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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed about the way nursery deal with snow days?

31 replies

gingernutlover · 18/12/2009 18:33

dd's nursery is supposed to open at 7.30, it took me until 8.30 to get through and find out that there was one member of staff there who didnt know whether they would be open as other staff were "trying to get in"

I dont know whether to be annoyed or not. I mean, primary schools round here (I work in one) know by 7am whether they are opening or not and a parental acscade is put into place to let the parents know.

The nursery is owned by Asquith and has a texting service for when there are outbreaks of flu at nursery or for when they advertise their open days [hmmm]. Am i being unreasonable to think they should just decide one way or another before opening time and text everyone? It's obviously an automated system so i doubt it would take much effort.

There was similar confusion last year, except the snow wasnt too bad, so I turned up at nursery only to have to stand there for 20 minutes while they faffed about decided whether to open (there were 2 staff members ther but not the manager).

Is this normal? Or do others nurseries have systems in place?

Oh, I should say that at 10am ish they issued a list iof nurseries open on the website - how very helpful (not).

OP posts:
Original poster
gingernutlover · 18/12/2009 18:42

my first sentence means get through on the phone by the way - after the fiasco last year it seemed stupid to drag dd through the snow for no good reason

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Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 08:33

i guess i am then LOL

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fiveisanawfullybignumber · 19/12/2009 08:38

Schools manage it, so should your nursery.
I would send an email to head office, asking them to clarify their snow day procedures. The text thing sounds like a good way to inform parents. all staff should contact their line manager who could issue text alerts.
Not rocket science IMHO.

shushpenfold · 19/12/2009 08:38

I can understand your annoyance, but the sitation is different from flu - in this case they genuinely don't know if staff are going to turn up or not. Most of my friend's husbands started off to work later and some got through, some didn't. I think you are being a little UR but I can totally understand why!

sarah293 · 19/12/2009 08:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

purepurple · 19/12/2009 08:44

By law, there has to be 2 members of staff on the premises.
It is possible that the person opening up doesn't have access to the texting service.
If the staff were trying to get in, then the person who opened up would have no idea of how many staff to expect or how many children to expect either.
The person who opened up would not know that the staff couldn't get in till they had rung in.
YABU

Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 08:51

i didnt expect the lady who opened up to make that decision - that would be unreasonable, I agree

I expected the manager to have got up early,
phoned round and decided, then activated the texting system - that's what she is paid for isnt it?

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purepurple · 19/12/2009 08:54

What if the manager had trouble getting in?
I very much doubt that she keeps lists of staff's phone numbers at her house.

piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 08:57

If you want an early decision then it would have to be to close-the manager would have no choice because she can't say how many stafff would be there.Staff couldn't say if they would be there. She obviously hoped to open which is why she didn't make the decision. I would think that it is different for schools because the adult/DC ratio would be lower.

piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 08:59

Schools are also not open at 7.30. The extra time makes a lot of difference.

skidoodle · 19/12/2009 09:00

Well she should keep just such a list at her house if that's what is required to get her job done.

purepurple · 19/12/2009 09:04

skidoodle, do you have a list of your work colleagues at your house?
come on, work is work and home is home and never the twain should meet

Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 09:05

agreed skidoodle, thats what our head has to do, and we also have to have everyone's number at home for emergencies.

I do understand that 7.30 is early, but they couldnt even tell me one way or another at 8.30 FGS.

I also realise that they were going to try to open at some point but I still think it was total disorganisation. Disorganisation that I pay £50 a day for, and disorganisation which could very easily be avoided.

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piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 09:05

Her staff can't tell her they will get in for 7.30! All they can do is say they will try. If people want an early decision it ould automatically have to be to close. Schools are no better-by the time our local secondary makes up its mind it is way past the time that the DCs go out for the school bus. Snow causes disruption-if you don't want disruption it would have to be snow= closure. As it is they try and cope as normal but it often fails.

Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 09:06

so apparently the extra time doesnt make any difference to your school then!

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Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 09:07

oh, and at 7am yesterday yes, I had to tell management whether or not I could get in.

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Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 09:08

i realsie I probably am being a little unreasonable and control freakish about it

but I also think they are being unreasonable to apparently have no system in place for days like this.

OP posts:
piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 09:14

At 7am it is impossible to say whether you can get in or not (unless you can walk!) Last year when it snowed all staff at my local primary tried to get in, and that was their intention at 7am. Some made it, some didn't and those that made it had any time between 8am and 11am. If anyone wants a defininite answer at 7am it has to be no.

BigBadMummy · 19/12/2009 09:14

Automated text services are computer based.

THe Manager would only have access to that if she were at the computer, which the company will only allow to be on site (I should imagine).

It also costs money, and not just the 10p for each text

(I know I used to work for a letting agency where we used a similar system to confirm viewing appointments).

I understand your point of view -- and agree it must be frustrating.

But the solution is not that straightforward.

piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 09:18

Everyone gets frustrated in snow. I expect that schools closing upset a lot of people.

Original poster
gingernutlover · 19/12/2009 09:19

ah, okay

as far as I know the computer texts are sent from head office

i just found myself getting very annoyed when all the local schools and some other local nurseries seemed to have let parents know what was going on, but complete chaos at dd's nursery

and yes I appreciate the text system costs money, its one of the reasons our fees have gone up, again.

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fiveisanawfullybignumber · 19/12/2009 09:23

As a manager in my previous jobs, I had all staff no's listed in my phone. The only way to be realy organised, if fact in my current part time job I have all staff members I work with listed in case of emergencies, sickness etc. Only fair to let others know if you're not going to be in at opening time, as managers don't always pass on that info till later.
There is no reason why the nursery couldn't sign up to the radio anouncements as the schools do, yes it might be a bit later than normal, but does sound as if they need to get their act together a bit more. a few phone calls from the manager could have sorted this out.

piscesmoon · 19/12/2009 09:28

Radio announcements about schools are far too late to be any use! When my DC goes out for the school bus at 7.30am it is useless to hear on the radio at 7.45 that the school is closed!

clam · 19/12/2009 10:25

purepurple.... work and home cannot always be separate when you're in charge. This snow was forecast quite accurately, so she jolly well should have had contact numbers to hand.

But I agree, it all sounds a bit chaotic, but it wasn't the girl who had made it in's fault. Although she probably took all the flack. Next time, she'll get herself stuck in a snowdrift en route on purpose!

yummyyummyyummy · 19/12/2009 10:37

Our secondary school texted at 8.10 to say the schoolwould be closed ,by which time the kids who go by bus were long gone !