Being blackmailed by my daughters nursery

[Jaded85]

Hi All,

So earlier this week when I was dropping my daughter, who is two, off at nursery, I was told by 4 staff members that they were leaving due to poor treatment by the owner. I was alarmed by this information and spoke to the manager who also said she was ‘going off sick on her notice period and not coming back’ because she’s ‘had enough’. I tried to explain to the manager that this would be really unsettling for the children and questioned if the nursery would still be opening after Christmas as only a couple of staff members remained. She had no answers. I told her that if parents weren’t given clarity then I would have no choice but to report her to ofsted. Once I’d left the nursery I spoke to two other parents at the nursery and they said they had been told the same.
The following day I received a call from the nursery owner and she denied all claims of staff being unhappy with her and said they were all leaving for personal reasons. the conversation ended with her saying my daughters key worker would remain the same and she would not be affected by any changes.
A day later I received another phone call from her asking me to withdraw an alleged complaint I had made to Ofsted, to which I told her that even if I had, I have every right as a parent to do so.
Today I received an email from her containing the following;

‘I have contacted the Local Education Authority Early Years Team and asked for advice and they have said that if you feel you are unable to do this then we are able to terminate your contract with the nursery.’

‘Please can you confirm to me by email that you have updated the regulator with the actual facts as have been explained to you, If I do not receive confirmation then unfortunately I will have no choice but to terminate your daughters place‘

I’m furious!

Is the owners name Jackie by any chance?

Just echoing everyone else, I would definitely be finding another nursery in your situation.

She's bullshitting a bullshitter. What did you think the threat of a complaint would achieve? Make staff stay against their will? Turn everything into sunshine and rainbows? Ofsted wouldn't care about staff leaving at this point anyways nor can they make them stay.

I'd say at this point in time your relationship with the nursery is beyond repair anyways so you're better off moving your daughter anyways.

It sounds like your relationship with the nursery has broken down, you’re going to have to look elsewhere for childcare I think....and completely and utterly unprofessional of staff to speak to parents about whatever their issues are

The only reason I question was because I had 4 members of staff walk up to me and say ‘we’re leaving because the owner is awful’. That was unprofessional and not information I needed to know. I asked the manager who said ‘this is an awful setting and I want out’. Which parent wants to hear this?!

I would remove my child from the there immediately. Might be worth googling crech issues Dublin and Tulsa RTE Primetime news to see what has happened here recently.

Forward the email to ofsted and ask them to comment.

Look urgently for a new nursery

OrangeHue

It’s not Jackie x

I think you're right to be looking at a new nursery. It does seem to be one red flag after another.

However, I think you were out of order getting involved in staffing issues and saying if you didn't have information you'd be going to Ofsted.

Ofsted only get involved in serious situations or in the event that the formal complaints procedure has been followed with no resolution. A parent wanting information in staffing threatening Ofsted is the sort of thing that has no substance and would totally get the provider's back up.

Im not sure whether the LA would give the advice she's claiming, but I'm not sure you can be annoyed at them threatening to remove your child's place when you threatened Ofsted to throw your weight around.

Bloody awful. The owner sounds vile.

The tone of her email explains a lot about why so many staff walked out.

Was your complaint because the nursery was being left understaffed? If so I completely agree with the complaint!

If the nursery is so dreadful you feel reporting it is appropriate why would you want your child to remain there. Very odd to report but want to stay!

That's awful. I'd hate to leave my child somewhere with such a miserable workforce. Find a new nursery if you can, I would do as other posters have said and forward the email to the head of the EY team, it sounds like the nursery needs some support.

If you made the complaint you could reply "I have updated OFSTEAD with facts as they were relayed to me." Since you have told OFSTEAD the "facts" that were told to you, you just used the "facts" told to you by the staff, not the "facts" told to you by the owner.

I think, realistically, you probably do need to find another place for your DD, though. That sort of turnover is a big red flag even without the confession by the staff and you have no certainty that the owner will be able to find enough staff (especially not good staff) over the holiday to be able to open fully.

I'm pretty sure you can report a nursery for having insufficient staff to Ofsted the ratios are not for fun

@Jaded85
Is she called Wendy?

You need a new nursery and if by dumping you, you don't have to pay a notice fee then that's in your favour, yes?

I'm pretty sure you can report a nursery for having insufficient staff to Ofsted the ratios are not for fun

Except no one has left yet and OP has no idea if cover was arranged or not.

I understand that the nursery has seen a huge decline recently is morale and the level of care for children has suffered. Before I even received the email, I had already decided to pull my daughter out. My daughters key worker had been changed 3 times in 5 months. She was fully potty trained and regressed because of this. My threat to go to Ofsted was not an empty one. I did make the call and they did take me seriously, which is why she’s panicking.

You can't complain to Ofsted because staff are leaving. The nursery owner's reaction is terrible however, so I agree the email should be forwarded to Ofsted as it sounds like the place is going to pieces. Hardly be a suitable environment for young children if there are staff tensions. Let Ofsted check it out.

Don't get me wrong, the nursery sounds like a toxic workplace and the owner sounds shit. No wonder people are leaving.

But OP isn't exactly covering herself in glory.

Best thing to do now, is to move the child to a better nursery.

PanicAndRun

Thank You. I completely agree. It’s a huge safeguarding concern. And their staff turnover since the summer has been appalling. I was hoping things would get better and my daughter wouldn’t have to go through the stress of adjusting to a new setting.

I was not hoping to make the staff reconsider by going to Ofsted - it was simply for them to investigate the quality of the leadership and consider the safeguarding risks

I'd forward that email to ofsted. You need a new nursery asap.

Like a pp, I also don’t really understand what you would be complaining to ofstead about in the first instance to be honest?

I totally get you want clarity that it’s still going to be open etc but I’m not sure that staffing issues, people leaving etc is a reason to get ofstead involved, purely because I don’t know how they could resolve the situation... it’s not necessarily they’re doing something wrong or not following procedures, it internal.

I also think if you in a confrontation with them it’s probably better to just look for a new nursery for you dc. It doesn’t sound great or stable

I know a nursery owner, she is a tough cookie. Her staff are ruled with a rod of iron and she suggests parents remove their children if there is a ripple of dissent. Your child should be removed do it before all the others do when the place is shut down.

I would forward that e mail to ofsted though.