Preschool Escapee Makes Solo Trek Home
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Alfie Aldridge, 3, is shown in this Oct. 11, 2011 photo, in the Surbiton section of London. (Photo credit: SWNS Group)
An intrepid toddler in England took matters into his own hands when he decided on his first day of class that preschool was not for him.
Samantha Aldridge, 27, dropped her 3-year-old son, Alfie, off at the Knoll Mead Primary School in Surrey on a recent Monday morning for his first day of nursery school and then headed home, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail. The school called her 40 minutes later to let her know that her son was doing just fine.
So when her doorbell rang less than two hours later, she was shocked to see little Alfie standing in the doorway.
“When I opened the door and saw Alfie standing there, I didn’t know what to think,” Aldridge told the Daily Mail. “A wave of emotion came over me.”
To make the 10-minute trek home, Alfie walked out of his school building, scaled a 3-foot wall and crossed a busy street.
“Thankfully, I was home to answer the door,” Aldridge said. “It makes me feel sick to think of what could have happened. It’s a terrible thing for a mother to go through.”
Aldridge was upset that Alfie had managed to escape from the preschool unnoticed. She said that when she went back to the school with him, the staff hadn’t even realized he’d been missing, according to the Daily Mail.
“I was happy and relieved that he was OK, but I was also angry and upset that staff at the nursery had let this happen,” Aldridge said.
The school apologized, but Aldridge enrolled Alfie and his 2-year-old sister, Lexi, in another nursery school that has higher security.
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I think I would have called the school instead of taking him back and ask them to check on her son…to see what they reply. And THEN tell them that he had come home. Make them sweat a little
Posted by: Eleni | October 14, 2011, 11:30 am 11:30 am
Eleni: HARSH! But they deserved it! :-)
Posted by: Mama | October 14, 2011, 11:52 am 11:52 am
What’s it all about, Alfie?
Posted by: Diane | October 14, 2011, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
I know its London but I hope there r laws that makes someone responsible for this.
Posted by: traci | October 14, 2011, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm
I dont think the teachers should be blamed fully for this. Yes they should have noticed him missing, but i know how easy it is for a child to leave a classroom if that’s what they want to do. Just the fact that he was able to scale the wall and knew exactly how to get back to house at 3 years old tells me that he probably had a very easy time sneaking away when teachers weren’t looking. Just as the teachers need to be taught how to take constant head count, and the school needs to learn how to get better security, this child also needs to learn that what he did was completely wrong. If he just thinks, “oh, my mom got really mad at my teachers and now i dont have to go to that school anymore…” then what do you think he will do the next time he doesn’t want to be somewhere???
Posted by: Danielle | October 14, 2011, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm
Traci, are you crazy? Are you a teacher? I am and my students are my MAIN concern, their safety, their education, their well being. To say this isn’t the teachers’ or the school’s fault comes from someone irresponisble and careless. God bless Alfie & his family. They are truly blessed. And yes, it is the teachers’ and school’s fault. No excuses, no exceptions, no way around it.
Posted by: tina | October 14, 2011, 7:06 pm 7:06 pm
Traci–It is the teacher’s job to teach the students a rotuine. It is his first day! He hasn’t had a chance to learn the routine and let me say this again, he is ONLY 3 years old. You’ve made me more mad than the school. Geeze, I hope you are never left alone with children. To imply it’s his parents fault…wow
Posted by: Tina | October 14, 2011, 7:11 pm 7:11 pm
Tina, it wasn’t Traci who said that but Danielle. You went off on the wrong person.
Posted by: Sally | October 14, 2011, 8:24 pm 8:24 pm
I don’t buy it. The school is fully responsible for this. When my family lived in England, my kids’ school had a lock in it..inside and out. The only way the door could be opened was if the administrator in the office pressed the magic button. How would it be if every child could just waltz off when he pleased? This school really needs to take better security measures.
Posted by: JR | October 17, 2011, 11:52 pm 11:52 pm
I would never put two and three year old children in pre-school, barring extenuating circumstances. They need to be home with mom. I’ll never forget what my two year old granddaughter said plaintively and in tears, to her mother (who was a teacher) when her mother dropped her off at daycare when she started working again after the summer break: “Mommy, my heart hurts…”
Posted by: tandee | October 20, 2011, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm