Nursery accused of favouring "white-sounding names" ordered to take action

3 November 2021, 18:35

A formal complaint was made by Humza Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla after their daughter Amal failed to get a place at Little Scholars Day Nursery
A formal complaint was made by Humza Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla after their daughter Amal failed to get a place at Little Scholars Day Nursery. Picture: Alamy/ Google

By Megan Hinton

A nursery accused of favouring children with "white-sounding names" has been forced to introduce new measures after a complaint from the Scottish Health Secretary was upheld.

A formal complaint was made by Humza Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla after their daughter Amal failed to get a place at Little Scholars Day Nursery, Dundee.

Mr Yousaf claimed the nursey rejected their daughters application due to lack of space but two days later, a white friend of the couple was told there was space for her son on three afternoons every week.

The nursery has denied the accusations branding them as "demonstrably false" claiming they have caused "enormous and unnecessary stress".

But an investigation by the Care Inspectorate found the nursery "did not promote fairness, equality and respect when offering placements".

Now Little Scholars Day Nursery has been ordered to introduce measures so applications "are processed in a transparent and equitable manner" and to prove it is "being well led and managed" by December 12.

Mother tells LBC she 'couldn't afford any nurseries' for child

The nursery has also been told to show that "communication with prospective families is improved to demonstrate that applicants are treated in a courteous and respectful manner", according to the ruling.

After initial concerns were raised by Mr Yousaf, the Daily Record undertook an investigation, submitting two identical applications to the nursery under two different names, Aqsa Akhtar and Susan Blake.

Read more: British trawler freed as France backs down in Brexit fishing row

Read more: Joe Biden flashed by 'large, naked Scottish man' on his way to COP26

The newspaper claimed Susan Blake’s application was approved whilst Aqsa Akhtar's application was rejected. A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: "We have upheld a complaint in relation to this matter. We found that the service did not promote fairness, equality and respect when offering placements.

"Every child in Scotland has the right to good quality care that meets their needs and respects their rights.

"We have identified areas for improvement and we will follow up on these to check on progress.

"We continue to monitor this service. If we are not satisfied that the improvements required have been met, we will not hesitate to take further action."

Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said the couple "feel vindicated" by the decision to uphold the complaint.

He added: "They are first and foremost loving parents who would do anything to protect their children.

"Humza and Nadia were left deeply upset when they believed their young daughter Amal was being discriminated against and that is why they took action.

"They are no different to any other parent in Scotland and simply wanted their daughter to be given equal and fair access to opportunity regardless of her race or religion."

Read more: EU wine fight: Italy's Prosecco declares war on Croatia's Prosek drink

Read more: 'Cyber attack' leaves Labour scrambling as it hits members' and supporters' data

'I used to be racist now I'm not,' says this caller

A spokeswoman for Little Scholars argued the Care Inspectorate statement was "extremely suspicious and highly misleading" and claimed the report did not include "findings of discrimination or any issues with a lack of equality".

She said the nursery will ask lawyers to seek answers about the "inaccurate statement", but added: "As a small family business, we're always looking at ways we can improve things.

"While the Care Inspectorate found our admission procedure could be improved, this had nothing to do with discrimination or equality and within a few days of becoming aware of Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla's complaint, we reviewed and updated our system for dealing with admissions.

"We never had the slightest doubt that the complaint against our manager's character and integrity would be rejected.

"She is a long-standing and highly valued member of our team, and it's been hugely upsetting to see her face such unfair and untrue allegations.

Read more: Flights off and residents ordered inside as volcano eruption rampages on

Read more: 'Wallowing in sleaze': MPs save Tory from suspension in lobbying scandal

"I'm sure we could have quickly resolved this issue if we had been approached directly rather than using the national media, which has caused enormous and unnecessary stress to our team and our families.

"We are grateful for the overwhelming support of our parents and the local community.

"Although not mentioned in the final report, over 40 letters of support were sent to the Care Inspectorate by parents and families who know and value how we care for their children, as well as countless emails and phone calls.

"It's been very humbling to see how much they wanted to show their support and we simply can't thank them enough.

"We had hoped to draw a line under this whole episode and get back to doing what we love - looking after children."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

An F-35 Lightning stealth jet performing a flypast during the commissioning ceremony for 809 Naval Air Squadron at RAF Marham in King's Lynn in Norfolk

Britain's most advanced warplane plagued by delays and shortfalls 'a disappointing return' on £11bn cost, NAO says

Columbus School and College, Chelmsford, United Kingdom. Architect: Haverstock Associates LLP, 2013. Panorama of schoolyard with

Special needs school put students at 'risk of harm' as headteacher sacked

Gregg Wallace outside ITV Studios  Featuring: Gregg Wallace Where: London, United Kingdom When: 29 Nov 2016

Gregg Wallace formally sacked from BBC over no confidence 'learned behaviour' can be changed

GPs will be told to stop giving sick notes to sign people off work.

GPs told to stop handing out sick notes and start sending people to job coaches and gyms

A TUI plane destined for Gatwick was diverted to an airport in Maine, US.

Brits stranded in 'war zone' conditions for 12 hours as TUI plane diverts mid-flight due to 'smoking'

The charred remains of Grenfell Tower, Notting Hill, London, Britain. The 24 storey residential Tower block was engulfed in flames in the summer of 2017.

Grenfell families accuse government of ‘shameless betrayal’ over pause on investigation into 'implicated' firms

John Lacey, 42, was sentenced to 14-months imprisonment.

Thug, 42, jailed for punching pregnant girlfriend in stomach in attack that 'changed victim forever'

Morgan Gibbs-White is set to join Tottenham

Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White set to join Tottenham in £60m transfer

Empty shop with To Let sign in central West London.

London store closures hit 10-year high - as government urged to invest £5bn to save UK's high-streets

Liverpool Women v Aston Villa Women - Pre Season Friendly

Arsenal close to record-breaking £1m signing of Liverpool’s Olivia Smith in landmark deal

Blue Stevens was stabbed to death in Knightsbridge after 'standing up to someone who was trying to steal his watch'

'I can't stop crying': Heartbroken mum of man stabbed to death outside five-star hotel 'for his Rolex' pays tribute

'Birkin' bag by Hermes which belonged to British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin

Original Hermes Birkin bag which belonged to actress Jane Birkin sells for £8.6 million

Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025.

Investigators look into Air India's vital engine switches after plane crash killed 270 people

Sean O'Meara

Four suspicious devices found where police shot chainsaw-wielding man in gas mask

Distressing footage Body worn footage shows PC Lydia Ward being comforted by colleagues as she is bleeding from the nose after she tried to arrest an assault suspect at Manchester Airport.

Shocking clip shows cop with bloodied nose crying after Manchester Airport brawl as bodycam footage shown to jury

A neurosurgeon pointing towards a computer as they analyse a patient MRI Scan at a brain surgery clinic.

Air pollution exposure increases risk of common brain tumour, study suggests