For school boss this is.. ABUSE SCANDAL NO2

>> Care home is shut down as kids given hours to move >> Director was at firm where residents faced horror attacks

- NICK SOMMERLAD

THE boss behind a firm which runs a private care home for vulnerable children that was closed suddenly has previously been involved in an abuse scandal.

Irish businessman Paul Brosnan is director of Kedleston Group, that runs Wings School, which was shut down three weeks ago amid claims staff were physically abusing pupils.

And Mr Brosnan was also non-executive chairman of Castlebeck Group, which had the Winterbourne View home near Bristol.

In 2011, BBC's Panorama secretly filmed staff carrying out attacks on elderly residents. The 48-year-old quit in the wake of that abuse.

Staff at Wings School were given just hours to find alternative accommodation for distraught youngsters. Some who had been there up to seven years ended up in AirBnBs miles away to be looked after by strangers.

The Department for Education asked that the school be closed after Ofsted found "physical intervention is being used to discipline children and force compliance" at the attached children's home.

Kedleston receives up to £10million a year from councils for children with "social, emotional and mental health needs" around £250,000 per child, the Mirror understands.

Ofsted inspectors who viewed the children's home in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, added: "Children say they have been physically harmed by staff and that they are physically held for no reason.

"Records demonstrate staff do not hold children in line with agreed holds or to keep children safe." Cumbria Police are looking into the allegations.

A whistleblower, who asked not to be named, said: "The notice to close and get kids off site was given to us after 3pm. We then had until midnight to tell the kids, pack them up and get them off.

"It was terrible. All the kids were crying, sobbing, all distressed. One climbed a tree because he didn't want to leave.