I am a nanny - so not governed by eyfs. My charge goes to a local day nursery.
There are a couple of things niggling me (as well as several other parents who have children there) and I wondered if it was me or whether I have a point / should raise my concerns to the manager?
- niggle 1 - happened today - Checked dear charge's(DC) art drawer and found a fathers day card - so not only not given in time for the event - it wasn't there yesterday but dc doesn't have a dad - so why not make a celebration card - surely this comes under every child matters and is an unique individual
- niggle 2 - dc does a 8-1 session - I know that they tidy up for lunch at 11.30 to then do a storytime on the mat followed by their lunchtime meal - sometimes they still haven't finished when I pick up at 12.45 and sometimes still sitting at 1pm!!! [that's at least an hour and 15 minutes that they are sitting [ they are 2 ] isn't that a long time to be sat for? I know we don't tend to do sitting for more than 20 minutes (including meals) 30 at a push as he can't cope with sitting much longer.
- niggle 3 - outside time- several of the parent's that I speak with and meet up with regularly and I discussed the other day about the weather and how the children would like being out all day - now I used to work in the nursery a while back so know that the children don't get independent choice as to whether they are in the garden or not - they go out when they are told ie the whole group go out at 10 for 20 minutes and maybe again at 2.30 for 15 minutes - it's all upto the staff although they do have a secure garden fully visible from the room they are in. I thought children were supposed to be given the option to go through to the garden as and when again as part of eyfs and also if all the parents are under the impression that the children are having the choice to outside as part of their day to day life at nursery then surely they should be told that it isn't actually the case.
- niggle 4 - toileting needs - the children in the room are 2 and I imagine several are potty training or toilet trained at anyone point. When training my dc and even when he was in nappies I would often arrive to him greeting me with telling me that he had done a poo - so why didn't he tell anyone else - it would be a very strange co-incidence if he had pooed in his pants exactly at the random pick up times I pick him up - plus having looked after him for the same amount of time as myself they would realise that he pooed just after lunch time. Again another mother told me that her son often has a dirty nappy when she picks him up -again don't they check the children who will be going home - I know they don't clean their faces but ..... I also overheard one of the nursery nurses in the room berating a child over a toileting accident and she didn't change her tone until she saw me hidden by the door so my dc couldn't see me.
So do I mention to them that I feel they aren't working properly within the eyfs and that these things are now annoying me on a day to day basis - my mb is also pissed off mainly due to the card and is going to write a note or say something.