nursery

[nannyme]

This maybe belongs more in education, maybe not?

I am temping a little while I start my new business up, between clients. I have been at a well known nursery today and yesterday and I am dismayed. None of my experiences of nursery schools through my own children have been like this. Or maybe I am like all the blissfully ignorant parents at this nuresry who do not see what I have ust witnessed.

The staff are immature in approach, often don't speak to the children, do not structure their outdoor play sessions in ANY way (like, it's an effort to get the trikes out of the shed - I asked if they were broken as could not understand why they weren't being used as the only other thing there was hoops) and indoor play in the soft play room is a chance to sit on a comfy cushion and gossip.

I knew working in a nuresry would be crap compared to my usual work with children as it is repetitive and not particularly taxing in many ways. However it could have been vaguely interesting but I am going out of my mind with boredom and frustration. I stand out like a sore thumb for many reasons, not least my enthusiasm for the children.

Also many dangerous aspects to the environment which I cannot name at the risk of identifying myself (employed through an agency so they would not be too happy if I made it known who I was talking about). All I felt I could do was make suggestions that might improve the safety of the children.

Nearly walked out today and would have had I not been employed by the agency.

Urgh! Should I report them or am I being melodramatic? Ofsted is apparently in the area and likely to visit. The manager came round and 'warned' everybody today!!!

[nannyme]

Think I may have just 'outed' myself with my last paragraph. Oh well.

Sorry for weirdy typos on word nursery below!

Good points are that when they can be @rsed the staff seem quite, er, loving and never shout.

[getbakainyourjimjams]

Is it a chain nursery? Our experience of a chain nursery was dreadful, so nothing you have written surprises me. I think they vary depending on the manager (which is why I like owner managed- it matters to them that they are well run).

My friend walked out of a nursery placement when she was training because she thought it was so bad.

I think its like anything, the good are great and fantastic, the bad can be dreadful. I've experienced both.

[ssd]

Nannyme, your experiences of a nursery were similiar to things I've seen. I did my nursery nurse training in about 5 nurserys and day nurserys and I can honestly say I wouldn't leave my kids in any of them. I found there were usually about 10-15 staff and only 1 or at a push 2 genuinely liked being around children. This was consistant in all the nurseries and yet they all passed the required inspections.

Now I'm a childminder I see lots of minders here I wouldn't leave my kids with and they all pass the care commission standards.

Scary.

[ssd]

I think a lot of workers go into childcare as they like the holidays/ seems easy/ women friendly. But I can honestly say I found most of them showed a complete lack of interest around kids.

[mumatuks]

Nannyme, you have easily described a nursery I once worked in. It's awful isn't it?

I remember one time, in the baby room, the senior nurse came in and said "We're having a viewing this morning.. could you keep the babies from crying" Yes, she was serious!

There are many more horrendous tales I could tell, but daren't incase someone knows me.

I don't really know what to say, hopefully Ofsted will show its true colours.

Just to add though, I have put my own DS in a different nursery, but it has totally restored my faith in them and done him good! The girls there are hardworking, friendly and fun for the kids to be with.

Hope you're not there too long!

[nannyme]

Oh! You are both so right.

It is a chain and the manager is appalling. I have not had any run-ins with her, but she appears to have a need to be 'superior' to everybody and verges on bullying behaviour. No wonder the staff act as they do really. They must feel terribly undervalued.

I sat today re-designing the room in my head to while away the hours as inconspiculously as possible. I spent the first day being my usual self and it was NOT appreciated. Don't think they liked me singing new songs WITH actions double !!!

[nannyme]

xposted with mumatuks but you are so right too! Glad you have had good experiences with your own ds, as I believe I have. They are worlds apart aren't they?!

What I cannot believe, despite this not being the most serious issue, is that the cost is just as great whether you get a good nuresry or a bad one.

[mumatuks]

Oh nannyme, Yes they were blooming expensive, and for what we got paid I often wondered where the money was going! I found out the senior nursery nurse was on £800 p/m (she told me as she was trying to get a morgage!) You can probably imagine what we were getting then!

The nursery manager had her cronies and I certainly wasn't one of them. Like you say the staff were not happy. It did become a chain, and the owner took all the best staff to the new place and has left that one to rot!

My DS's nursery is within a college grounds and I could not praise them more. In fact, what said it all was when I dropped DS off. I recognised a mum who was there with her DS. She used to send her kids to the nightmare nursery and had pulled them out to take them to this one! She commented briefly "I bet you left for the same reasons I tooke my kids out!" Hmmm .. 'nuf said!

I hope your situation improves soon.