should i get deposit back

[newmama06]

I Recently paid £220 deposit for my daughter c(3month) to start nursery in sept,at the first meeting we were told we need to pay to keep her space and to start the settling period.my first impression of the nursery wasnt that good but i thought i was being fusses so i went agaist my better judgement and pay the deposit. the first setting was ok but was great(the playboard broke and hit my c in her head leaving a bruise)my second visit was the nail in the coffin!when i walk in the baby section the staff member was just sitting there stareing at the kids ages 6month without interacting with them, during my stay 1hour these are the problems which i notice:
shouting at the kids to go and play by themself
telling them to shut up they are too spoil!
poor hygiene ie dummy on floor to mouth
milk heated in microwave and not tested before given to babies
ratio 1-3 not follow(we were told 1 adult for 3 babies there was 5 when i went there
i was told to leave my c for a few minutes when i came back she was crying and no one was tending to her. what should i do about my deposit i want it back

NOt sure what to advise but bumping for you

Ask to see the manager, did you sign a contract with them?

yes i sigh a contract but i was will for my dd to go there until i saw what was going on surely there must be something i can do this is crazy i think the rules need to be change what if you sigh a contrat but one staff hit you dd and you dont think you want to send her back they dont give you your deposit do they think money grows on tree!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure if you can show negligence or even cruelty then they'd give a refund or waiver the fees of any notice period. Is ther any trial period specified int he contarct during which you cna withdraw? However I'm not sure that , other than your feelings of not having made the right decision , you have much over which to argue for it. I think the ratio should legally be 1:3 in a baby room but it may mean occasionally one member of staff has to pop elsewhere to heat a bottle for example which I'm not sure if it is acceptable or not.

Agree you should meet the manager and voice your concerns, perhaps they'll give you the money , or part of , back rather than have you make a complaint to Ofsted, but if you signed a contract with no trial period it may be at their discretion.

i was told i need to pay the deposit before i have a trial period so surely i should get a refund if i think the staff are not taking care of my dd and doing their job if it was me just changing my mind then fair enough but i wasnt its their own fault, to be honest i'm a first time mum only 22 age and this situation as make me not trust any nursery

Then you have to argue the toss first with the manager and if part of a chain, the head office, citing the examples of where you feel they are not doing the job for which you have signed the contract if needs be. They may refund just to stop it going further.

However the problem with a nursery setting is that it is simply not possible for staff to attend immediately to every child's needs in the same way a mother might and that particularly is a problem for young babies who may well naturally require more attention than 1:3 can offer. That is not to say prolonged crying or poor hygiene is acceptable though and Ofsted may well be interested to hear from you (have you read their report on this nursery in case these issues have been highlighted previously).

Are you planning to go back to work soon ? Perhaps you could find a childminder who would suit you better. You should be able to find a list of alternatives here

you need to speak to manager , explain your findings and tell them your not happy with the care they provide and would like you money back..if they decline, tell them you will report your findings to ofsted and alert them of fact you have spoke to manager re lack of care/hygeine/ratios but they will not accomaodate you.good luck

yes thats the thing i will be returing to work september 4 i'm already scare to leave my dd and then this thing happen. i talk to the manager but all she can say to me is i will keep her space open until u change your mind, its like she can't understand that i would nerver bring my dd after what i saw.

if i speak to ofsed what would they do is it up to them if a deposit is return

no but telling manager you will be speaking to them may spur the refund on

Sorry you've had such a nightmare with this nursery - they're not all like that!! I would definitely spk to the manager about getting your deposit back and highlighting the issues you had to underline your point. None of the issues you have stated in you OP are acceptable in any circumstances. Hope it all works out for you and you find suitable childcare as I know how neverwracking it can all be

i am really stuck i dont know where to start i feel as if i am in the wrong for not wanting my dd to go to the nursery where i feel she wouldn't be take care of please i need help and tons of advice

Check your contract. At my kids' nursery, the initial deposit is refunded when your child leaves the nursery. It may be that after the notice period has ended (during which time you WILL need to pay) you will get your deposit refunded. You do not of course have to send your dd during the notice period - but would still pay. Meanwhile, look around for alternative childcare - a childminder is a good option - although remember taht childminders take holidays and get sick occasionally!

