THE family of a four-year-old girl who was stabbed with scissors by a pupil at a school’s nursery fear she might have lasting nerve and tendon damage.

Ayesha Khan was among a group of children making greetings cards at Westminster Primary School in Westminster Road, Barkerend, when the incident occurred.

She was taken to hospital and underwent a two-hour operation on her injuries the following day.

Her mother, Danika Banks, now wants to know why the children were given sharp stainless steel scissors to use and has questioned whether they were being properly supervised.

Both Westminster Primary School and the Bradford Diocesan Academy Trust (BDAT), which runs the school, declined to comment to the Telegraph & Argus because an investigation is continuing into the incident.

Ms Bank, of Barkerend, said: “A boy stabbed her in the hand with the scissors. The school called us in and we took her straight to hospital. We went back in the next morning and they said she needed to go to theatre for a ten-minute operation.

“That stretched into two hours and I was beside myself with worry and pacing the ward. I thought something had gone wrong. The doctors said they had to repair a tendon in her index finger.

“She has to be in a cast for two weeks and then they will organise physiotherapy. The doctors have said she may not be able to use her finger properly.

“She is right-handed and has stopped eating properly because she doesn’t like using her left hand.

“She was dressing herself in her nursery uniform until then and now she has to be dressed and taken to the toilet. It has really distressed her and she is terrified if she sees scissors.”

Ayesha’s father, Farooq Khan, said parents should be able to expect children to be safe and supervised at nurseries. “I do not think this has happened here and I hope it makes other parents who have children in other schools and nurseries check,” he said. “The school has said the boy who caused the wound has ‘issues’ and has been taken out.”

“We do not want the child punishing because he probably did not know what he was doing but we want this matter investigating thoroughly.

“We are also questioning whether the stainless steel scissors the children were given to use were suitable for children so young. I do not think they were. We would not let Ayesha use scissors that were so sharp at home.

“This has caused our daughter, our youngest child, a great deal of distress. My wife has also been caused a lot of anxiety and has had to cancel a planned operation in April so she can look after Ayesha.”

Mr Khan said doctors removed the cast on Friday, two weeks after Ayesha was injured, and decided to put her hand in a splint for a further three weeks to keep her finger straight.

“We were shocked to see the extent of the damage and what the surgeon had to do to repair the tendon. Hopefully she won’t need any more surgery.

“We have to take her for physiotherapy but doctors have said they won’t know the extent of the damage until the splint comes off.

“The school has asked us to take her back in for a couple of hours to settle her back in to nursery but she is too terrified to go.

“They have not told us any more about the investigation.”

Craig Lee, director of education with BDAT, said: “There is currently an investigation taking place so we are unable to make any comment at this time.”

MORE TOP STORIES