Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nursery not letting children in

71 replies

Albaba · 19/03/2016 12:20

Ok I am just looking others perspectives on this as to whether it was me or the nursery being unreasonable.

The back story is my dd's attend a nursery to which a pre school is attached. They attend the pre school for a morning session 5 days a week but in addition to this they have also been attending two days a week in the nursery for the last 3 years as we both work. We pay a small fortune for this every month and in addition to this all holidays, sick days etc are paid for by us too which we have just accepted.

This week however there was a bit of a misunderstanding. The girls were in preschool up until Wednesday and the nursery was closed on Thursday for St Patricks Day. This was one of our nursery days and a day that we lost due to them being closed but still pay for. However on Friday the nursery was having a party. Posters all over the nursery asking children to dress up and donate money to Sports relief. I ordered the girls two outfits at a cost to myself. We took the girls to the nursery on Friday all dressed up only to met at the door by one of the girls who said "Sorry preschool is closed today" So I had two children in the car all dressed up and looking forward to a party only to be turned away at the door because it wasn't their day. Do you think it was my fault for getting the day wrong or do you think the nursery could have shown a bit of leniency and let them in to a party for a couple of hours considering I had gone to the trouble of buying them outfits and left two small children all dressed up, disapointed and nowhere to go?

OP posts:
StitchesInTime · 19/03/2016 12:58

If Friday isn't one of your nursery days, then YABU to expect your DC to be able to attend a party at nursery on Friday. Letting your DC in might have meant the staff:child ratios weren't okay.

BillSykesDog · 19/03/2016 13:01

So you decided without asking that because they were shut for a bank holiday you would just take them in the next day for free without even consulting anybody on whether or not that could happen? YAB totally U. Surely a reverse?

BillSykesDog · 19/03/2016 13:02

when Dds old nursery/pre school threw a party all kids were welcome to attend.

not right at all that they weren't allowed in

So they should have broken the law to keep OP happy?

Oldraver · 19/03/2016 13:04

As your DD's usually go to pre-school on a Friday then yes you of course you would of turned up. They should of told you in advance that pre-school was shut on Friday and only the Nursery part open.

ctjoy103 · 19/03/2016 13:04

Do you think it was my fault for getting the day wrong or do you think the nursery could have shown a bit of leniency and let them in to a party for a couple of hours considering I had gone to the trouble of buying them outfits and left two small children all dressed up, disapointed and nowhere to go?

It wasn't your day so why would they allow them in. What you spent on the clothes, or the children being sad isn't their problem. The situation was created because you got the day wrong.

kimlo · 19/03/2016 13:05

The nursery I work at encourages parents to bring children to parties and events on days that they dont normally come. But the parent has to stay with them so that they arent included in the ratio.

Oldraver · 19/03/2016 13:06

So you decided without asking that because they were shut for a bank holiday you would just take them in the next day for free without even consulting anybody on whether or not that could happen? YAB totally U. Surely a reverse?

OP's DD's attend Pre-School on a Friday, they were not turning up for free

SoupDragon · 19/03/2016 13:08

DD's attend Pre-School on a Friday, they were not turning up for free

The party appears to have been in Nursery though.

Oldraver · 19/03/2016 13:09

Is everyone missing this bit of the OP

They attend the pre school for a morning session 5 days.

I think the OP could be wrong for assuming they could attend the Nursery party on a Friday (not their usual day), but they should of been admitted the the pre-school session

curren · 19/03/2016 13:09

OP's DD's attend Pre-School on a Friday, they were not turning up for free

They don't attend the nursery though.

StealthPolarBear · 19/03/2016 13:10

Why on earth was pre school closed Friday as well as Thursday? It all sounds a bit crap and unprofessional tbh

SoupDragon · 19/03/2016 13:11

Is everyone missing this bit of the OP

No.

Did you miss this bit...?

I had two children in the car all dressed up and looking forward to a party only to be turned away at the door because it wasn't their day.

BillSykesDog · 19/03/2016 13:14

As your DD's usually go to pre-school on a Friday then yes you of course you would of turned up. They should of told you in advance that pre-school was shut on Friday and only the Nursery part open.

They would have been told in advance. It's standard Irish school holidays. The pre-school is obviously part of the Irish state school system (and free). Irish state schools finished for the Easter Holidays on Wednesday because St Patrick's Day was on Thursday and a bank holiday and will not open again until after Easter.

Obviously the nursery part which is private childcare and paid for isn't closing for the entire school holidays, just for the bank holidays so was open Friday.

