns Pre-school in Chadwell St Mary were able to crawl under a fence before they were found wandering a residential area on their own.

The children were safely taken back to the school by local residents but the incident sparked outrage from parents at the preschool. The incident was reported to Ofsted, who confirmed the preschool's registration was suspended on that same day pending an investigation.

This meant the institution was temporarily closed down as the educational regulators looked into the circumstances of what happened. According to Ofsted's early years and childcare enforcement policy, a provider can be suspended for 6-12 weeks, which can be extended to further for extreme circumstances.

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However, Ofsted has now reported that the nursery has withdrawn its registration a week after the suspension, resulting in the permanent closure of the preschool.

A spokesperson said: "I can confirm we suspended the provider's registration on 24 February. The provider resigned from their registration with Ofsted on 3 March. "

The nursery was given a good rating by Ofsted in their only inspection in 2017 by the non-ministerial department. However, a report in November 2022 was recorded relating to a complaint about a "serious accident or injury to a child while in their care."

The incident was reportedly resolved after Ofsted where satisfied the preschool took appropriate steps to keep the children safe and meet their needs.

Acorns Pre-school was contacted for comment.

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