To be annoyed with my sons play school at having the door open - CONSTANTLY!

[sweetheart]

Ok, I have never used this topic before but I am really annoyed about something and I'd like the general consensus of what happens at other play schools.

The playschool my son goes to have an outside area and the door is always open. The children are allowed to choose when they play outside - this is in conjuction with the early years curriculum of free play apparently.

Usually it's fine but recently it's been very cold and they have had the door wide open even when it's been below zero! Today I went in and asked if the same would apply - we have had heavy snow hear and it's very cold.

I was informed that it would be open and the children could choose if they play outside. I said I would rather my ds was not outside getting cold and wet to which I was informed that it was his choice and they would not stop him.

Am I being unreasonable or regardless of the curriculum should there not come a point where a responsible adult takes control and stops them from getting so cold and wet? I mean if a child could truly choose what they did all day it would probably be eating chocolate and they aren't allowed to do that at playschool.

Really I'd love to know if I am being totally irrational!

When I was little I was never cold, or not enough to bother me when I was outside. Other adults (not my parents) were always fussing and whining about kids catching cold and they made me feel so claustrophobic. I thought there was something wrong with them, maybe they have weird skin that explodes if it gets wet or something.
3 is too young for scheduling. I used to play in and out all day every day till I went to school. I loved mud pies and the smell of grass and rain and frost. I am lucky I wasn't kept in away from them all day, like a grown-up forced to keep clean and earn a living. Time enough for that.
Take a thermometer into the room and leave it around for a while. If it says something like 16C it is too cold in there. It won't.

Our pre-school has implemented that the children can only go out in small groups and once outside they have free choice. We have steps to the very small outdoor area so free flow would be dangerous and it would be impossible to maintain safe staffing levels.

The staff do have the freedom to implement condition provided they are rational and thought out! So it could be a case of dc can play outside if they wish in the last hour before they get collected (no sitting around in wet clothes, door firmly shut for 2 hours etc)

Having to leave doors open at preschools is an urban legend/weird rumour that's going around!

There is nothing in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework that says doors need to be kept open at all times. This is the staff/manager at the setting misunderstanding the EYFS requirements. As long as there is a procedure in place to let children have outside play for at least some of the time, and they have elements of free choice eg. a range of toys at child-height, then that meets the requirements.

You can leave a door open to let children outside all the time if you want (EYFS doesn't say you can't) but then you would also need to have things in place to stop children getting soaking wet every five minutes when it rains and to ensure the building doesn't get too cold.

Tell them to speak to the local authority early years team or the pre-school learning alliance. If they don't give you a sensible response ask Ofsted to look into it - they have a helpline or email on their website www.ofsted.gov.uk.

And there I was wishing we had access to one of those forest style playschools where they are outside all the time.
Children are hardy, dress them properly and they are fine.

Our pre-school was just Ofsted'd and the inspector was adamant that the door remain open at all times to allow the free flow of play between indoors and out and also that exactly the same experiences were available outside.

I agree with squirrel. As long as they children know that the outdoor area is available if they ask (not necessarily all day), and the staff have thought through the clothing issue, then there is absolutely no need to have a door open all the time. It's a mis-application of the EYFS guidelines.

Freedome of choice for the children does not mean the door has to be open, it means that they need to know that they can choose to be outside at various points in the day.

Sorry, I sort of repeated myself there!

The phrase: "Were you born in a barn or what?" springs to mind.

Free flow of play my bottom. Teaches kids a very bad lesson if you ask me - that they can just wander out through any open door they happen to see. Better to teach them to ask an adult if they can go outside first.

I don't think it bothers the children at all, it is an adult thing. The door being constantly open is no different to it being closed and then opened every 2 minutes. I read about forest nursery schools where the children are outside, all the time, whatever the weather and it seemed great.

I want somewhere like this

Surely the inside must be like a fridge?
It's all very well saying dress them for it and they'll be fine but would you want to eat, sleep and have a nappy changed dressed for an arctic expedition? I bet the "cozy corner"'s not very cozy.

I agree with PuppyMonkey (great name ) much better to encourage children to speak up for themselves, teach them to ASK an adult if they want to go outside. Sorry but I too find it barbaric (I work in a school and in nursery and reception classes they follow the same ofsted recommendation, but the staff are always getting ill! Quelle surprise)

Or, how about those rubber flaps instead of doors which keep more of the heat in, only prob, there must be staff outside if any children are...

Just seems mad to me. My 2yo often asks to play in the garden in winter but unless I have to go out there to feed the cat or do some weeding I say no. SOrry , it's winter I'm cold.

A toddler flap

I used to be able to get through our dog flap (as an adult that is) so a dog flap would be perfect

Ooh thank you Nancy!

PolarBear, now that's a tempting idea

KNowing my toddler it would be in=out-in-out-in-out....and tantrums if anyone else tried to use it!

Just wanted to add we have free flow at my nursery (i'm the manager), however we do not leave the door open, the children can ask to go out when they wish as staff out there during day. There are times when they cannot go out (meals etc). Refsted - depends on the inspector in my experience they vary to such a degree, its shocking! However i have always maintained that as long as you can justify your decisions are in the best interests of the children they are generally ok. So in this case the pre-school should close the door but allow children to ask, informing any ofsted inspector that its too cold inside if the door is left open and also citing any safety issues as mentioned (children not wandering off etc)

We find the children learn well in this way with us making sure that there are similar learning opportunities inside and out (for example number cards and sorting toys inside, numbered bikes and spaces outside). The children have to follow other rules so do learn that they cannot do just as they please.

oooh didn't mean to do the grin thing on ofsted but seems to fit!

mummywannabe - can my ds come to your play school - it sounds lovely! They seem to just be left to their own devices at this playschool, there is no structured learning at all - and yes i know thats the new guidelines but I don't really fully agree with them!

I would be very happy for my child to attend one of those preschools that don't have an indoors; I think fresh air is good for children. IF prepared for it and properly dressed.

But I would be livid at the situation you describe: wasting energy letting the cold air into a presumably heated room. People in this country are extraordinarily wasteful about these things: they seem to think heating is never going to run out.