Because OP paid for the bank holiday on Thursday when the private section was shut she has decided that she would send them in on Friday in lieu without actually asking if this is okay and is trying to use her kids disappointment as leverage to get a free day.

BillSykesDog · 19/03/2016 13:15

Why on earth was pre school closed Friday as well as Thursday? It all sounds a bit crap and unprofessional tbh

See above ^^ state school system in Ireland broke up for Easter on Wednesday.

StealthPolarBear · 19/03/2016 13:17

Ah that would explain it bill. Although very diorganised for op not to know that!

insancerre · 19/03/2016 13:17

So, the nursery is presumably open all year, except bank holidays and the pre school is sessional and closed in the school holidsys
Your dds do 5 mornings in the preschool and 2 afternoons in the nursery

Was Friday one of the normal nursery afternoons?

Did the staff get confused over the sessions your children do or did you?
It does sound a bit confusing

PastaLaFeasta · 19/03/2016 13:18

If you don't pay for that day you won't be expected to attend. This has been the case for us and we have arranged for a parent to join her if ratios are tight or they've had flexibility and allowed her for the short time the party was taking place during the day. It's by previous agreement and not by assumption due to the regulations on staffing ratios. Our nursery also allow kids to dress up another day if they don't attend the specific dress up day.

Next time they have an event planned talk to them, ask if you can bring them if you come along too.

Vandree · 19/03/2016 13:19

OP is this Ireland? As in its a playschool as part of the creche? Is Patricks Day a bank holiday in the UK? In Ireland the playschool/Montessori has to keep to the same calender as the school year so as the schools were off thursday and friday so were the playschools. The creche/nursery is different as in its open for more days for working parents and doesn't follow the school year. My ds had no playschool on friday as it was closed but my niece is in creche and had her party Friday with all the other creche kids. Two totally different businesses with different staff ratios etc. I think you assumed the party was for everyone and got your wires crossed. They couldn't just let them in as ratios would have been off. Did they not have their party day on Wednesday?

curren · 19/03/2016 13:19

Was Friday one of the normal nursery afternoons?

It's closed for Easter

NickNacks · 19/03/2016 13:20

Why do OPs, of threads so confusing as this one, never stay around to clarify things? Confused

IdaJones · 19/03/2016 13:26

Presumably the other kids who normally attend preschool on Fridays weren't sitting outside in their party clothes as they knew preschool was closed?

StitchesInTime · 19/03/2016 13:26

The nursery I work at encourages parents to bring children to parties and events on days that they dont normally come. But the parent has to stay with them so that they arent included in the ratio

The nursery DS2 goes to isn't big enough for this. There'd barely be room for anyone to move in the nursery if all the children not booked in on day X were let in with a parent.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 19/03/2016 13:34

They attend preschool 5 mornings a week. And the worker on Friday morning said "sorry preschool closed today"

So it was the preschool and it was the girls day well unless they are open at the weekend how else would the girls be attending 5 mornings a week?

NeedsAsockamnesty · 19/03/2016 13:36

Ahhhh just seen it was Easter holidays

squiggleirl · 19/03/2016 13:38

Hi,

This is all very confusing.

I'm in Ireland, with kids going to after-school and pre-school in the same creche.

If you're children are in pre-school morning's only, is it because they are in the free pre-school year? If so, then that finished last Wednesday when all children in primary school got their Easter holidays. There will not be pre-school again until April 4th, when primary schools go back to school. The ECCE pre-school year follows the primary school calendar.

If your children attend the creche 2 days, afternoons only, then you are only allowed bring the kids there those days, so as to preserve staff to child ratios. The rate you pay is usually based on the idea of there being 50 weeks in the year, which allows for 10 bank holidays per year (New Years Day, St Patrick's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May BH, June BH, August BH, October BH, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day). The rate you are charged allows for bank holidays, so if a bank holiday falls on a creche day, you still pay for that day.

My understanding is that when kids are in the pre-school class, the staff to child ratio for the age group is 10:1, as it is sessional care. However, when you went on Friday, as it was during 'school holidays' that counts as full/part time care, and the ratio is 8:1, and the space requirement per child is greater than during sessional care. When you went on Friday, they may simply have been unable to legally accept your children as it would have thrown their ratios out.

I do think it's odd though that dress-up day was Friday, as in nearly every creche and school around here, Wednesday was 'green day' and kids were in all sorts of costumes and face paint.

My older children used to go to creche 3 days per week. If dress up day/party fell on a day they weren't there, there was no question of them being allowed attend. Ratios were to a limit, and the creche were minding the kids they were being paid to mind.

Swipe left for the next trending thread