Nursery boss struck off for excluding ‘annoying’ mum

A NURSERY manager who told staff not to invite a girl to a Christmas party because she thought her mother was ‘annoying’ has been struck off.

Nancy Cecchetti, 44, ran a nursery for more than three years before a string of allegations against her came to light.

A probe found she failed to keep the Greenhill Montessori Nursery in Edinburgh clean and tidy and proper records were not maintained. Investigations also found a chair was placed under an open window which a child could have climbed on and then fallen out.

A Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) fitness to practise panel was told Cecchetti instructed staff not to invite one particular child and her mother to the 2015 nursery Christmas party.

The panel, which met in Dundee last month, also heard she kept a bottle of ‘96 per cent strength alcohol spirits’ on her desk within children’s reach and first aid kits were ‘not fit for purpose’.

It was also claimed Cecchetti also failed to keep a proper register, falsified staff training documentation, and failed to train staff adequately.

Children at the nursery – which is now listed as permanently closed – did not always have access to sand for the sand trays – once for as long as a month – water toys, or sufficient food for a morning snack.

The panel have now struck her off the register. In a written ruling, the SSSC said: ‘The panel considered your behaviour, as found proved, did amount to misconduct. There was no evidence of any regret.’

Cecchetti has the right of appeal, but a temporary suspension order will remain in place while she decides whether to dispute the ruling.