A three-year old girl escaped her nursery unnoticed and was found close to her home, nearly a mile away.
The youngster reportedly left the Flying Start nursery in Romiley, Stockport through a gap in the fence and walked 0.7 miles along a busy main road before she was found unharmed.
Her distressed dad said he arrived to collect his daughter at 3.20pm only to be told she was missing, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Staff at the private pre-school nursery started searching the grounds after they realised she'd gone until they were told some 10 minutes later she'd been found.
After the incident, which happened last Wednesday, parents were sent a letter by the nursey describing how events had panned out. It said: "At approximately 3.15pm yesterday, a member of staff was stood manning the gate as parents were collecting children and another member of staff was also in the playground at this time talking with another parent.
"At approximately 3.18pm, the team were alerted that a child was missing from the playground. The team checked inside the nursery and also the perimeter of the building followed by a search of the school grounds.
"The child's father arrived to collect his child at approx 3.20pm and was informed that his child was missing. The staff team and child's father continued to search the school grounds."
But one parent told the MEN "their excuse doesn't make sense".
"They don't know how she got out, they say they think it was the fence panel because they knew it was loose," said the parent. "They told one parent the panel was loose and they knew about it, but hadn't repaired it, so they thought that must be how she got out.
"It doesn't make sense because the times don't make sense, the child must have been off the playground way before they say she was to travel the distance, it just shows they have no idea when she went, which is what is really scary.
"How did they not see her climbing through the fence? They are covering up because they don't know what happened."
They added: "The 0.7 miles was along a very busy main road in Romiley, all alone. The staff stood there crying, not searching. Other adults were the ones searching."
A spokesperson for Flying Start said: “A child attending Flying Start nursery in Romiley, Stockport was discovered to have made their way, unescorted, off the premises and found their way home.
“Staff at the nursery enacted necessary and pre-arranged protocols to manage the situation and, most importantly, the child was found safe and well. All children are signed in and out and headcounts are undertaken regularly throughout the day.
“We would like to reassure our parents that we have robust systems in place to ensure this situation does not and cannot happen again. An internal investigation has been completed which has led to operational changes on site. We have been liaising with Ofsted and they are comfortable with our protocols."
A spokesperson for Ofsted said: "We have been made aware of an incident where a child went missing from the nursery. We are working with the provider and external agencies to ensure that children are safe while attending the setting."
A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: "The council has been made aware of an incident. Any reports of this nature are taken very seriously, and a multi-agency investigation is taking place."
