Nursery rejects exclusion claims

A Wolverhampton nursery owner has dismissed claims a two-and-a-half-year-old girl was excluded from the centre.

Mother Teresa Johns said she was told by staff at Hopscotch Nursery, at the start of August, she would have to find a new place for her daughter Tia.

Ms Johns said she was told her daughter was too clever to be cared for and was given just two days to find Tia a new nursery place.

But Diana Medford, who has run the nursery for more than 12 years, said Tia was not excluded from the nursery and it was Ms Johns' decision to withdraw the youngster.

We offered to help find alternative child minding while she was at work and to do anything we could to make sure she was cared for Diana Medford

Miss Medford said staff went against other parents' calls to expel Tia and instead called in behavioural analysts and held meetings with Ms Johns to try and solve the problem.

"This allegation has been blown out of all proportion, we have not excluded anyone," she said.

"We met with the child's mother and said that we would need additional support staff to cope as we just do not have the resources to provide them.

"We offered to help find alternative child minding while she was at work and to do anything we could to make sure she was cared for.

Full refund

"We have a duty of care to every child within this facility and the health and safety of the other children was challenged.

"It was the child's mother who made the decision to withdraw her."

Ms Johns said she was angry at the treatment of her daughter and had asked for a full refund for her child's nursery place.

Miss Medford said a refund cheque had been sent to Ms Johns.