An inquiry has opened into allegations that nurses at a £54,000-a-year special school failed to properly administer drugs to its pupils.

Carol Ducasse and Greer Ramsammy-Westmass are accused of a catalogue of misdemeanours during their time working at Rutherford School in South Croydon.

These include failing to ensure paracetamol was given to a pupil as prescribed and failing to ensure drug administration records were signed.

The allegations sparked an emergency inspection of the Melville Road independent school, which teaches children with multiple and profound learning difficulties and complex medical needs.

Ms Ramsammy-Westmaas, a senior nurse at the school, and Ms Ducasse, a school nurse, will separately go before a Nursing and Midwifery Council over the next two weeks accused of misconduct.

Ms Ramsammy-Westmaas, faces seven allegations relating to children in her care.

Among the charges are failing to keep a proper record of medication given to five children, failing to indicate drugs had been administered and incorrectly recording that they had on others.

Ms Ducasse, whose hearing began last week, faces six charges including claims she failed to record that medication had been given to children and retrospectively amended records so it appeared they were up-to-date.

The panel will consider whether the nurses committed misconduct and, if so, whether their fitness to practice has been impaired.