Furious mum ‘disgusted’ after daughter, 5, walked half a mile out of school unnoticed by staff to her work

The school has launched an investigation following the incident

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A furious mum has spoken of her shock after her five year-old daughter was able to leave school unaccompanied and walk to her place of work, more than half a mile away.

Talor Hartshorne was working a shift at a B&M store when she turned around and was surprised to find her daughter, Maisie Glynn, standing next to her.

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Maisie, who is in year one, had managed to walk out of the grounds of Batley Parish Junior, Infant and Nursery School during the lunch break without any of the school staff noticing.

Maisie Glynn, 5, walked out of school without staff noticing she had gone (Photo: Dewsbury Reporter / SWNS)Maisie Glynn, 5, walked out of school without staff noticing she had gone (Photo: Dewsbury Reporter / SWNS)
Maisie Glynn, 5, walked out of school without staff noticing she had gone (Photo: Dewsbury Reporter / SWNS)

The youngster set off on a half a mile journey to her mum’s place of work at the supermarket in Batley, West Yorkshire, by herself.

Talor said: “She was in the school playing and having her lunch, then managed to leave the school grounds and head into Batley without any of the teachers realising she was missing.

"I was at work at the supermarket and turned round and my daughter was there.

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"I took her back to school to find out what was going on and they didn’t know she had gone.

"It’s disgusting to have allowed that to happen.

Luckily, Maisie was not hurt after venturing out on her own but her mum warned it could have been much worse.

Talor has now pulled her daughter out of school in disgust over the incident.

She added: “She’s only five years old. It was very lucky that I was in a place that she has visited before.

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"It could have been a very different situation. It’s a very busy town.

"I have now taken my daughter out of that school. I told them that they are not to be trusted."

School launches investigation

Philip Sunter, headteacher at Batley Parish Junior, Infant and Nursery School, said the school has launched a probe into the incident that took place on Tuesday 15 February.

He explained: “The safety of all of our pupils is always our number one priority and we are thoroughly investigating how this was able to happen.

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"We offer our deepest apologies to the parents of this pupil.

"I would like to reassure all parents that this is an isolated incident and something we are taking incredibly seriously.”

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