List out your concerns as you've expressed them here and take it with you to the meeting. You do have to be fairly specific to argue your case for a refund. There is nothing wrong with feeling that this nursery is not right for you and your lo given your experience so far, or even if you were just changing your mind, especially since your baby is so little.

Have you asked to see the manager formally yet or you could write a letter, but tbh the sooner the better. If they are keeping the place open in the meantime they may be less amenable to giving money back unless they can refill the place quickly.

If you need advice as to how to approach this or with drafting a letter the CAB or local Help Shop may be able help if you take along a copy of the contract you have signed and explain. Ofsted wouldn't get directly involved in contract disputes but could be instrumental in making sure that the ratios and standards are followed in the future.

thanks a lot for all the advice i have been getting i am really gratefull. me and my dp has talk to the manager she said she would talk to the director about refunding us the money my question is should i wait for them without threatening them cause i think if i dont do anything they would not refund me, also can you tell me whats the step in making a complain after i talk to the mamager but not happy. also when they said the ratio should be 1:3 what happen when u have only 4 or 5 kids does this still apply.

Generally you would put a complaint in writing to the nursery head office (if there is one) and they would arrange to meet with you and discuss the complaint. If you paid a deposit and accepted a place, you should have been issued with policies and procedures for the setting during the first or second visit. This is general practice. In there, you should find the complaints procedure. If not, you can request a copy of it from the manager.

In terms of ratios. The ratio for babies is 1:3, so if there are 4/5 babies in a room, the nursery must have 2 adults supervising them. A lot of nurseries work their ratios at 1:2 for babies, but the national guide for ratios in baby rooms/units is currently 1:3.

Hope this helps.

thanks loopylou i think u help alot! you have really help me cause after i made a verbal complaint to the manger about everything she told me the ratio is ok if there is 4-5 babies but if there was six than there would be two staff what a load of crap!!!!!!now i am in the stage of writing a written complain to her than i would take it from there could you believe that since i left that nursery and joint another one much better i have meet other mum who has problem with that same nursery

Ratios to tend to be variable nationwide, but the ratios this manager is describing would be more appropriate to a toddler room. I think toddler ratios are 1:4 as it is, so in a situation in a toddler room where there are 5 children, they would again need 2 staff members.

Just to add that adults can only be included in the ratio if they are over 17 years of age.

Pre-school ratios (3-5yrs) are 1:8 and the ratio she is quoting for babies is not far off that.

Good luck with the complaint. I would really like to hear how you get on. You could try enlisting the help of the other disgruntled parent and if you get no joy from your complaint, maybe look into the pair of you contacting Ofsted?

if you tell her you have another parent willing to complain to ofsted with you she may take note
also, i know it doesn't help now but NEVER pay before visting these places, any good nursery will let you visit as many times as you like so long as you stay with your child, and for around £30 registration fee to secure a place will give you a couple of chances to leave child for an hour to settle
the ratio is 1:3, as soon as there are more than 3 there must be another member of staff and there should always be a minimum of 2 even if there is only 1 child attending!
i would call ofsted anyway, other parents deserve to not go thro what you have x

lol elliek they say you learn from your mistake this is one tough lesson!! i know i know you see it was my first time i didnt really know much about nursery nobody told me and i'm still young(22)so i was a bit naive i didn't even know about this site i found it true google!!anyway today i met another parent who wanted to go there but me and the other mums change her mind! i wanted to stand outside the nursery and tell her the parents what a crappy place it was but my dp doesnt want me to also i'm scare she would call the cops on me lol! but i would wait for her to reply to us
should i wait ?

loopy i think you are right about the ratio for babies everyone i have asked told me it 1:3 these babies are like six month plus my dd would have been the youngest at 3mnth. i will wait for her to reply to our written complaint before i go any further fingers cross my dp as been talking to a friend who is a lawyer and he told us by law we are screw!!!!as we sign the contract but we still have a chance if this lady doesnt want bad publicity we would give us back depoist i will let u all know what happen wish me luck :0 xxxxx

try writing again and if still no response call ofsted for advice

will do that. my dp wants me to forget about it but i cant its not about the money but the princple telling us a bunch a crap

and you were lucky, think how you'd feel if you did nothing and someone elses child was injured or even killed
harsh i know but parents always say after any nursery tragedy that they had suspicions and i think, well why didn't you do something then??????