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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Some nurseries in Berkshire are having nursery children stay overnight - wonder what Ofsted thinks!

24 replies

nannynick · 21/12/2009 23:21

Snow conditions in Berkshire are quite bad in some places (also North Hampshire, Oxfordshire and probably other surrounding areas). Some nurseries still have children, as parents can't get to the nursery to collect... so the nurseries are having a sleepover.

Wonder what Ofsted would think of that... can't imagine the nurseries are registered for overnight care.

Love it - Stuff what Ofsted thinks - Children come first!

OP posts:

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AMerryScot · 21/12/2009 23:24

I imagine it is a case of balancing risks. If the nursery is inaccessible because of snow, then it would be far riskier to the parents and child for them struggle on dangerous roads and potential get trapped in a car overnight.

If the nursery has sleeping facilities, and the nursery workers are already vetted, then any risk is very low.

NotanOtter · 21/12/2009 23:25

one here got its knuckles rapped for it
real shame!

Nowtheres4 · 21/12/2009 23:25

sleeping mats on the floor and blankets, ehating up full. plenty of food. they'll love it. my sisters children are some of the oens stuck there.

Milliways · 21/12/2009 23:26

It just took me 7.5 hours to get from 1 side of Reading to another. Left at 3pm, home at 10:30. I heard the nurseries telling parents stuck in traffic not to worry and thought how great that was for them - some would have been frantic.

NotanOtter · 21/12/2009 23:28

how cosy

45nanny · 22/12/2009 04:26

i'd call that good old fashion sense.

xoxcherylxox · 22/12/2009 08:09

surely ofsted cant moan to much if the parents can come to collect there kids the nursery has to keep a hold of them they cant exactly let the child home themselfs as the nursery is closing.

blueshoes · 22/12/2009 08:40

IF Ofsted raises any issue, then that is proof positive that it is a useless rubberstamping arsecovering organisation. The only other option is social services, and even then, who will hold the children in the meantime?

Original poster

nannynick · 22/12/2009 08:48

Ofsted had better not moan... what would they expect the nurseries to do, Social Services probably didn't have the resources to collect all the children. Far better to keep the children in the warm, with staff they know, with food, toys etc. Nursery insurance may not have been valid, though if the nursery had been able to call insurer, temp insurance may have been able to be arranged.

OP posts:

vInTaGeVioLeT · 22/12/2009 08:49

i'd imagine it would be something the kids remember forever even if really young - how exciting for them - and Ofsted must have some kind of emergency protocol for extreme weather conditions?

dobby2001 · 22/12/2009 15:36

This must come under emergency conditions surely? I know if a chilminder has a similiar situation and is not registered for overnight care they are Ok as long as they inform OFSTED next possible day.

humptynumpty · 22/12/2009 15:45

nannynick I don't really understand your reasoning for your op. It sounds like you are trying to make an issue out of something which is obviously far from ideal but the only way to deal with a very difficult situation.
Are you trying to make people paranoid that their kids aren't safe overnight?
Sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick, but that's the way it came across to me.
I can't see what ofsted can do about it, it's an emergency, there's nothing the nursery can do apart from phone social services and get the kids taken into care.

Original poster

nannynick · 22/12/2009 15:54

No, I feel the nursery are right to keep the children there.

Ofsted with luck will not be taking any action against nurseries - if Ofsted does, then I hope a big stink gets kicked up.

OP posts:

humptynumpty · 22/12/2009 16:15

So I still don't get it. Are you hoping someone gets into trouble so Ofsted gets slated? Do you want to draw ofsted's attention to what has happened?
Sorry, just don't understand your point?

Katymac · 22/12/2009 18:16

Humptynumpty - Nick & some of the childminders here (me included) have a very unusual/biased/warped (delete as appropriate) view of OFSTED & their actions

It is a long running and can be quite funny situation (feud is not quiet the right word)

We are always pleased when the sensible/sane/normal option wins out over the correct/prescribed/regulation result

I think that is why he brought it up

humptynumpty · 22/12/2009 18:17

ok. sorry if didn't get it. fwiw i am a teacher and my opinion of ofsted is way low!! Too cynical i'm afraid me!!!

Katymac · 22/12/2009 18:23

I'm not saying we hate dislike OFSTED you understand just that we are less than impressed; on regular occasions

Mummygoesohh · 22/12/2009 23:21

what were they supposed to do? And the parenst couldn't get to the kids, how exactly would Social Services? And where would these emergency placements come from?Safest thing was an exciting pre-christmas sleep over adventure!
OFSTED can now spend a fortune making up protocols and marking down excellent childminders for not having plans for this.

ps Not a childminder, but i use one. She has just been inspected... My child beig safe hapy and well cared for seeming was less important to OFSTED than some bits of paper.

looneytune · 24/12/2009 08:00

Nick, this made me . I'm STILL waiting for my 'issue' to be resolved and it all started in July!!! But yes, the nursery did right, what else could they do!!! I'm sure Ofsted WOULD moan though, they are a bit strange like that aren't they!!

One of my mindees has a db who uses a nursery and they had staff and children stay over. But the next morning they closed (staff were shattered and some couldn't get in etc) so I had the db for most of the day. I was lucky that the latest pickup was 8pm (mum took 4 hrs to do usual 20 min journey but that's not as bad as a lot of stories I heard!). It was worse last year with the floods when I had to put a baby to bed for the night and parent arrived at 9pm.

SnowyBoff · 25/12/2009 21:34

Presumably the nursery employees were technically doing this in a private capacity as there was no money changing hands for this extra service, and it was out of hours, with the parents; consent. Hard to see what OFSTED could really do - love to see a test case . It's the equivalent of a cub scout camp for tinies, IMO.

AvadventCalendar · 26/12/2009 17:57

We had a local weather emergency and I had a child sty with me even though am not regged for overnights, but called and got permission, so maybe the nursery did too?

FluffyForLifeNotJustForXmas · 26/12/2009 18:01

IIRC, the only way they can do 24 hour/overnight care is if they register as a childrens home, in which case social services will be involved. I may be wrong though.

xoxcherylxox · 26/12/2009 20:38

yea but this isnt a permanent arrangement its a one off so whether registered or not or having a permission or not doesnt matter the parents couldnt get there so didnt turn up so the nursery had to choice but to keep the kids they could have phone social services but they wouldnt have been able to get there either plus its not a case for the social services ie a parent abondoning there child and not coming to collect them.

FluffyForLifeNotJustForXmas · 26/12/2009 20:50

What I mean is, for child care place to offer this then they need to be registered as a childrens home, in which case social services can use it to home children in need. It's been a while since I heard about this and it may have changed since then.

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