Sarah Tolner, 55, the former owner of North London Montessori and Country Cows Montessori Nursery, both in Mill Hill, was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to 15 counts of fraud by false representation.
Between 2007 and 2012, Ms Tolner altered 58 dates of birth on claims forms submitted to the council to make it appear that children attending her settings were the right age to be entitled to free early years provision. She also changed the number of hours and dates some children attended the nurseries.
Wood Green Crown Court heard that an investigation was launched by Barnet Council in 2011 after the council’s children’s service noticed that all five children listed on a form submitted by Ms Tolner had the same birth year of 2008.
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