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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

good nursery in Reading ?

16 replies

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:01

does any know of a good nursery in Reading thats worked well with a clingy toddler?
i am having a rotten luck here....fed up with ofsted reports....my past 2 nursery had excellent ofsted report but they seem to be rubbing my son the wrong way...

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thepencilsonthedesk · 20/03/2007 22:08

Chiltern College is supposed to be good, I've got a friend whose dd went there (from age 3 or 4 though). I know she was a bit clingy at first.

Original poster

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:14

hi...i am mum to 2.5 yr old bright,clever but shy and sensitive ( prone to quick meltdown due to anxiety rather than bad behaviour). He recnetly started nursery (since mid jan 2007). He has so far not settled in properly. The nursery took a wrong approach to his separation anxiety by saying he is controlling maipulative child and therefore reprimanding him by taking him into a cloakroom (which my son perceives as naughty corner) whenver he got upset there.....This has really made my son super anxious and phobic of the whole thing. But the nursery rather thn admiting this, started scarring us saying that my son needs at tender age of 2.5yrs help from pshychologist, otherwise bright and clever as he is, the anxietry is really going prevent him from achieving things in future..... we spoke about this to 2 diff doctor friends of ours. Both convinces us that our son does not need any pshychological intervention....
i am deeply upset by the whole thing.....i dont know whether i should pull him out of there and start him at another place....my son will have to do the bonding all over again (he has bonded very well with one of the caretaker there but they find this bond upsetting claiming that he is "clingy" to her.
I also worry that what if the new place are just as bad or mess my son up....the whole experience has made me very sceptical of Nurseries now....but my son needs the social exposure....

sorry for rambling on....its just that i am deeply upset by the whole thing.....any advice will be well appreciated.

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Milliways · 20/03/2007 22:19

Dickory Docks (Tilehurst) was excellant with my VERY clingy DS when he started at age 2. He did settle in and did very well. Thet have a teacher & classroom for small sessions with the 4yr olds who can learn to read/write/basic maths etc.

A new small nursery has just opened attached to Greyfriars in the town centre. I have heard this is lovely (but no personal experience).

I can mention a few that I did NOT like when visiting though!

zephyrcat · 20/03/2007 22:20

Can I ask which nurseries you've tried? I used to work at Inglewood and would have loved to have sent my children there if we were still in Reading. If you want any more info on it just give me a shout

Ellbell · 20/03/2007 22:26

Sorry you're having such a bad time, N1A. I left Reading 3.5 years ago, but had a good experience with Goldilocks in Tilehurst. They had a really good balance of staff, with more mature and very experienced ladies alongside the younger ones (nothing against the younger ones, btw... my dd2 in particular built up an incredible bond with one of her key workers, who was about 17 and adored her, but I do think it's nice to have a balance). The woman who worked with the children of your ds's age group was particularly good, ime. But, as I said, we did move away 3.5 years ago and a lot can happen in that time.

Ellbell · 20/03/2007 22:30

\link{http://www.norcotnursery.org.uk/This place} is a nursery school with an early years centre attached. The headteacher is an old friend of mine. Again, the early years bit has opened since I moved, but the school was exceptional when I was there, and was one of the schools judged as outstanding by Ofsted and given a special mention in parliament and things.

thepencilsonthedesk · 20/03/2007 22:30

If he's only 2.5, I don't think you have to worry a lot about the social exposure yet. How many hours is he doing? Could he do fewer hours somewhere like a playgroup, where you stay a bit more at first? At that age you could easily leave it six months then try again, and tbh if the place feels really wrong I'd consider that. Or even just wait till the weather's warmer and they can play outside more from the start - an activity like trikes and so on could be enough to make him really keen to stay, perhaps.

Ellbell · 20/03/2007 22:31

Bother... sorry, trying again with the link

Original poster

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:31

one was western elms the second one he is still going there we havent pulled him out yet. the first one my DS hardly went cos...he kept falling ill....and also the environment was not stimulating enough cos they prefered to keep him in baby room (while my Ds was 2yrs)...

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Original poster

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:36

how many days did your ds do at Dickory Docks ? did they take any parental suggestions and input?

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Ellbell · 20/03/2007 22:39

N1A... recommend ringing Norcot and asking if you can have a chat with the Head, even if you don't decide to go there.

EllBeeDoubleYou · 20/03/2007 22:44

I knew someone who went to work at Norcot early years bit and she was lovely - don't know if she's still there though.

Original poster

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:44

Also Milliways, how clingy was ur DS? My DS is quite clingy in social settings (party, gatherings....basically wherever there is a bit of "Formality" in the air, he seems to have an uncanny ablity to pick it up....
At home he plays a little bit on his own, but likes to keep an eye on me though...so there is an element of hotfotting me around..

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Milliways · 20/03/2007 22:45

He did 3.5 days per week. It has grown massively since he went but DD did her Duke of Edinburgh service there last year so I got to go back in, & it's lovely.

They had regular parents evenings (like school) but each child has a key worker & they write in his book each day so you know what is going on. You can chat whenever & they are always up for discussions.

DS was very upset when he first went. He would go & lie on a sofa & cry. His worker went & lay down next to him. He asked what are you doing & was told "I'll get up when you do!". So he got straight up & into the activities.

They told me when he left that they had been very worried when he started about how he would ever settle, but we all persevered & he left reading & writing & is now at Reading Boys (Grammar) school.

They do have a website here

Original poster

N1A · 20/03/2007 22:50

i will give norcot nursery a ring....but like i said the whole exp has made me now so sceptical....i feel like i cant trust my judgement anymore....i had a good vibe about the second nursery...but they turned out to be something else.....quite a few friends tell me that may be its cos they dont want to put in the effort with my son....but rather than say it directly, they seem to take the road of "pushing" us to take our son off ourselves.....may be they ar getting stressed out, and therefore looking for a way out.

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zephyrcat · 20/03/2007 23:03

Ring Inglewood as well. They are fantastic. They basically built a nursery as an extension on their home and are lovely people. It has expanded hugely but is very very homely and the children are so well looked after. A lot of the staff when I was there were Norland Nannies or trained from Chiltern nursery college.
If you ring, ask to have a chat with Laura, who owns it. Dawn was always the manager there, I'm guessing she still is!

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