Soaked reception child

[JangoInTheFamilyWay]

My DS comes home from school soaked through or in spare clothes at least every other day. It's self inflicted because he loves playing with the water table and he isn't bothered by it. However, in a few weeks it will be freezing cold and it just can't carry on. He just doesn't seem to be learning to avoid it (probably wishful thinking).

The aprons they use start mid chest and don't cover the arms. Would it be reasonable of me to buy some more heavy duty aprons for the class? I don't want to overstep the mark but I know that they don't have money to spend. If so can anyone recommend any that won't be a pain for the teachers? Also should I ask first or just do it?

Thanks!

[Mumof21989]

Ask them if it's ok and send him in with his own apron. It's annoying isn't it lol. My DD walks around with dried dinner on her face all afternoon. I have said several times to wipe her face and send her in with wipes

[TamarindCove]

My child had a habit of doing this. I bought some cheap waterproof trousers and jacket and sent them in. Obviously said anyone was welcome to use them when my child wasn’t. They acquired a few more sets afterwards, presumably from other parents.

[MartyrGuacamole]

I think that's really kind of you to offer and don't know if any classroom that would be upset. My ds always come home covered in playdoh, think I might do the same! 😂

[spanieleyes]

Oh, my youngest was the same, he came home with wrinkled hands every day , he spent pretty much all his time in the water tray! Thankfully the school had long sleeved painting aprons which he "acquired" to keep his arms and tummy dry. His shoes and socks however were a different matter!

[SamBeckettslastleap]

Yes when mine were small I did the same, puddle jumpers, I asked on a local fb site if anyone had any to donate, I bought a couple and in the end had about 10 for the class. The class teacher said she liked it when people had a solution rather than just moaning about the problem.

[ClemDanFango]

Getting wet isn’t an issue in itself, water play is a vital part of their learning when very young, aprons don’t cover everything and they whip them off so quickly it’s hard to stop them getting wet.
The issue here is that they don’t seem to be changing him in to dry clothes every time (or telling him to change if he’s old enough) if he’s wet when you collect him take him back in and ask that he’s changed, children shouldn’t be going home in soaking wet clothes.

[JangoInTheFamilyWay]

Great, I will talk to the teacher and get some aprons. I'm not thrilled that he's not always changed but I'm going to pick my battles for now. Thanks all.

[MidniteScribbler]

if he’s wet when you collect him take him back in and ask that he’s changed,

This is reception, not nursery. Teachers aren't there to be changing children's clothes.

[itsaboojum]

This is reception, not nursery. Teachers aren’t there to be changing children's clothes."

Unfortunately this is the case. Nurseries demonstrates a far higher regard for individual children's welfare than reception teachers.

What schools do care about is their targets: specifically attendance. You can use this to your advantage by pointing out how your DS will have to miss school if he's sent out wet and cold to get poorly.

[ScarlettDarling]

@itsaboojum Nurseries don't have a higher regard for children's welfare than Reception teachers, what a load of rubbish! What nurseries do tend to have is a better adult/child ratio which makes it far easier to spot and change children who have got soggy jumpers and need changing.

I'm a Reception teacher with one TA and 30 children. In between teaching, cleaning up toileting accidents, monitoring our outdoor area, changing reading books etc etc etc we don't always notice that a child has got wet sleeves.

Op, I think sending in a better apron for your child is a good idea. With school funding having been so pathetic for so many years, your school probably won't be able to prioritise new aprons unless the old ones have fallen to bits! And I'm sure that your child's teacher will be delighted that someone is being proactive with a positive solution rather than complaining about them.

[itsaboojum]

Our local school has taken on two classroom assistants, having argued they are needed "in order to support the children’s personal care and vital housekeeping functions within Year R". With a reception class size of 22 last year and 19 children this year, this represents a far better adult-child ratio than most nurseries, yet still they refuse to support children with the most basic personal care functions, eg applying sun cream, etc.

They now make the excuse that classroom assistants are there to teach, and they have to "deliver the complexities of the curriculum". (If this is true, then it contradicts the head's persistent claim that Year R is only "play and socialisation"; they seem to say whatever suits them at the time.)

I know some children don’t exhibit the officially 'expected' levels of independence and self-care designated by DofE tick-lists. The difference is that nursery staff get on and help a child whereas IME too many teachers leave them crying because they think themselves too highly qualified to do tasks they consider beneath them.

[ScarlettDarling]

With respect @itsaboojum it sounds like you're condemning all Reception teachers from your experience of one school. I can assure you that I've never met a Reception teacher who thinks that caring for their pupils is 'beneath them'... how very odd.

A CA is there to support with teaching and care of the children and it is through 'play and socialisation' that a good EYFS practitioner will be 'delivering the complexities of the curriculum '.

