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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Television at nursery

31 replies

tiger66 · 12/10/2012 11:49

Just wandering what the thought are about television at nursery? I have my own views and am just wandering if they are the views of others or if I'm being a stuffy mother!

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winniesmum · 15/10/2012 19:59

Hi im a deputy manager of a private nursery. In my career I have come across a few staff who agree with tv in the setting (in my opinion they wanted a break!) I would never have it! When children need to relax read them a story, listen to a tape etc. Television is fine for a bit at home but not at nursery... well thats my opinion!

Morph2 · 19/10/2012 22:00

my DS doesn't go to nursery but i would be pissed off if i was paying hundreds of pounds a month and he was sat in front of the TV, except maybe as a treat watching a film last day of term or something

Fluffanstuff · 20/10/2012 13:59

I agree with winniesmum ,

I work in a nursery and wouldn't condone tv an nursery at all. If children want quiet time a nursery should provide them with the area to do this. Although there isn't anything to say Nurseries shouldn't have a tv it wouldn't be something that Ofsted would necessarily encourage either. Theres nothing wrong with TV at home , but in my opinion so many of my children watch so much tv at home that Nursery is a chance to do something different.

As a practitioner I wouldn't even want to enter the minefield of what material parents feel acceptable for their children to watch either ! Could you imagine have 60 different parents half think its okay to watch spider man and half think mr Tumble should be the limit !!!!

Littlefish · 20/10/2012 19:47

I'm a nursery teacher and very occasionally use a specifically chosen episode of something like "Come Outside" as a way of introducing or teaching something. Eg. The episode about delivering letters if I have children who are interested in postman pat, writing letters etc. Apart from that, I wouldn't consider it.

Sirzy · 20/10/2012 19:48

I don't mind it as an occasional thing it would only bother me if it was being watched daily

ScariestFairyByFar · 20/10/2012 22:04

DD has been at private nursery since January she's only once watched tv and that was at the end of a 24/7 rainy week, when they watched finding nemo as they were sling under the sea. They don't have a tv so were watching it on a laptop.

LonelyCloud · 20/10/2012 22:16

I would be surprised to see a nursery with a TV for the kids.

None of the ones I looked at for DS had a TV - and if they'd had one, I wouldn't have considered it as an option for DS. There's plenty of other stuff for the kids to be doing at nursery.

SamSmalaidh · 20/10/2012 22:21

At DS's nursery the holiday club often have a movie afternoon on the last Friday of the holidays - they have a Disney film on with popcorn etc for the children who want to watch.

They also have touch-screen computers in all the rooms and sometimes they watch something on them - eg. an animated story.

Fluffanstuff · 21/10/2012 10:12

I think holiday clubs are different at the end of the day if a child was at home over the holiday the likely hood is they would probably watch a movie for a treat at some point over the week . I feel nurserys should be a homely enviroment for children who spend a long time there for instance we have a big cuddly sofa in my setting for sitting on for stories.

As part of the EYFS (early years curriculum) there used to be a section dedicated to the use of IT so I would expect some use of IT equipment. Animated stories I feel are different , they normally are for popular childrens books and the likely hood is the setting has the story and I would probably use it as a visual representation to enforce the story. It is also quite difficult finding computer programmes that a child of 2,3,4 are able to use properly so I find have an animated story on the computer , which the child can control the volume on the speakers , just about press the play button with the mouse a good introduction to the world of computers.

Fluffanstuff · 21/10/2012 10:14

Apart from that I wander whether these settings with TV'S have the right licenses to show films to a group and if they don't I wander if they would change their minds when they realise they have to pay for one !!

Stangirl · 22/10/2012 19:54

Must be different in London. I have visited around about 20 nurseries and every one had a TV. Never even thought it was odd.

Fluffanstuff · 23/10/2012 19:05

I Just dont get what the benefit of having a tv in the setting would be . Perhaps with older children at school to enhance a topic like Littlefish suggested. I have to say im on the london outskirts and none of my local settings have a tv and I work borough wide.

LonelyCloud · 23/10/2012 20:22

Agree with Fluffanstuff.

I know most of us have put kids in front of CBBC or suchlike at some point when needing to get stuff done at home, but I would hope that the nursery staff don't have to be putting kids in front of a TV so they can get on with other nursery jobs.

There's also research out there that suggests that TV for very young children can be harmful.

article from the guardian

SamSmalaidh · 23/10/2012 20:24

I think lots of private nurseries do use the TV so staff can get on with other stuff such as cleaning and paperwork, as they don't often have the budgets to employ cleaners and give staff non-contact time for planning.

