What would you think about nursery doing this?

[CarrotCorn]

So ds is 3, his nursery print pictures off and put them in a book with the date and a note about what they've been up to, then send this home with parents at the end/beginning of each term.

Small bit of background ds has been struggling with the social aspect of nursery, as far as I'm aware he spends 99% of the time holding a adults hand and has had 2 days in the last term where he's played with another child.

So I've just received his book and was confused but pleasantly surprised to see quite a few days of him running about without an adult, and playing with another child. However after looking closer these pictures are all from the same "good" day and I remember them telling me about it. Here's an example, with fake dates:

1.1.23 Bob was brave today and enjoyed running around the playground. Picture of running

3.1.23 Bob joined in playing ring around the roses and help hands with another child today picture

4.1.23 Bob joined in at dance time today, well done! Picture

But all three pictures are from the same day, also I remember this day as it was so great that he had ran around the playground, held a hand and danced. This happens three times in his book. Aibu to be bothered by this? I feel like it paints a picture of a completely different child.

OK hang on I've now read some responses assuming that this IS the EYFS observation / developmental record book.

So I think, if you want to be constructive, it would be useful to find out what it is.

Is it a developmental record? If so then you have reason to be concerned about the inaccuracy.

Is it just nice pictures to look at? Then don't worry about it. But let them know if you wouldn't mind pictures of him holding the teacher's hand!

Okay so I've had a look at the EYFS ranges and his charts, IF I'm reading them correctly then he's marked as being at a stage younger than his age for almost everything. So while that's obviously not a good thing, I think that says they are doing that accurately and not making everything seem better than it really is?

Random thought but are the dates concurrent like that? If so it’s possible someone is capturing it on an excel and dragging down the dates. Then someone else is taking that and filling in the book?

Our nursery give us this kind of book at the end of each term and it is the EYFS developmental stage tracker. Each photo has a short description and is linked to a particular ‘characteristic of effective learning’ - so for example a picture of my child dressing up would be marked ‘using expressive arts and design’, a picture of a baby learning to walk would be marked ‘physical development’ and so on.

The pictures aren’t dated precisely with a day - just with a month and year - ‘July 2022’. Which is perfectly adequate and I imagine helps avoid this kind of mistake.

They’re lovely books and dual purpose - a nice keepsake for parents but also useful to track development.

I doubt they’re deliberately misleading you, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok, particularly if a) this book is meant to function as the development tracker and b) you have concerns around your son’s development. So I would raise it if I were you.

Yes it really does matter.

My DD doesn’t talk at nursery. If she does it’s a very faint whisper. She’s been there way over a year now.
A selective mutism specialist is coming to observe her. If nursery tell this lady that she had 3 days where she spoke and run around, then it would paint a very misleading picture of her and would be doing my DD a disservice.

Nursery need to be truthful and accurate about these sorts of things to everyone. Parents, health professionals, the people assessing my DD for autism, etc… They can’t mess up with stuff like this.

@funinthesun19 fair enough, it wasn't clear in your OP what the book was for, sounded like it was just a nice to have for parents.

Well yes it does sound like a nice to have for the parents.
But even so, nursery shouldn’t make things up on it.

Also it’s not my OP. I was just mentioning my own experience as a good reason why dates and observations should be accurate. If there is a child with SEN, then it’s even more crucial to make sure nursery don’t make things out to be better than they are as the child might not get the the outside help they need.

my friends daughter worked in a creche and at the end of the day they were told to fil in things about the children, all positive unless they remember something specific, sorry but id say a lot of creches do that. Its not right but it happens.

My nursery does the same, pictures from the wrong season even sometimes. As pp says, they're too busy looking after the kids and get paid pennies, I don't doubt that they do it just before we get to see it on parents evening! ultimately my kid is happy there and progressing well so I don't question it.

Is the date meant to indicate the date that the activity occurred or the date it was recorded? In my experience, it usually takes several weeks to record activities, even from the same day, because there is a lot of looking through photos/printing them off/annotating them, etc. If he did all that, even on the same day, that sounds great though.

It's not ideal but the nursery staff have to do so much paperwork (which time they're often not paid for) I don't blame them for taking some short cuts. They're probably not trying to mislead, just more a case of making up dates to fill some pages in the book.

It's just nursery staff struggling to find really positive things to say, just brush it off, it's just stretching the truth not telling whoppers! Give them a break

I’d guess there may be an element of this at play to be honest

Our nursery school used a cloud folder for photos of my DS in nursery, showing evidence of progress/completing tasks

Usually all of the photos were uploaded on the same day, near to the end of term.

Then they used their own app for showing the kids in their day to day routines

You are being really precious. You want pictures of him holding his teachers hands? And you think they just know this psychically do you?
My 5 year old went to nursery for 4 years before school. They log all their activity in an online app. We had pictures every day. Not one was of her holding hands with a teacher.

It sounds like they take the photos but don’t immediately print them and write about them in the book.

So they’ve forgotten when he did what and hasn’t realised he’s wearing the exact same outfit.

Tbh I’d just be happy that they’re not of him say crying in the corner the entire time and that he does have a good time and plays with other children.

I think it’s good to get an idea of what children are like but I think it’s also important that they get a fresh start with no preconceived ideas about them, especially negative ones.

I actually would like some pictures of him holding teachers hands as he loves them.

I’m not sure why you’d want this tbh as they all will hold their teachers hands at some point and it’s no indication of their behaviour or what they’ve done that day.

I think she means that if you'd is what he does most of the day she wouldn't be opposed to then seeing photos of it in the book.

Someone said at the start of the thread "Doubt you'd want 3 pictures of him just holding an adults hand"

That's why I said I wouldn't mind them.

How confident are you that it's the same day? Yes this would bother me a lot simply because it shows staff/managent are prepared to lie.
Do you know the parent of the child he was playing with. It would be interesting to see how their pictures compare.
Just for clarity I wouldn't be 'blaming' the nursery for my child being reserved, I'd be angry they have been dishonest. Once could be a mistake but 3 different dates makes it look deliberate to me.

I think you've missed the point here. She doesn't particularly want a picture of her child holding the staff's hand, or anything else specific. What she just wants the pictures to be a reasoble account of what really happened that day. On 2 of those days her child was not playing with the others so it's an inaccurate account.

I'm sure the intentions are good here. I wouldn't read too much into it

Having worked in nurseries, pre the days when everything had to be photographed and recorded, I think the nursery are trying to give you a positive keepsake.

I once had a very reserved child in my family at nursery and fortunately her Mum was a schoolteacher of mine so I was able to relay many positive parts of her daughters day to her and her see them
as steps forward, had I had to document and photograph them they would have been very dull viewing.

I think I'd be a little frustrated, but I'd see it as a consequence of A) too much stuff that they have to do to fulfil requirements meaning that they try to take photos on one day and document on another to save having to do everything continuously, and B) them wanting you to see your child engaged and happy. I'd probably just shrug and move on, especially if he's happy and comfortable there.

I would rather the nursery staff are actually spending their time playing with the children that sodding around taking photos with endless checklists and demands put on theM to make these diaries This all takes time and it's time taken from the care of the children. I would opt out and get a verbal update when collecting.