[Mumof21989]

I don't think the teachers think it's beneath them either. The support teacher takes my DD for a wee everyday as she's scared of the hand dryer. Also my DD fell and got a fat lip and I had to collect her. Both her teacher and support worker gave her a cuddle the next day when I dropped her off. Then she learnt to write her name and we took it in. Her teacher got down on her level and gave her another hug and said she was so proud of her.

They do their best considering they have 20 _30 kids all fresh out of nursery. They often pop out after school and let parents know if there child has had a toilet accident etc so they clearly do clean them up.

Op I bet eBay will have some bargains for aprons xx

[JangoInTheFamilyWay]

Thanks all. I have no intention of complaining, the staff have all been fantastic so far and my DS has settled brilliantly and is enjoying it. All of that is more important. I hoped he would have worked it out himself by now but he doesn't care because he's clearly having too much fun! I will have a look on Ebay- thanks for the tip.

[myself2020]

our school has puddlesuits as a compulsory uniform item - i wonder if pac-a-macs wouldn’t be better than aprons?

[itsaboojum]

@ScarlettDarling

I’m sure neither of us has seen every school in the U.K., so we can each only speak from our experiences of those we have known. Those experiences are clearly different.

Adult-child ratios, as per regulations, are not so very different between Year R and maintained nurseries with appropriately qualified staff. As I’ve demonstrated, there are cases of low intake where schools even have better ratios than that which applies to PVI nurseries. EY Childcare/education providers deliver the same EYFS programme as schools Ofsted grades suggest nurseries and childminders consistently do it better (see Ofsted’s inspections and outcome statics for years up to and including March 2018. Note these figures do not account for the recent discovery that the declining standards of many 'outstanding' schools has gone unnoticed because they’ve not been inspected in anything up to a decade.)

Perhaps nurseries and childminders consistently outperform schools because of the care aspect.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

I have said several times to wipe her face and send her in with wipes
The teacher would have to find her bag, rummage through it and wipe the child's face while the other children did … what? I would have said 'go and have a look in the mirror - you've got beans all over your face. See if you can wash it off', not because I was uncaring but because I was there to teach the child to be more independent. Some days I might not have even noticed the beans/gravy/custard because I was too busy elsewhere with other children's needs and, in the scale of things, it really wasn't important. If it really matters to you, put the wipes in your child's pocket or somewhere easily accessible and teach her how to do it herself.

[spanieleyes]

The adult to child ratio in a Reception class is legally 1 to 30, if you are lucky there may be a TA for some of the time.

[CaptainMyCaptain]

The difference is that nursery staff get on and help a child whereas IME too many teachers leave them crying because they think themselves too highly qualified to do tasks they consider beneath them.
This is rubbish and so insulting.

[itsaboojum]

All these recent posts are saying is that reception class teachers have more children than they can reasonably look after. I can’t disagree with that.

[SinkGirl]

I send my boys to nursery with these - might be overkill for a classroom though 😂

Regatta Unisex Kids Puddle IV... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013K1XSHC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Mumof21989]

I have given DD wipes and told her to do it herself. I don't expect the teachers to wipe it but there's 17 kids and 2 staff. She isn't aware there's food on her face so I wish someone would tell her to go wipe her face etc. I don't want her being laughed at in the playground etc because she has dried food allover her face for 3 hours. I know kids can be mean. Plus she had her photo taken for a merit Thursday and the dried beans on her chin ruin the picture lol

[BubblesBuddy]

She should wipe her face as a matter of habit. Teach her to do it every day after lunch. My DDs didn’t have any of these problems in YR snd they had wonderful teachers. I just think the parents trained DC better before they started school. In that of you got wet, you put up with it. No, they won’t catch cold. Take spare clothes and change him before the journey home! Or get the bigger apron as suggested.

[Mumof21989]

Wow I do teach her to wipe her face it's at school when she has to do as she's told she doesn't think I best go to the loo and check my chin. She's still working it all out. I just don't like her walking round mucky all afternoon

[Russell19]

I'm a teacher and would appreciate a pack of 4 aprons for anyone to use, one for just your child not so much. It's hard to explain to 4 year olds why one child has a different one that they can't use. But I know you said aprons as plural so not suggesting you meant that, just other pps did. I would recommend the ones like in the hairdressers that you put your arms in and velcro at the back. They can do each others then. Any fiddly ties or ribbons are a definite no.

I would always change a wet child in my class (or put jumper on radiator etc) but maybe your child will learn not to do it if they feel a bit soggy and then will understand why not to splash so much. However I don't think for a minute that the teacher is not changing him on purpose but he is getting old enough to know actions have consequences.