Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Nursery went home and left dd!

999 replies

lookingfortheanswer · 28/04/2014 18:36

Posting here for traffic, I don't have an aibu.

Went to pick up dd from nursery this afternoon and found the whole place locked up and nobody there. After frantically calling, banging on doors, checking nobody else had picked her up we managed to contact the neighbouring school. The staff who were still there were amazing, helped us to get into the building where we found dd on the toilet, on her own, lights off and doors closed, staff gone home. It took us half an hour to get in so she was there at least that long. She was obviously very upset but is now home and fine and drinking lemonade as a treat while I try to stop shaking.

Obviously this is a huge safeguarding issue and there is no way she is going back. The head of the neighbouring school has been in touch and is organising a meeting for the morning.

Any advice on where to go from here, who to complain to? Should we get legal advice? I am so so angry!

OP posts:
Itsfab · 28/04/2014 20:11

So eightytwenty and everyone else saying "but was the OP late?" would it be okay if it was YOUR child left alone for God knows how long, just because you were late?

FFS are we really a society where it is fine to leave a toddler alone because mum is a few minutes late NOT THAT THE OP WAS!*

wrapsuperstar · 28/04/2014 20:11

Absolutely heartbreaking scenario. I have a two year old DD and I would be devastated by this. I would also very, very much want somebody held accountable -- this is not a simple mistake but a massive safeguarding failure that could have ended tragically.

As others have suggested OP, do write everything down while it is still so fresh. Talk, talk, and talk some more. I hope you are able to get some answers for this.

FunnyFoot · 28/04/2014 20:11

Wouldn't the police or nursery manager have been called anyway if they had to break in to the nursery to get the child leaving the building unsecured? Or have I read that wrong?

GobbolinoCat · 28/04/2014 20:11

Whats the big deal about calling police? she calls 101, she says, look I dont know if your interested but my dd was left today in the dark, is this something for the police or not?

The operator checks and says yay or nay!

A small child was left in danger, I wuold say its something they would at least ask questions about?

But, we or op will not know until she calls?

The worst that can happen is the operator checks and says, no its not us, go to x y z...

icanneverremember · 28/04/2014 20:11

And totally reiterate what MummySparkle just said...

TheScience · 28/04/2014 20:12

FunnyFoot - the caretaker unlocked the building, they didn't break in.

brdgrl · 28/04/2014 20:12

oh, poor you ...and poor DD. I hope she just takes it in stride in that weird way kids do.

I'd go to their meeting, and I'd say "I'm going to record this, OK?" and if they said no, I'd get up and go straight out of there. I'd also contact Ofsted and my local councilor, for starters.
Absolutely appalling.

PeterParkerSays · 28/04/2014 20:12

OP, when you go to the meeting tomorrow, keep calm and factual - have written down where your child was, how many locked doors the caretaker had to go through to get to her and what you want to happen as a result of this - other parents in the room your DD's in / late collectors to be told about this, immediate release from contract, review of signing in / out processes etc.

Stick to your facts and don't be swayed by their emotion. Now isn't the time to be interested in how sorry they are. Angry

FunnyFoot · 28/04/2014 20:13

Ahhh see thought I had read it wrong. Thanks Thescience.

AnnieLobeseder · 28/04/2014 20:14

FunnyFoot - yes, you have read it wrong. The OP was let into the building by the caretaker, who has keys/codes. I assume he locked up again afterwards.

Mintyy · 28/04/2014 20:14

I read that story about Ruby who was left in the Manchester nursery and see that the first thing her Mum and Grandma did was call the police. Very sensible imho.

tumbletime · 28/04/2014 20:15

Bloody. Hell. That's outrageous!!

SpearmintLino · 28/04/2014 20:15

Horrifying Angry

Whereisegg · 28/04/2014 20:15
Shock

Definitely phone 101, there seems to be a lot of confusion as to if this is a criminal matter or not.
Who better to confirm than the police.

DorothyBastard · 28/04/2014 20:16

God my heart was racing just reading your OP. I can't even imagine what it felt like for you. Thank goodness your DD is okay.

mellicauli · 28/04/2014 20:19

Obviously this is a serious problem but I personally would want to find out how happened before I went to Ofsted , if I thought it was systemic failure I would report. If I thought it was one person, as long as they left and didn't ever do nursery work again, I wouldn't jeopardise the whole nursery.

Normalisavariantofcrazy · 28/04/2014 20:20

Yikes!

I've gone to sign my child from nursery way back when and found someone else had signed that line AND their child's line

A string of small errors equals one monumental fuck up

I hope this isn't a troll because it's not a funny wind up if it is

harriet247 · 28/04/2014 20:20

Oh my god.
I cant even begin to imagine what you have gone through tonight!!!
Good luck tomorrow, I hope heads roll for this, please do keep us updated

MrsCakesPremonition · 28/04/2014 20:22

melli, I don't think that the OP should have the huge responsibility of trying to investigate why the failure occurred - that is Ofsted's job.

BakerStreetSaxRift · 28/04/2014 20:24

FOR FUCK SAKE, PEOPLE, READ THE FUCKING THREAD

At LEAST read all the OP's posts, she has answered all your stupid fucking questions.

Sorry for shouting Angry

Goldmandra · 28/04/2014 20:24

I personally would want to find out how happened before I went to Ofsted

Informing Ofsted is a way of ensuring that the incident is investigated properly end thoroughly. Whatever the reasons behind it, this is a system failure and it would not be appropriate to allow the setting to scapegoat one person and move on.

CrystalSkulls · 28/04/2014 20:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OldVikingDudeHidMyTubeSocks · 28/04/2014 20:27

I think all the 'stupid' questions are quite understandable actually. This is a scary, crazy situation that is hard to get ones head around.

FatalCabbage · 28/04/2014 20:28

If one person had cocked up and the nursery instigated watertight procedures to prevent a reoccurrence, Ofsted wouldn't just close the nursery out of spite.

Gurnie · 28/04/2014 20:30

I dont think anyone is saying the nursery staff actually locked up and left a 2 year old on their own intentionally surely?!

I think people are asking if the op was incredibly late because it is just hard to imagine how all the staff would have left full stop let alone managed to leave a child inside. However, OP has explained that she was not late but that her Dd was often the last there and the staff sometimes locked up early.

A string of small errors equals one monumental fuck up

It's this surely ^^^^

Obviously it's unbelievably careless and negligent. I feel horrible for op and her dd.

Swipe left for the next trending thread