AIBU to remove DD from nursery?

[Midlandsmummy29]

My 3 year old DD started nursery attached to the local primary school. She’ll have two years there before starting school.

We’ve not had a great first impression. She doesn’t have a key worker as they are understaffed. On collecting her after her first day we were buzzed into the building but not one member of staff spoke to us. We wandered the room and couldn’t find her, told a member of staff and she muttered “she’ll be in here somewhere” whilst typing on her laptop keeping her eyes fixed to the screen. We could have been anyone, it didn’t feel very security conscious. After finding DD, we asked staff for feedback on her first day, the response was “yeah fine”- no other info, it was as if we were an inconvenience for asking.

I’m not expecting a detailed account but a quick indication of if she’d settled okay, had she eaten, played etc, but we got nothing. It’s not been much better on other days when collecting her- I asked if there was a handover process and was told no, I can ask questions on collection but they won’t give me any information unless I ask but they have parents evening once per year so can give me feedback then?!

The sessions last 5 hours and I was informed that apart from 20 minutes in a group, the rest is free play. The kids just seem to be wandering about lost.

The place doesn’t look very clean. They told me today that they thought DD had an allergic reaction but turned out her face was covered in berries- why not help clean it off? I know they are encouraging independence but why leave a child with a face so dirty they thought it was an allergic reaction?

To top it off, she’s been up half the night being sick.

We’re not new to nursery, DD attended one since 10 months old. We moved her here as it’s attached to the school she’ll be attending but she could do pre school at her old one. DH wants to remove her, I feel like we should give it a few weeks but this first impression has made me uncomfortable. WWYD?

OP just to address your update.
We moved our DD from private nursery to school nursery and encountered a lot of the same issues. She moved from a group of 20 to 90. We were reliant on her to tell us what she had eaten and done that day. The ratio at school nursery was stretched to the absolute limit and we rarely had any conversation with the teachers.
However
Towards the end of the year she was taken to the reception classes several times a week to get used to the new environment. She got to mix with the children in reception class and still knows them to this day. She got to meet her new teachers in the school environment in advance of the school year starting. She was used to the busy and chaotic environment (Reception has an intake of 120) and used to the school hall, music hall and lunch routine.
Finally we were told that out of a class of 30, 20 of these children were were made up of the school nursery. This meant that when my child moved into school she already knew, at least by sight, 20 of the 30 children in her class. This is in addition to the friends she made that went to other classes who she still sees at playtime.
I’ve just attended my first parents evening and one of the things they mentioned to me was that child ‘x’ wants to be friends with my child and for me to encourage this as child x came from outside of the nursery and therefore doesn’t know any of the children (and is struggling to make friends).
I desperately missed her old nursery and the personal touch we received there, but given all the benefits I’ve listed above I will still make the same change for my son when he is old enough to go.

I would pull her out.
The handover I wouldn’t worry about but the security would concern me. I wouldn’t want any old random person being allowed to walk into nursery. DD is at a private nursery so it might be different but anyone who isn’t recognised will be greeted at the door to verify who they are before they are allowed in the building

Thanks for all the replies.

DD getting a place at the attached primary school is not dependent on her attending the nursery- it’s done solely by catchment so that’s not a concern.

She has an ante pre school year and then a pre school year. We were told they do get a key worker but our daughter does not yet have one as they are short staffed. I’m not expecting War and Peace printed out but a member of staff giving us a brief verbal update (rather than rudely staring at a computer) on her first few days isn’t much to ask.

I may investigate if removing her this year and getting a place for her pre school year is a possibility. There’s a big difference between a 3 and 4 year old in terms of independence. It may also give time for staffing to be sorted.

that sounds rubbish! yes, retreat,

At the risk of becoming repetitive, I find the lack of a key worker worrying. The key worker is an absolute minimal regulatory requirement for the nursery to operate legally, not a 'nice to have' optional extra.

Being short staffed is not an excuse; and nor is the fact that some PPs seem to consider it normal. There’s nothing normal or acceptable about a childcare/education facility playing fast and loose with the regulations and deciding which particular aspects of law they will/won’t abide by. An Ofsted inspector would automatically judge them 'adequate' or 'requiring improvement' purely on the lack of a key worker.

A key worker is essential from day one. Not least because their statutory functions include "to help the child become familiar with the setting" and "build a relationship with the parents" (EYFS 3.27).

The legal adult-child ratios are calculated so each child can have a key worker: they don’t need extra staff in order to do the key worker role. If this particular nursery can’t do that, then I’d be very concerned they’re either operating with too many children, or the staff just aren’t capable. Either way, the "short staffed" comment amounts to an admission of failure.

OP, I'd urge you to sit down and have a chat with whoever is overseeing the nursery. Then see if it improves or if your expectations is in line with what they consider the norm. Move your DD if not.

Wow OP I don't think this is good enough. YANBU. Pretty dingy. My 15th month old is in nursery in Spain, if it were like that I'd run a mile! They're being treated like teenagers! Are you actually paying for this? Here we have a diary and the teacher writes down everything of interest and so do we every day. She is in a class of 14 and on the cameras I can see there a two people at certain times and 3 at mealtimes. Nobody wanders around at pick ups or drop offs, a member of staff meets you. Your set up is not good enough.