Indith · 23/10/2012 20:25

Nope. Dd was at the local preschool for 5 mornings and the children were always in front of the TV when I picked her up. The sessions were only 3 hours long how could they need TV? I now send her to a private nursery for her 15 hours.

Fluffanstuff · 23/10/2012 22:41

Very concerning IMO glad you moved her , I'm sure the TV's go away as soon as ofsted step through the door. I worked in a outstanding pre-school , we had 60 kids on role , 30 am 30 pm. We all did our paperwork out of hours for free ..SHOCK HORROR ! We just wouldn't consider , and wouldn't have been allowed by management to use a tv , especially not for things like Cbeebies etc. We had 3 hour sessions as well as extended hours for funded children (social services referrals etc.) There are so many pieces of paperwork and guidelines that say the children come first whilst they are there. Personally I would , and I know the team I worked with at the time (all 6 of them) would rather stay behind for an hour for free , and give the children good quality care.

I think in schools a special video at the end of term when everyone has had enough and they arn't going to take anything from having a structured lesson is fine. Lets face it a week before christmas they have had so much going on , as have the teachers a bit of chill time is perfectly acceptable .

A lot of it is down to what pre-schools and nurseries get told by the LEA advisors , I know my borough pretty much have a "we wouldnt condone it " attitude ... not that we listened to everything they say , sometimes they produce more shit than a cow farm.

crackcrackcrak · 23/10/2012 22:48

Dd1 is at a Montessori which I'm really happy with. They have structure until the last hour or so of the day when kids are leaving. In the summer they stay in the garden but now it's cold they all stay in the big room and have a DVD on. It's often Dora the explorer or bob the builder etc. it's not live tv per SE. I'm fine with it but I wouldn't want it increased.

Yika · 23/10/2012 22:48

I would find tv in a nursery totally unacceptable. Its not recommended that children under 3 spend any time at all in front of a screen. needless to say I occasionally put the tv on for my 2 yo at home after a tiring day but I would not find it ok in a nursery.

LonelyCloud · 23/10/2012 22:58

SamSmalaidh - The private nursery DS attends has a manager who deals with most of the paperwork. Not sure how much paperwork the nursery nurses have to do on top of that, but there's no TV in the nursery, so they must manage somehow.

Runningblue · 23/10/2012 23:14

DS is 3. As a very very special treat they might watch one 'something special' which underpins the makaton sign language the whole nursery is very keen on, or perhaps one episode of bob the builder or firean Sam if it's very bad weather and the kids can't get outside.
But it's never more than that, and I am happy at that level. To me, nursery is also a home from home, so DS is just having a little bit of relax and comfort, in the same way we might do at home and much less tv than at home
If it was on each day or for long periods- Blimey indith! - I would be complaining and moving him sharpish.

notcitrus · 23/10/2012 23:50

There's no TV at ds's nursery which I like. But dn's Surestart nursery showed them Peppa Pig every day - apparently after 5.30 as a winding down thing. SIL wasn't too happy but couldn't use any other nursery.

Indith · 24/10/2012 08:14

There were so many kinds of wrong with that nursery. I didn't send ds1 there for his 15 hours but when dd turned 3 I was doing the school run (to a different school in the village with no preschool) so it made sense to drop her there on the way. Yeah well, I prefer to drive her to another village for a good nursery! They watched Tangled once, just randomly. Ok so they were doing fairy tales but still, the whole of Tangled? As part of a 3 hour session?

Indith · 24/10/2012 08:16

Mind you I don't think TV is all bad, especially in a private day nursery where children are doing long days. Ds1 went to one while I was finishing my degree and the last bit of the day around pick up time was always something the children could dip in and out of so sometimes songs and dancing biut sometimes a bit of TV. That was fine by me.

YourHandInMyHand · 24/10/2012 08:22

I have worked as a childminder and as a nursery nurse. I've only ever worked in one nursery that had a TV and it was the shittiest nursery ever! Lazy staff, lazy incompetent manager, lack of resources (you couldn't tell this on the surface, lots of toys out), lack of holding the child:adult ratios - shit shit shit. I quit.

TV has it's place in a home environment but IMO has no place in a private nursery. Like another poster has said if children need some quiet time read a story, put a tape on, play sleeping fishes.

Original poster

tiger66 · 08/11/2012 11:54

Thanks all, my views by a lot of you but nice to know that I am not alone. Not surprisingly they have stopped watching television. There are a few issues that I have started to unearth so I shall seriously be looking into moving somewhere else. Thanks for all your advice

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