A three-year-old boy from Croxley Green was left outside his nursery classroom for almost 30 minutes and ended up wetting himself because teachers "did not know he was there".

Owen Betts was found crying outside his nursery classroom at Yorke Mead Primary School, Dulwich Way, on Thursday after his mother had come to pick him up at the end of the school day.

But, his mother, Kirsty, of New Road, said she had spoken to other parents, who told her some of Owen’s classmates were trying to make the teacher aware that the boy was outside, but they had been "ignored". 

Kirsty said: "When it was nearly home time, the kids were looking out the window at my son and when they tried to tell the teacher that Owen was outside, the teacher told the kids to get their coats on.

"How a teacher did not see him, I do not know. A few of the parents have told me that the children told the teacher that Owen was outside and they got ignored."

Watford Observer:

Lucille Pollard, headteacher at Yorke Mead Primary School said: "We would like to reassure parents that the children’s safety is of paramount importance to us and that we will continue to do everything possible to ensure they are safe at all times. 

"Ofsted rated the school as outstanding in behaviour and safety in our most recent report. We apologise sincerely for what happened on this occasion. We have undertaken a thorough review of our systems and procedures to ensure that it doesn’t happen again."

The 23-year-old mother of three added that Owen is now nervous about going to school and scared she will leave him.

Kirsty said: "I am upset. It is hard to get him back into the classroom because he thinks he is going to get left outside.

"The fact he had wet himself shows he had been out there for a long time.

"Anyone could have got him from outside the classroom."