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Original poster

incident at sons nursery, i need advice

61 replies

jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 21:52

Posted in nurseries/childminders as well but would appreciate your views too.

my son who is 3.5 yrs goes to state nursery every morning in the week. He started 4 weeks ago. Bit of background to the nursery, it is wellliked, graded gold star by ofsted. Good nursery to go to.

Nursery does training sessions for parents and the parents can put their children their in their creche for the training. Ds is allergic to eggs so i told them this on the training and said that he musnt eat eggs or anything with eggs in. anyway he was given a chocolate cake and they didnt relise till i asked how he had been, doing etc, eaten and they said they had given him an cake. When i said he shoudltn have eggs there faces changed.

Second thing and this is the bit that i am really annoyed about.

This morning took him all happy into his classroom when i returned i was greeted by an assistant who had a record book and in there was a form saying that xx fell through the grid in the pond, took a huge amount of comforting/tlc after he was found crying. Also said that they had given a lesson in pond safety.

They said and it isnt on the form that he was stuck. I saw his clothes (before i even knew what had happened)we extremely wet like almost machine wet with only a small amount of dry on them.

I kindof feel that they had been given a 2nd chance after the first one and now not sure if i should give them a 3rd and 2 mistakes have been made.

I really dont know what to do and i expressed concern at the welcome evening that a pond with a grid on might not be the safest but i was reassured that it was safe.

He ran to me when he saw me when i picked him up and i got the biggest scared cuddle ever.

Ps - am childminder so i know what they should be doin

OP posts:
Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:02

how would you get serious veneer? what would you all insist on?

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brimfull · 18/05/2006 23:05

out of interest what did the ofsted report say about the pond?

Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:09

I think it sadi something high education chances and a good focal pointor something. When i looked at the report i went straight to complaints to see if there had been any, i will be askiing if this has happened before.

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WideWebWitch · 18/05/2006 23:10

That line frightens me too. Take him out, really. And complain in writing.

WideWebWitch · 18/05/2006 23:10

That line frightens me too. Take him out, really. And complain in writing.

SueW · 18/05/2006 23:10

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

ComeOVeneer · 18/05/2006 23:13

I would actually insist on the pond being removed. Having got the facts, if you child was in that pond I would campaign for it to be filled in/grassed over, whatever. But the benefits of a pond with a grid over it(limiting visibility yet inadequate) compared to the danger doesn't equate in my books.

Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:13

very good idea sue hadnt thought of that, i wonder if i can test it out tomorrow.

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Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:14

not sure if they would do that - fill it in, it will be one of my questions tomorrow

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Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:18

going o#to go and kiss my lovely little man goodnight and try and sleep, i am so worried though. If you can thinkof other things i would appreciate it and i dont want it brushed under the carpet like the egg incident was.

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dolally · 18/05/2006 23:19

jj, how wide are the spaces between the metal bits of the grid.. i.e big enough for a child's head/leg/arm to fit through (and therefore get stuck when panicking). I may have missed something but if there is a grid how come it didn't do its job?

Will you always now worry when you are at work, if they are looking after your son? If so, don't take him back there. Not to mention the eggs.

Blu · 18/05/2006 23:24

I'm not so vehemently anti a pond per se - I thnk it's a lovely thing for a nursery to have. This is a state nursery, so rising-4's, not toddlers. But obvioulsy it shouldn't be possible for a child to fall in, and no child should be able to get near it unless v closely supervised by a high ratio of sensible adults.

DS's school, including nursery, has a pond, but it has a stout fence round it. They love watching the ducks, and the cycle of tadpoles, frogs, etc etc.

Katymac · 18/05/2006 23:24

Jellyjelly - I don't like ponds full stop

I worry about the egg thing - it's terrifying
Why didn't the head know
Why didn't you get phoned

You are a good minders and a good carer
You know what the problem is

Unfortunatley you also know how to sort it

Take it up with the head (follow up in writing) and the OFSTED if you aren't happy with the outcome

Good luck honey

Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:25

I havent seen the pond but i think about a5 size from what friends have told me. Will be inspecting tomorrow

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Original poster
jellyjelly · 18/05/2006 23:26

I dislike them more now, i think they can be great if used properly, nothing against him feeling for bugs/learning but it does worry me dp is so laid back and has said there is no poitn worrying till tomorrow.

