To stop sending my child to nursery cause they allow him outside

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here me out, I hope I'm not being PFB but I am so fed up with my child's nursery. Time and time again I've said he is not to be outside, but nobody listens! Each day he comes home caked in mud, all up his back, caked on his shoes, not wearing any gloves or a hat, some times not even wearing his wellies just his indoor shoes! Its Baltic. On Friday I went to collect him and they said he was outside making hot chocolate... with the mud he was rolling around like a pig in shit but he was covered from head to toe, in his hair, his ears, his back from when another kid through a mudball at him I don't know whether I'm overreacting though? Aibu!!

Pp I did get a suit, they don't put him in it. It's in his bag at nursery

I don't mind him playing outside but does he really need to be rolling about in the mud?

Small children are like labradores, faithful, normally hungry and love mess. OK these are actually retrievers, but look at the fun.

If he isn't cold then he's fine. I used to be constantly battling with my mum over insistence on me wearing a coat. I just don't get as cold as normal people.

With the wellies, my boys have 2 pairs each. One pair stay at nursery and one pair stay at home. If nursery wellies get trashed then it doesn't matter because they're not coming in my car! Yes it's another expense but I'm happy with that.

I’d look at a diff nursery OP, what is their ofsted rating? The no coat in hailstones and rain is pretty poor to be honest. My nursery do make sure everyone is dressed appropriately, in summer we were told off as he had a cap not a boat hat as these don’t cover the back of the neck.....so think your nursery has a long way to go!

When you say he's outside alone, do you mean no adult is with him?

It sounds like you need a formal meeting with the manager to ensure staff put wellies, gloves, hat and his rainsuit over his coat when he goes out.

We all teach children appropriate behaviour and getting mud all over them every day isn't

Mine are 8, 11 and 13 now, and don’t come home covered in mud (well, actually the older two do after sports!) but when they were little they were always covered in mud, or paint, or sand, it’s an entirely appropriate part of being g little and playing, and having fun.

He shouldn't be outside alone and he should be in suitable clothes. Those are the things you need to speak to the nursery about. The outside alone is a serious safeguarding issue.

How do you know he is the only one out? How do you know they aren't putting his stuff on?

Because when I pick him up he is outside? With no gloves, hat or scarfs on?
I check his bag for news letters, everything in his bag including spare clothes and shoes are unworn
I asked before why he's outside alone "oh he loves it, it allows us to have other 1-1 time with other children" "he is so well behaved he doesn't need a teacher out there" "He's the only one out there, tinkly laugh the others found it too cold" have been their responses

Although yes you need to check the accuracy of what he is telling you.

Muds very good for your skin. On holiday once on a certain island adults were bathing in the hot sulphur mud

Sigh. This explains so many things!

Rolling in mud every day isn't appropriate behaviour. No matter what fun is to be had.
There's a difference between getting splashes from playing and actually rolling in it.

Children can still have fun without more extreme behaviour.

"he is so well behaved he doesn't need a teacher out there"

Wow that's a serious safeguarding concern, he's 2 years old of course he needs supervising. I would be asking for a meeting with the manager as that is totally unacceptable.

Well the spare clothes is pants and trousers incase he has a toilet accident, there is a spare pair of shoes in his bag which gets kept at nursery and they never get used. They literally send him out in whatever he is wearing and that's how I collect him, it's not like they've tried to get the mud off or change him so the mud is trapised into the car.
Can't always bath him as I need to be back out within an hour to pick my other child up. I will speak to them again regarding clothes and hats but it's gonna fall on deaf ears like it always does

I was also going to ask how you know he's always outside and always alone. I'm sure when they all go outside the nursery staff ensure they are suitably dressed but if your DS is going in and out as he pleases they can't be putting on and taking off a full body suit and wellies. That is not practical. If he's cold he will go inside.

YABU. Freeflow nurseries where kids can come and go as they please are great. He wouldn’t be out there if he was cold and miserable!

It’s great for kids to be outside and roll in mud - you just have to swallow the washing for now, maybe send him in in cheaper/second hand clothes. And really it is not the nursery’s fault if you don’t send him in with a warm coat everyday!

OP, write a forma complaint.

Maybe mention to staff first what you expect of them first before handing in the complaint.
Be assertive and question their answers again and again.

Formal.

Some children are gloves and hats refusers so I can understand why the nursery don't push that one but he should be in a coat and suitable footwear. Having no adult supervision outside is unacceptable.

Sorry, what! Your nursery is allowing your 2 year old son to be outside alone, unsupervised however it's the mud that you're complaining about?? I think that is a far more serious issue that you have to take up with them!
The staff in my children's nursery don't go searching for appropriate clothes, but I always make it obvious that they are there - tell them at drop off I'd wellies are in their bag or stuff a hat into a jacket sleeve so they can't put it on without removing the hat.
I think you have bigger issues you need to take up with them though.. unsupervised outdoor access would be a total no for me!!

Saying he is so well behaved he doesn’t need a teacher etc is very poor tbh. I would definitely be rethinking the nursery, what happened if he tried to eat said mud with stones etc in and choked..... If your gut feeling is not happy then listen to it x

I’m assuming the door is immediately from the class room to the outside area so he can be seen clearly from the room? If so then he is probably bring closely watched. If the other children are all inside I’d imagine the staff are where the majority of the children are. Free flow is an EYFS requirement where possible.

As for clothing, at two I’d be expecting them to be helping getting him dressed, although he might be just running in and out and not staying out for long periods of time at once which is why this is occurring.

Preschoolers are usually allowed to choose whether they put on a coat or not to help them learn for themselves how they feel - hot, cold, uncomfortable etc. Kids are usually feeling far warmer than adults because they are running about but staff should be monitoring the children who don’t seem to be able to make sensible choices.

As for mud - kids love it and playing in it is great fun!

If he's unsupervised and they're not ensuring he is properly dressed then you need to remove him immediately and report to the regulator.

In England, children must be supervised (in adult sight or hearing, usually both) at all times and Ofsted would investigate such a serious breach.

It's Scottish for bloody freezing
It’s not Scottish, it’s quite common in several places I’ve lived in the uk.

Anyway op;
1 what’s the photo for? That’s not a muddy welly. It’s really not that dirty at all.
2 I get what your saying, but maybe the gloves are worse when wet/muddy as they don’t dry out. Have you asked?
3 if he’s only being sent in a hoodie, he can only wear a hoodie.

If you send a rain suit or waterproof coat and suitable shoes, like boots, then meet with the manager and tell her his clothes are ruined and you want him to wear it. It might be the time it takes to get him ready that isn’t practical.

Discuss your concerns, but I think you need some perspective to be honest

There's no ofsted as we are in Scotland
The door is opened a few hours after nursery begins and he will be out there until I collect him, a good 2 hr, sometimes 1hr and a half depending on what we are doing that day.
I really don't believe he would go in if he was cold, He doesn't have that understanding.
I know it's not their fault if he doesn't have a warm coat but surely you'd apply common sense, zip up hoody on? Let's check if you have a thicker coat hanging up, no? Well then sorry DS no outside play today. It's not hard really

As you know he likes to go out and get dirty then yabu as you needle to provide the right clothing. Go to Primark get some cheap joggers and socks pants t-shirts vests a couple of pairs of wellies and some all in one waterproofs. Job done. Get a few of each so you have a few days to wash and rotate