A nursery group has urged parents not to hold the door open for others at drop-off and pick-up following an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Childbase Partnership, which looks after 6,000 children in 44 day nurseries across England, has sent out a “high priority” email to parents about security measures after three children died in the knife attack in Southport.

An “alert” was issued to all nurseries in the group on Tuesday morning to reassure parents that the settings were reviewing established security procedures which staff must follow to meet “a variety of threats”.

Lorna Wigley, quality and health and safety director of Childbase Partnership, called on parents to refrain from holding the door open for others at nursery and to report any concerns to staff “immediately”.

The email, seen by the PA news agency, reminded parents that only people registered on a form will be permitted to pick up their child from nursery.

Ms Wigley said: “Following the tragic event in Southport on Monday 29th July 2024, I am writing to reassure you that an alert has been issued to all nurseries which are currently reviewing both security equipment and the established procedures staff must follow in meeting a variety of threats.

“As always, your support and vigilance are vital in ensuring that the efforts of your highly trained nursery staff team achieve the desired results.

“Please do not hold the door open for anyone when you and your child enter the nursery building and report any concerns you have to staff immediately.”

Floral tributes against a wall
The alert comes after three children died in a knife attack in Southport (James Speakman/PA)

She added: “The security of our children in nursery is an absolute priority and our policies and practices are therefore subject to continuous review and evaluation by the company’s Health and Safety team and, where necessary, external specialists.”

Ms Wigley told parents that in the event of an identified threat, nursery staff will follow a lockdown procedure – which involves “a sweep of the garden”, moving the children inside, locking windows and doors, and drawing blinds.

She added that parents’ support “remains vital” to provide children with the “best possible security”.

A father of a two-year-old, who received the communications from his daughter’s nursery in Hertfordshire, said he opened the email straight away on Tuesday as it was marked as “high priority”.

The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told PA: “I found it chilling that the nursery where my daughter spends her day would be considering the attack something that could generate a potential risk to all nurseries or indeed all places where children spend time together.

“I’d not considered for a second that my daughter would need any extra protection today as thankfully these hideous incidents are so rare and we live in a very peaceful town.

“I love our nursery and have always felt they take security very seriously, but when I pick my daughter up today, I will be additionally cautious to make sure I don’t feel tempted to hold the security door for someone else, even if I know them.”

In a statement to PA, Ms Wigley added: “In the face of this tragedy, we as responsible early years providers have heightened the continuous focus on security in our 44-award winning, employee-owned day nurseries.

“While parent roles in maintaining the best possible security in nursery are promoted in weekly newsletters, the horrific events in Southport have served as a reminder of our collective need for vigilance and the value we place on the strength of our parent partnerships.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected by this tragedy.”

A spokesperson for the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said: “We are all devastated and heartbroken about the tragedy in Southport yesterday. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the whole community in Southport at this incredibly difficult time.

“Shocking incidents like this are extremely rare and parents will know that nurseries and other providers will have policies and procedures in place around pick-up and drop-off, supervising visitors and what to do in an emergency. It is important that all childcare providers keep these up-to-date.

“The safety and wellbeing of children is paramount in early years settings. All nurseries across the UK, many of which operate holiday clubs throughout the summer, follow rigorous safeguarding procedures and these are inspected by regulators. These measures are in place to keep all our children as safe as they can be.”