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puff · 18/05/2006 23:31

Bloody hell - if it's as you say, this is outrageous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The egg incident is serious.

The pond business is MEGA serious. If he fell through the grid (as the nursery has stated in its accident report)the pond is not safe, never mind the argument about whether it should be there or not.

If it were me, I would do the following:

Go to the nursery tomorrow and ask (well....demand) a copy of the entry in the incident book. If they start quibbling get out the camera you will have put in your handbag that morning and take a photo of the entry. Basically make sure you have the written evidence - you are legally entitled to it.

I wouldn't bother with the meeting, I'd take my child and the copy of the report, go home, ring ofsted, find out exactly who you need to complain to, then write a short letter and enclose a copy of the report.

Then set about finding another nursery.

Ellbell · 18/05/2006 23:50

I agree with Blu about the pond. A good friend of mine is Head of a nursery school and they have a pond. However, it is fenced all round with a child-proof gate and the children go in in small groups (to look at tadpoles, pond weed, whatever) supervised by staff. This is OK, but an unsupervised pond, accessible to all and sundry definitely is not.

The egg thing is also serious, IMO.

plummymummy · 19/05/2006 01:07

OMG poor you and your little boy must have been so frightened. IMO both issues are very serious. Whether you keep him there or not I think it's important to get these things investigated and made official so that other people considering using the nursery have access to this information. Making it official also means they are more likely to make efforts to change dodgy practice. The pond thing just makes me shudder. Why the hell didn't they phone you immediately when it happened rather than just giving you an accident report as if he'd just had a trivial clash with another child? Especially as he was so upset and needed a lot of comforting. Also agree that he shouldn't have been left in wet clothes - don't they have spares?

clerkKent · 19/05/2006 12:37

Reading this carefully, it could be that his arm or leg went through the grid and he got stuck - in which case there was no danger of drowning. They changed his clothes and put all the damp clothes in a bag - and the wettest things soaked everything else.

I would certainly want a full explanation from the school, but I would not go straight to Ofsted or withdraw him straightaway.

From what you say, he did not suffer any obvious reaction from the cake.

Very scary for you, but it may not be quite as serious as it seems.

cat64 · 19/05/2006 12:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
jellyjelly · 19/05/2006 13:05

Went into nursery today to talk to the head, she sadi that he got both his legs stuck in the grid so had to get 2 teachers to get him out.

I said i was disappointed as i hadnt been called and her reply was its not daycare he was comforted after etc.

They have padlocked the gates until the pond has a fence around it to stop children walking to near it. The cant put a smaller grid on it.

This wasnt the first incident and she did say that alot of other parents would just accept it. (that made me feel bad)most get one leg stuck but not my boy.

I said a change of procedures should be made as it was a scratch or anything minor.

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peachyClair · 19/05/2006 13:39

Quote: This wasnt the first incident and she did say that alot of other parents would just accept it.

A lot of parents accept their kids carrying knives, smoking and drinking around lamp posts after 2 am.

You are NOT a lot of parents and that was quite a bullying phrase to use

Original poster
jellyjelly · 19/05/2006 13:46

i didnt say much to it, no actually i think i said it wasnt a scratch it was something more than it.

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teatimethatswhytime · 19/05/2006 13:46

That sounds dreadful to me - a real attempt to fob you off and belittle you at the same time.
The nursery might not be day care - but the staff still have a duty of care.
I'd pull him out if I were you, mistakes you can possibly understand / let go, but not if backed with that kind of attitude.

Original poster
jellyjelly · 19/05/2006 13:48

she made me feel very over protecting which iam not i am all for him trying new things and experiancing things but not falling in ponds

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