nursery - children outside all day in the snow

[jlm122]

I just wondered if any other nurseries are doing this.

Children playing outside all day, on warmer days not a problem but today it's snowed all day, i collected DD and she didn't have her gloves on, her hands were freezing she could barely move them, got her home and got her wetsuit off and her sleeves were wet and cold i'm assuming from hand washing. Feet were freezing, the nursery put a statement out a few weeks ago asking parents not to ask staff to take the children inside as they can't due to COVID.

I don't feel this is right but on the other hand i'm a key worker so need to send her, she's settled and will be starting school in September so i'm not sure if moving her to a different nursery would be the best thing for her.

Report to Ofsted this isn’t right at all, children can be very vulnerable to cold.

That is totally unacceptable and I'd be taking it further. Too cold!!

Id have no problem if she at least had the choice to go inside for a little bit, they have one small room with a sliding patio type of door that opens onto the outdoor area that the kids eat in but the doors aren't shut so i can't see it being very warm in there either.

The thought of them taking her to wash her hands and then sending her back out into -2 with wet cold sleeves makes me wants to cry, i'm drafting an email to send to them tomorrow. I'd rather have a paper trail if i'm going to report it.

School is the same, although I have found them significantly better at making sure younger children are dressed appropriately for the weather e.g. sending reminders home to parents that the weather was getting colder, so remember gloves, hats and winter coats. Then if the kids have trouble getting the winter clothes on/off themselves, the teachers help (this is for reception; I'm not sure about other classes).

Even when they are inside, I am told the door to the playground is left wide open, as are all the windows, so it frankly isn't any warmer inside than out. All I can suggest is investing in thermal shirts and trousers, really good footwear and ski gloves.

When my child was in nursery, i would pack all the appropriate outdoor gear in his bag, but find no one even asked if he had a hat / gloves etc., let alone asked him to put them on or helped him.

If the children are to be outside all the day then staff need to ensure they are properly dressed the whole time they are outside, so gloves back on after hand washing, make sure no wet sleeves etc. That's the key issue here that you need to complain about - wet skin in sub-zero temperatures quickly leads to very sore cracked skin.

Btw, mittens are warmer than gloves so if you have some mittens put them on her instead.

Report them. Children should not be outside all day in this weather. You're not paying for them to be outside all day.

I'm sorry but I wouldn't be happy at all with this. Yes, the risks of spreading covid are lower outside. But this is madness.

@crispychicken12

Report them. Children should not be outside all day in this weather. You're not paying for them to be outside all day.

Oh no. God help the children being outside. The world will combust.

Oh wow the poor kids! It's bloody freezing. I couldn't even face going outside to the bins today. I'd complain, it's totally negligent of them.

Poor little ones!! If you did that to her at home, the nursery would consider it abusive. You're paying for her to have a freezing cold, miserable day. No, bollocks to that. Don't send her and report them. It was minus seven, ffs!

Mouldyhouse101 Oh no. God help the children being outside. The world will combust
What a ridiculous comment. The op is not complaining about her child being outside, she is complaining, rightly, that her child was outside all day and was cold and wet at home time.
How often have you spent the whole day outside in today's temperature?

Keep her off and find another setting.

This is awful op!!

@mouldyhouse101 You chose to send your child to an outdoor nursery, I didn't. Is it so hard to comprehend that some people don't like being outside in below freezing temperatures? We've been told to send them with hats gloves scarves and wet suits, I've never had to be out in the cold long enough to need specialist thermals and I didn't think my daughter would have to be either so i don't have them and probably couldn't afford to them anyway, more to the point i shouldn't have too but i didn't realise that an agreement i signed in july when it was 20 degrees plus every day was still going to be continuing into jan/feb

I would ask to see the risk assessment. Does it cover all (extreme) weather or just normal/usual temperatures.
Does it say anything about checking children are dry?

If not, I would challenge it. A risk assessment is only as good as the parameters set. If you don’t think the assessment covers the current situation ask them to re-visit it, but in the meantime allow inside access.

@mouldyhouse101 why do you keep replying unhelpfully? Do you really have children of your own as you don’t sound looks a parent

Formal complaint, report them - that’s absolutely disgraceful

Ummm so I don't have kids, but I did take my three year old neice outside for about half an hour to walk the dog yesterday, and even I felt uncomfortable outside for that long. I also felt uncomfortable about whether she was warm enough as she refuses to wear gloves 🤦‍♀️ so I wouldn't be happy to hear that she had been left outside all day. As soon as you stop the wind bites you, I'd be utterly miserable

No way would I be sending my child in to that environment. If they can’t make an appropriate risk assessment for this what else can’t they make a risk assessment in?

Complain about this to whomever is the inspection authority (is it ofsted?)

[quote Lemonpink88]@mouldyhouse101 why do you keep replying unhelpfully? Do you really have children of your own as you don’t sound looks a parent[/quote]
Agreed. And has she spent the day outside or is she tucked up in the warm which is probably what the OPs nursery manager is doing?

Forest schools / nurseries are set up for outdoor play in the way described up thread but this isn’t a forest school. I work in early years and we have an excellent manager who knows that cold, fed up staff forced to shiver outside will not be the happy, enthusiastic practitioners that children need. I too don’t know how children can easily follow the dexterous activities on the curriculum. And the time and effort spent in changing nappies must be crazy.

This is what it's like in schools and nurseries now! I am live streaming in an empty room , not allowed to do it from my nice warm home. Instead I'm freezing, windows sand doors open, no heating on. It's ridiculous

I would not be happy with that. Ours have free flow so can go in or out.

Do you know any other parents? You might want to speak to a couple.

[quote Lemonpink88]@mouldyhouse101 why do you keep replying unhelpfully? Do you really have children of your own as you don’t sound looks a parent[/quote]
In what way do I not sound like a parent?