Nursery won't take child in 7 weeks after injury

[AleenaM]

Child age 4y had a broken leg, in a cast for 5 weeks. Was not allowed in at all into their nursery as it's an outdoor setting (private nursery setting not a pre school ) and quoted "not safe". Made us go through hoops such as obtain a letter from surgeron that child can attend, arrange an OT to visit the nursery. Then still deemed it unsafe.

Post cast they've allowed child back in for 3 hrs daily for 2 weeks, however now into week 3 and still insisting on only 3hours while they best figure how to support child with toilet etc. and make a plan for next week.

Is there anything I can do to get them to accept child ? I'm struggling to work if I have to drive up and down to there after just 2:30hrs. They haven't even accepted I bring them in 1hour earlier to be at morning snack and welcome time due to not enough staff to support this.

At home child is mobile on all terrains. Struggles with toilet just as before. Can't help but think it's their own staffing issues and reluctance to accommodate my child. Is there anything I can do, do they have any legal duty to accommodate temporarily disabled children ?

I'm lucky I WFH else I would've long be sacked by now. I've no family around.

Sounds like you need to sit down and have a formal meeting. It must be really hard juggling wfh with a child.

If you aren't happy, I would really start looking at another nursery because I would feel the support and trust had gone.

They have had long enough to arrange staffing and how difficult is it to toilet a child? It's not like they go every 5 minutes.

Irrelevant, tedious and trolling

For those 3 hours they keep all children indoor to do an activity & have the lunch, but they need to get them out for the rest of the day.

Still doesn't explain why they can't at least go in and have snack&play at 8.30am and not 9.30am. I've been told this is due to staggered morning starts for staff and not enough staff to support child at morning snack.

Do they only take able bodied children? How do they get around the equality act?
What do they do for other children?

DS broke his leg when he was 2. I kept him off myself for the whole time he was in his cast and for the week after as it’s a small nursery and didn’t want him trampled on as he crawled around. Luckily I have lots of support around so it wasn’t an issue, as well as a very understanding employer.

But they gave me the option of sending him in if I wanted. They wouldn’t have been able to give him any additional 1-1 support and it was the same when he returned too. I know it varies nursery to nursery but their approach does sound extreme, though if it is an outdoor nursery I do get it.

Can you find out what their thinking in terms of the plan to return to full time?

Wow, I see a lot of WFH piss taking, this isn't an example of it. What else is OP supposed to do.

(from a full time office worker that would be even more screwed in this situation)

What kind of outdoors area do they have?

This seems bizarre to me. Ds is in a nursery that does a lot of forest school stuff in the woods opposite, and has large outdoor on site outdoor space. When a friend of his broken leg last year (was also 4), they still did everything as normal. Forest routes adapted to areas which they could use borrowed three wheeler pram. A staff member just helped with toilet as needed, and they played outside sitting or on floor a few weeks.

I mean how often do they need toilet? My own 4 year old rarely goes at nursery and he’s there 4hrs each morning. So presumably they only need to help most the time once or twice maximum between say 8.30am and 3pm.

They should definitely be allowing they to start at 8.30am anyway. Can you provide a jogger type pram so they can go outside easily? You can get off marketplace secondhand, buy basic one new and sell in 6 weeks

For those 3 hours they keep all children indoor to do an activity & have the lunch, but they need to get them out for the rest of the day

From your original desciption I assumed it was a fully outdoor setting, which would make it a little trickier for planning a return, but still not impossible. However, if there's an indoor space that the children have to spend at least 4 hours every day in then that's not the case. If they have to remain inside between 8.30 - lunchtime then I don't see why your child couldn't have attended while in a cast, even if it was just for part time hours.

I've been told this is due to staggered morning starts for staff and not enough staff to support child at morning snack.

Apologies if i'm missing something, but why would your child need additional support during their morning snack?

Have you had a sit down meeting with the manager / SLT to discuss a return to nursery. Also please confirm that you haven't had to pay for the missed sessions / full day rate when the nursery are the ones preventing your child from attending.

Edited - Spelling Errors.

So the children don't normally 'have' to be indoor 4 hours, they are making it sound as if they are doing this adjustment for my child. Child has been provided with a wheelchair too, however was still not welcomed with a cast. I feel like I have spent the past weeks trying to convince them to take child in.

They are arranging an extra staff member for those 3 hours that they are offering me.

I haven't been paying for May and I have some indication that they might not charge for days in June where she hasn't attended.

You’re the ‘nursery graduation’ poster aren’t you?

Is she finishing at that nursery at the end of the month?

What’s the plan for childcare after that? Can you perhaps implement that a bit sooner than expected if the nursery are being difficult?

I am, but I have two children so this post isn't about the school leaver.

If your child is 4, won’t he or she be starting school in September?

Will your Dc need extra support whilst at nursery and is there risk of re-injury whilst outside? If so then I can see why they won’t accept them, as they won’t have the staff available and they won’t want the responsibility of the injury. You might just have to wait until no extra support is required. If not, then you need to make it clear to them that no extra support is needed and there is no risk of re-injury and that you expect them in.

She's not abusing WFH, she's doing her best to juggle everything with her childcare suddenly removed without warning. Some of us wouldn't have any other options. She's in a March 2020 situation here, many of us did it then and it was frankly awful but there was no other option and it's the same for her now.

Might vary depending on the nature and extent of the break. The type of cast my LO was in would have been impossible for any childcare setting to deal with and then recovery is much longer.

I don't think there's much you can do about it but suck it up. I would've hoping this hasn't made your child regress with toileting.
If your child is 4 aren't they starting school in September. I don't think trying to assert your rights, if you have, any right now will get you anywhere.
I'd do as much physio with your child as poss. I can understand your annoyance.

Has the OT given any recommendations? I'd ask for a sit down with the manager and ask them to outline what needs to be done before they will allow your child to attend full time again, if you haven't already.

Where is your partner in all this juggling of kids and work op?

Sounds like they've risk assessed and determined that your child needs a 1-1 while she's temporarily disabled. They've managed to get an extra staff member for the mornings but not for full days. My preschool would struggle similarly to source a 1-1.

Of course if a child with a disability attended they would hire extra staff for the 1-1 ratio as necessary. For a temporary injury they're doing the best they can with staffing.

The WFH police are out I see 🤔

I've worked in an office setting for over 20 years and I've seen just as much faffing and time wasting in a office as I do as home.

OP I'm glad you have an understanding employer, I have the same and its saved mu bacon numerous times, I certainly do no less work WFH than if I was made to attend an office it just means I can handle when life goes tits up.

I hope you get the nursery sorted.

This site gives information on challenging a childcare provider who is refusing a place because of a disability. I do not know if your child would be legally classed as disabled though. A temporary broken leg is not enough sadly.

https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/your-child-your-family/childcare/refused-childcare/

Out ds broke his leg similarly and just luckily I was on mat leave..yes the recovery time and the advise was the same just wait etc.. he has the cast off now and should be recovering his strength, he isn't particularly at risk of it breaking again. So surely the nursery need to find a way to accomdate him further. Does he have a walking aid ? He's a small four year old and they would have to help many of the kids there to the toilet so I'm not really sure what the difference is ? Could he go outside and just adapt the activities for him ? Sandpit etc. I would ask for a meeting and see what happens then you need a break !

What would their policy be for a disabled child? Sounds like they are verging on discrimination.