Inquiry into girl’s death keeps playground shut

York Council has written to the parents of youngsters at York College’s day nursery to inform them that they will need to find alternative childcare arrangements up until at least the start of November.

The letter from director of education Pete Dwyer confirmed it will not re-open until November 5 at the earliest while the inquiry involving North Yorkshire Police, Ofsted, the Health and Safety Executive and York College continues.

In the letter, Mr Dwyer admitted the decision will result in further disruption, but he stressed that he hoped parents will “understand and appreciate the importance and complexity of the investigation needed into this tragic accident”.

York Council’s cabinet member for education, Councillor Janet Looker, added: “It has been an extremely stressful time, and the council is doing all it can to support everyone involved. It is an awful tragedy, but we need to establish exactly what happened.”

Lydia Bishop, from York, suffered serious injuries while in the nursery’s play area on the afternoon of Monday last week. She was taken to York Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police confirmed there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances, but officers are conducting a full inquiry. Mr Dwyer added that parents will not be faced with incurring additional costs for childcare as York College has agreed to pay any extra fees.