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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

Ratio in DS room

13 replies

ojsmum · 08/05/2006 18:01

Had a funny experine when I dropped off DS today, he is 1.9 and there was only one carer in the room with 5 kids and the next one not due in until 9am. It's a works nursery (not mine dh) but still worried aboiut the ratios. can anyone tell me what the staff to child ratios is supposed to be for the under 2's or am I worrying about nothing?

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Feistybird · 08/05/2006 18:08

I got this off our local council site:

Day Nurseries
Minimum staffing ratios (this includes children of staff and volunteers)

1 member of staff for every 3 children under 2 years old
1 member of staff for every 4 children aged 2 years old
1 member of staff for every 8 children aged 3 to 7 years old

TheBlonde · 08/05/2006 18:10

ojsmum - have you checked their ofsted report online?

Original poster

ojsmum · 08/05/2006 18:10

I think I will raise this with the manager but don't really want to be seen as a complainer (ds only been there since Jan 06) thanks for your advice. It's not easy being a FT working parent with someone else looking after your child

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Original poster

ojsmum · 08/05/2006 18:11

They are a brand new nursery TB so as far as I know they haven't been inspected yet

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Clayhead · 08/05/2006 18:11

Even with the ratios, it is not good practice to be alone as an adult in a room with children. I work at a pre-school and this would not be allowed, there are always at least two of us.

TheBlonde · 08/05/2006 18:12

I think they are supposed to be registered and the registration stuff might state the carer to child ratios

Feistybird · 08/05/2006 18:12

If you want to be low-key, ask for a copy of their nursery policy and when (asuming they do) hand it over, just say 'Do these include the staff ratios?'.

That way, they'll know you're keeping an eye out.

Original poster

ojsmum · 08/05/2006 18:14

I think that the ratios that FB gave ring some bells. The nursery is run by one of the big organisations because DH works for an american company so they should comply with the regulations

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Clayhead · 08/05/2006 18:18

\link{http://www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0000411.PDF\these are the Sure Start day care standards}. If you go to page 13, it states that there is a minimum of 2 adults 'on duty' so I guess that doesn't mean in the room at any one time?

NotQuiteCockney · 08/05/2006 18:40

The ratios that FB gave are the standard ratios, that all nurseries are subject to. The rules may be different for schools, but all nurseries have those ratios.

That being said, I'm not sure how it works in a multiple room nursery. Were all the kids in the room under 2?

Original poster

ojsmum · 08/05/2006 19:14

Sorry was bathing ds, yes all the kids were under 2 but over 1. They have 4 rooms the under 1's, 1-2, 2-3 and 3-school, DH picked him up and it was the same thing again. Really think I will speak to the manager when she gets back from leave later this week. Not happy with that at all.

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NotQuiteCockney · 08/05/2006 19:17

Yeah, that's entirely dodgy, then. The nursery DS1 used to go to was a very casual community nursery, but still, one morning when a staff member in DS1's room was late, they asked me to hang about for 15 minutes, and not leave him, as he would put them over the ratio, and they didn't like that, not even for 15 minutes.

nannynick · 09/05/2006 18:51

I consider you have a valid complaint under Standard 2. (2.7 to be precise).

Where staffing levels are such that the ratio can not be maintained in a room, then best practice would be to merge the children in with another room where there was a better ratio. Merging rooms is quite common with nurseries at the beginning and end of the day, to help maintain ratio requirements.

Perhaps suggest to the manager that they merge rooms when staffing levels get low... it may help, as other rooms such as 3-5's may have additional staff.

I've posted before that I'm not happy with the current standards regarding ratios... it isn't very clear I feel as to if the ratio applies per room, or as a nursery as a whole. I do not see how someone who can not hear or see the children can be included in Ratio... yet an Ofsted inspection team manager didn't agree with me (when I asked them 2 years ago... wonder if they answer would change now).

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