Deputy manager at fee-paying nursery school arrested for ‘harming toddlers’ in her care

By
Amy Oliver

Last updated at 5:04 PM on 13th February 2012

A deputy manager at a private nursery school has been arrested for allegedly harming toddlers in her care.

Danielle Yusuf, 30, is alleged to have mistreated young children at the fee-paying Riverston School in Lee, south-east London.

It is claimed Yusuf acted aggressively towards the toddlers, allegedly calling them names and force feeding them.

Arrest: Danielle Yusuf, 30, is alleged to have mistreated young children at the fee-paying Riverston School in Lee, south-east London

Arrest: Danielle Yusuf, 30, is alleged to have mistreated young children at the fee-paying Riverston School in Lee, south-east London

Her arrest, shortly before Christmas,
was announced last month sparking concerns and anxiety among parents who
received a letter telling them about the police investigation.

A mother, whose daughter attends the
nursery, said: ‘Apparently the allegations involve as many as 10 children
who attend the nursery. But no one seems to know the names of the children so it’s all quite worrying for the parents at the moment.

‘It’s very concerning because this
woman worked at the nursery for several years so who knows how many kids
could have been affected by this?’

It is understood Yusuf had been working in the school’s nursery since 2005, but was suspended from her job in March last year after a colleague complained about her behaviour.

The school launched an internal investigation and she was sacked later that month.

Police only became involved after the education inspection body Ofsted carried out an unannounced visit to the school last November after learning about the allegations made against Yusuf.

Last month the school sent a letter to parents of all its pupils warning them that police might be in contact with them as part of their investigation.

Riverston School costs up to £11,000 a year and has 250 boy and girl day pupils aged between one and 16.

School principal Michael Lewis confirmed that an investigation into one of its former members of staff was ‘on-going’ and therefore the school was unable to comment.

He added: ‘However, we can confirm the school acted immediately when, in March 2011, a member of staff from its nursery complained about the behaviour of one of her colleagues.

‘At the end of this investigation it was concluded that the member of staff had acted in a manner not in keeping with the special duty of care the school has always taken with its pupils, and she was dismissed.’

He added: ‘One bad apple should not undermine the superb work so many of my colleagues make each and every day.’

When visited by a reporter, a woman who did not deny being Yusuf’s mother answered the door and said: ‘There’s more
to this than meets the eye. She would want to say her side of the story
but she’s been told not to discuss it with anyone at the moment.’

A spokesman for the school refused to give exact details of the allegations against the staff member, but confirmed they included being ‘verbally aggressive towards some of the children’.

Yusuf is currently on bail.

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