A TOP fee-paying nursery school in Aberdeen was given six days yesterday to make “urgent” improvements – or face being closed down.
The Care Inspectorate served notice on the Hamilton School that action was required amid “serious concerns” about child medication and nutrition.
Last week, the owner and another member of staff at the Queen’s Road establishment were charged by police after a separate probe into staff conduct.
Kathlyn Taylor, 65, who is also the head teacher, is facing prosecution alongside a 25-year-old employee.
Yesterday’s ruling followed visits by inspectors at the end of last week and early this week.
The school said it had been co-operating fully with the care watchdog, and insisted the welfare of children in its care was its “top priority”.
Dr Robert Peat, the Care Inspectorate’s director of inspection, said: “A more detailed report of our inspection will be published in due course, but on Friday and Monday we identified serious concerns about medication and nutrition.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of children is our top priority, so we have served an improvement notice on the nursery.
“We require specific, urgent changes to be made in the coming days and are working closely with the nursery to give them the necessary support and advice.”
Dr Peat said it was important that children with “specific, serious medical conditions” received the right medicine quickly in the event of an emergency.
Changes to how medicine is administered were recommended, while the school’s owner will also have to ensure staff caring for children know what to do.
Dr Peat added: “Children must receive sufficient assistance during meals and snacks to ensure their adequate nutrition.
“We also require that the management exercise sufficient oversight and leadership to ensure the proper care of children attending.
“We are working with the school to make these improvements but will not hesitate to act further, if necessary.”
The Care Inspectorate has previously upheld several complaints about the school.
Parents can pay about £1,000 per month per child in fees.
The new recommendations include demands that the nursery identifies all children who may require “lifesaving” medication.
Proper procedures for ensuring that medicine is made available “immediately” also require to be put in place.
Records need to be improved detailing which children are given medicine and at what time doses are administered. Parents will also have to be informed “without delay” if there has been a failure to administer medicine.
The nursery also has to ensure that children are provided with assistance so that their “nutrition and hydration needs” are being met.
New management systems are also required to ensure that children with additional support needs are given the help they require.
Last night, a spokesman for the Hamilton School said: “We have co-operated fully with the Care Inspectorate and will continue to work closely with them and ensure that the welfare of the children in our care is our top priority.”
The independent school was first established in 1975 and caters for children ranging in age from three months to 12 years.