Nursery won't accept DS

[ThatWomanAgain]

It's not been the end of my world. But I've had different reactions from friends.

My DS has multiple food allergies. The Nursery refuse to have him in when they have the manager/ usual chef out as they consider it too big a risk. They for example are both out today so can't put him in today when I wanted to work an extra day this week. I won't be able to add an extra day either per week as on one day chef is often out and they get supply chefs in, so limited to working 3 days per week. I consider it a little nervous but think they know the place well and if they judge it unsafe for him then it's probably best he's not there. My friend on the other hand claims they are not being 'inclusive' as they should, by limiting him to certain days/ not allowing all extra days as many parents use.

i wouldn't be too happy tbh

so what if the manager is taken off sick for a few week, would this mean he can not attend

Why cant he have a packed lunch/snacks and then the nursery has no food to prep for him?

Does not seem right to me either, phone them up, and make this suggestion and if they still say no, ask them what their inclusion policy is? That should get them hopping.

why not just send him with his own food

I think you've got the right attitude and your friend is being a bit over-dramatic.
Its a good thing that they're cautious about your DS's needs. You obviously agreed this with them when your son first started there and decided it suited you.
I can understand that they cannot take him for 'extra' days, but maybe they can be pre-arranged, say a month in advance? It must be frustrating that you can't extend your working days to more than 3, but if it were that important to you, or necessary, then you'd obviously need to look for alternative childcare.

Ignore your friend if you and your DS are happy with the nursery.

To be honest they should have robust enough procedures in place to be able to cope when manager and chef not in. I speak as a nursery manager and also have a severe allergy to peanuts.

Do you mind if i ask, are his allergies that unusual, complex - would they allow you to send his food on those days (although they should be able to cope)

Why can't you send him in with his own food?

If the nursery aren't providing or preparing ANY food for him then they have no grounds for refusing him.

Hmm.

If you bring allergies within the general 'special needs' label you will be amazed at how many of us with SN kids fail to access private nursery provision. When I applied to send ds3 to nursery milk allergy he was refused on the basis of lack fo space yet my sister (different surname they did not know we were related) got her ds in submitting the form less than ten minutes later whilst i waited outside to go for a coffee.

But equally it's not inclusive and they should at elast work with you to provide solutions such as a packed lunch.

I wasn't sure if allertgies were covered by teh DDA requirement to make reasonable adaptations but a google (not exactly the same as consulating a specialist lawyer but I bet someone like allergy uk could advise) suggest you may indeed be covered; so discussing preperapred lunches (either home apcked or pre cooked) would absolutely fall under reasonable I would suggest.

Good luck.

I agree with above posters, this sounds a little odd tbh. How severe are his allergies? I've worked with children who have multiple severe allergies before and you just have to take extra precautions. I'd ask about the inclusion policy too.

I work in a nursery and I am with your friend. Hardly very inclusive is it? And it also says an awful lot about how little the manager thinks of the staff if she can't trust them to do their job when she is not there. Allergies are all in a day's work for most nursery staff.
What allergies does he have and what severity? Does he not have a care plan that the other staff can refer to?
I would look for another nursery. The manager does not sound very capable.

I work in a nursery too, and I would be ashamed to work in a nursery that excluded a child because of food allergies, even severe ones.

I have no idea about the legalities, but I'm sure they should be doing more to be inclusive, no child should be discriminated against just because they can't eat certain foods.

Even if the manager isn't there, there still needs to be someone that is well qualified on site at all times, I don't see why that person can't manage it.

I worked in a nursery where every child brought their own food, and mistakes were still made on a daily basis - wrong sandwiches/yogurt etc handed to children.
iit was usually one woman in particular who had difficulty reading, but sometimes others did it too; it drove me mad, but it was commonplace.

The legalities slaveto are outlined in teh disability discrimination act.www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068

I would argue that a severe allergy qualifies for DDA on teh basis of it being a physical impairment that has an effect on their long term ability to perform certain activities if the allergy is so severe that it cannot be coped with easily without specific staffing.

They are probably terrified that he will have an allergic reaction and be harmed by it, and/or that you will then sue them over it. They cannot GUARANTEE that he won't come into contact with the allergens, so have chosen not to take the risk with your child's health. Presumably the regular chef is prepared to guarantee the lack of specific allergens in the food they prepare. Not sure how that would play out legally, technically it's "for his own good". (And there was that dreadful case where the milk allergic baby died after being fed the cereal mixed with cows milk by accident a few years ago, so they can cite precedents).

www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/messageboards/F2322273?thread=6108700 Legally they ahve to assess whether tehre are reasonable adjustments that can be made such as excluding allergy causing food; most chidlren are not as allergic as the baby in the milk case, and individual factors should be considered.

But it does seem that allergy excepting hayfever / seasonal allergic rhinitis is covered by the act.

As for how reasonable the adjustments needing to amde would be, well that avries on case- but I suspect a child whoc an eat most of the time in the premises can be caterd for by staff awareness training and say chef leaving a meal when he's in ready, and I can't imagine that would be considered too much to ask.