Parents inside nursery

[Confusedteatowel]

Genuinely questioning whether IABU as I really don't know.

My toddler was a lockdown baby and as such we've never been allowed into nursery to collect her. Each parent buzzes at the front door and a member of staff brings the child out and does a brief handover. It's not perfect as there is always a queue of parents waiting so you feel pressure to be quick, but it's been fine.

Anyhow, they are now relaxing the rules to allow parents in. They have sent a long email about the rules around this (only 4 parents allowed in each room at once, no allowing other parents in/tailgating, quick handover only, one parent per child etc) but it still makes me nervous, especially with recent events in the US. If no one is actually manning the front door then it would be very easy for anyone to walk in. Then again we're in the UK not the US and attacks are thankfully rare.

Am I being paranoid? I'd be really interested to hear what parents who had kids in nursery pre lockdown think of this.

Thanks

(for context there is no enclosed area at the front so no option of general milling around and relaxed handover)

We go in but are buzzed in. I’d hate to do a handover on the doorstep so I’m glad those times are over.

I don't think parents going in means there's an increased risk of an attack. It an attacker targets a nursery then they'll probably find a way in. I appreciate this is much easier to say than do but don't worry about this. It will never happen.

I'd be more concerned about kids getting out than adults getting in, personally.

Im in ROI, parents pre covid went in and out without any issue and thankfully we're now back to that. It wouldn't even occur to me to be concerned about a US style attack.

Every nursery I've been to has always been locked and answered by a senior member of staff. AFAIK Not anyone can just walk into a nursery. Have they told you that you can just let yourselves in? How are they going to make sure only 4 parents are inside at one time if that's the case?

Surely the door will still be locked? I doubt they would just have an open door that anyone can enter at any time.

How does the entry to the building work? I haven't come across many childcare settings where there isn't a manned or at least a buzz in thingy with a camera.

When you do gain entry, are you then held in some kind of secure reception to be escorted or can you go straight to the children's rooms? I'd be quite shocked if the latter as the chance of somebody piggybacking on a genuine parent would be quite high.

we are still doing outdoor handovers but actually it is better than I remember it pre covid for various reasons (pick up isn’t busy with a queue as per the OP’s)

but pre covid, when we went in to collect from the rooms, we rang a bell and were buzzed in once a staff member had seen and recognised us, and there is a double set of doors into the building where you can’t have both open at the same time to minimise risk of escapees

The door won't be left unlocked. You'll need to buzzed in (or similar).

Lockdown was so tough and has had so many far-reaching consequences. You’re not unreasonable in your anxiety given that context.

However my kids were nursery age pre-covid and being able to go into their ‘classroom’ space is a joy.

So far, YANBU given your experiences to date.

As far as worries about attackers - this is where you are being U in my view. Door policy doesn’t change this infinitesimally small risk. If you trust your nursery to care for you LO, this has to include feeling they are safe there.

Its a buzzer system into the hall, then the rooms are off the hall/up the stairs. No reception (it's a converted large Victorian house). I'm concerned about people tailgating behind the parents who have been buzzed in.

@glamourousindierockandroll exactly

I'm concerned about people tailgating behind the parents who have been buzzed in.

Has anything like this ever happened in the U.K.?

@TheKeatingFive people tailgating into "secure" spaces? Yes, loads. An attack in a nursery? Not that I'm aware of.

An attack in a nursery? Not that I'm aware of.

Thats what I was asking about

I used to quite happily and confidently shut the door behind me when I’ve been buzzed into the nursery and I’ve shut the door in people‘s faces before now because as you rightly say they should not be walking into the nursery unannounced. They can buzz and wait to be admitted just as I had to be.

just because there’s never been an attack on a nursery doesn’t mean to say it’s impossible.

my nursery has a one way system, with a member of staff letting parents in, walk down hallway to another member of staff who calls the children by name, children are sat with other members of staff and coats/bags etc, then parents head out to reception through a door to be let out but coded to get in.

you have to buzz to get into reception but then other rooms are coded doors to the children.

Children that stay all day are in a different room than the children who go home.

just because there’s never been an attack on a nursery doesn’t mean to say it’s impossible.

No, no one says it is. But in the overall scheme of things to worry about, likelihood of happening probably should be considered.

That is the exact set up of the nursery my kids went to, 10 years ago. Everything was absolutely fine and I had no worries about this at all. This won’t ease your mind and things might have changed now but while we were supposed not to let anyone else in once we had been buzzed in, in practice you are not going to slam the door in the face of the parent coming after you and make them buzz separately. I really think there are other things to worry about though than the incredibly remote possibility someone would ,pretend to be a parent to gain access in that way. There was a much greater chance that we would be attacked or run over on the way to the nursery, and that was very very unlikely also.

I'm not thinking about a US style attack on a nursery, but I do think that it would be possible to have children taken without their resident parent's permission in the case of an acrimonious split. I think that would be a far more likely risk.

You're massively overreacting. We've been allowed back into nursery since earlier this year. Double door entry system. No issues at all.

We’ve been at 2 different nurseries. One in the US and one in the Uk. Both of them you had to ring the bell and be buzzed in or let in. Also both of them had staff on the front door at busy times to tick off kids and avoid escapees. Then usually the child was then released from their actual room by a teacher that recognised you.

@Ginger1982 this nursery does not have a double door entry system

My DD's nursery entrance system sounds like yours. There is a desk in the entrance hall but that is infrequently staffed. There are ring doorbells and someone from DD's room will come down to let me/us in. Nursery recently emailed parents to remind them to close the door behind them and not allow tailgating- warning did seem valid as plenty of parents have let us in at pick up. I don't think that you need to worry about an attack though, it's more of an issue with disputed custody arrangements