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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

Nursery lost a child

43 replies

theotherfossilsister · 22/08/2023 11:38

Ds started nursery at the beginning of this month and there were already things we were unhappy with (lack of updates, vague information at handover even when asked questions, him getting awful d and v and having to go to hospital)

Got a message the other day saying forgot a two year old child on the trip to the local garden, the term was the child was 'not accounted for.' The child was returned by a neighbour thirteen minutes after they left the park.

All staff are being retrained and procedures looked at, but I'm horrified and want to change nursery. I already wanted to to be fair

The nice manager who showed us round last winter has left and it seems it has really gone to pieces

OP posts:

Soontobe60 · 22/08/2023 12:53

Wasn’t there a post about this the other day?

WomanAtWork · 22/08/2023 12:56

I had a friend who let a child out through a door at the nursery she worked at - a parent spotted the child at the external door and sent him back in. My friend was immediately fired. one mistake is one too many - the next one could be a serious problem

Helpmepleaseimbusy · 22/08/2023 12:58

If you aren't happy then leave but you can't blame d and v solely on the nursery. Kids often pick these things up and more when they start a new nursery.

Cas112 · 22/08/2023 13:00

I would be removing my child ASAP

CauliflowerBlue · 22/08/2023 13:01

Helpmepleaseimbusy · 22/08/2023 12:58

If you aren't happy then leave but you can't blame d and v solely on the nursery. Kids often pick these things up and more when they start a new nursery.

Did you miss the bit about leaving a child behind on trip out?

D&V can be a sign they health and hygiene standards are bad. Given that they’ve managed to forge a child, I’m inclined to believe this is the case with D&V too.

Charrington · 22/08/2023 13:02

Okay, I’m a bit cynical but having worked with small children, I personally think that some people will always go the extra step (counting heads and sanitising properly) and some will always cut corners. I don’t think you can retrain that.

I’d move.

GeorgeBeckett · 22/08/2023 13:10

There's one near us where a child was locked in the nursery for 15 minutes as apparently the electronic register failed...

I get the argument that they'll be super hot on it now but it shouldn't have taken an episode like this to make them super hot on it. And what other balls might they be inadvertently dropping without being so newsworthy?

CharlotteBog · 22/08/2023 13:12

Retrained and procedures looked at?

I think more than 1 member of staff simply didn't do their job properly and should be sacked.

Head counting is one of the most basic levels of care.

I was a parent helper with forest school when my DS was in Reception.
They took the register, got the kids ready and lined them up in the class room - headcount, then walked to the Reception play area gate - headcount, then to the school field gate - headcount, then to the road - headcount, cross the road - headcount, up to the field - headcount. The same in reverse.

They do head counts for great lumps of teenagers when leaving school trips.

Did one of the nursery staff tell another they'd done the count i.e lie?
Can one of the staff not count? This is why at least 2 staff members do it.

We count up the people even on a big family day out (lots of little cousins).

CauliflowerBlue · 22/08/2023 13:13

I couldn’t send my child back, I’d be worried all day and unable to work.

Can you get a childminder while waiting for a place at another nursery?

Helpmepleaseimbusy · 22/08/2023 13:13

CauliflowerBlue · 22/08/2023 13:01

Did you miss the bit about leaving a child behind on trip out?

D&V can be a sign they health and hygiene standards are bad. Given that they’ve managed to forge a child, I’m inclined to believe this is the case with D&V too.

Show quote history

Yes due to the fact they lost a child and she isn't happy with handover I said leave. I can only assume you must have missed that part

Of course, d and v can be due to hygiene but it can also be simply that there was a case of gastro going around.

I actually managed nurseries for many years. I had a food hygiene rating of 5 and ofsted report of outstanding. D and v still went around and I caught it several times. Same as head lice.

As I said if she isn't happy about things then leave. No where did I say the child should stay there.

Parker231 · 22/08/2023 13:15

Cas112 · 22/08/2023 13:00

I would be removing my child ASAP

Easier said than done - there’s a huge shortage of nursery and childminders. At best the OP will be on a waiting list for another place.

When I was six months pregnant I had to book nursery places for DT’s to be able to start when they were six months old.

Helpmepleaseimbusy · 22/08/2023 13:16

Parker231 · 22/08/2023 13:15

Show quote history

Yes this is definitely true. We always had a long waiting list at my nursery. People would join the list as soon as they got pregnant!

TenderDandelions · 22/08/2023 14:01

This is awful. If they can lose a child for 15 minutes I wouldn't be so confident in them reporting themselves to Ofsted.

I'd also be reporting them and highlighting everything else you've said also.

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 23/08/2023 11:04

Hello, just an update

They seem to be taking it incredibly seriously. They've got a new manager in and they or the area manager is accompanying all walks. Children will only leave the nursery in groups of six as well.

Also they will do a full risk assessment

I'm upset though as one of the reasons we chose this nursery was that they said they took children to the beautiful local private gardens every day and do a sort of forest school there, and now that's all gone, seemingly, because they can't be trusted to not leave a child there

We have been calling other nurseries but nothing yet

OP posts:

Emeraldrings · 23/08/2023 22:53

The other things you mention wouldn't bother me but losing a child is unacceptable. I wouldn't leave my child there. Anything could have happened. I know it's a negative impact but I would delay return to work if you can and hopefully a good childcare option will be available soon.
Just as a side note if anyone on here doesn't want/is worried about their child going off site then you don't have to give permission. They need written consent.

Original poster

theotherfossilsister · 24/08/2023 09:30

Thank you. I wish I could see the other post Asim sure it's the same nursery and would love to know from her perspective

We've been offered a place in one six miles away, but we don't drive

OP posts:

Scotgran1 · 10/03/2024 22:15

Just for general ingo we don't have OFSTED in Scotland! ,Scotland has its own Education system, law, much more. Mumsnet ought to know* this. I have already mentioned once , as a Scot, I find it very Englsnd oriented. There will of course be other ways of monitoring. Education is not a UK issue.

Waffleson · 10/03/2024 22:25

A few years back I found a child who had escaped from my child's nursery by tail gating a parent at collection time. I never sent my son back. I was really shaken by what happened. The parents kept their child there. I heard they were given a sanitised version of events that minimised what happened.

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