Nursery asked to me to keep daughter home due to OFSTED visiting

[Fidgitigdif123]

So my daughter is 4 and has a diagnosis of autism. She has a speech and language delay, and needs some support throughout the day, particularly when it comes to toileting, but isn't too difficult to handle, and she generally keeps herself to herself. The nursery are always praising her for how good she's been during the day, and they always say she's a happy girl who enjoys being there.
I had a phone call from her key worker the other day (who also happens to be one of the nursery managers), asking me to keep her home the following day because they have an OFSTED inspector visiting. Apparently they don't have enough staff to be able to support my daughter while the OFSTED inspector is visiting (apparently they'll need a member of staff to show the inspector around, which will mean my daughter won't have anyone to support her during the visit).
I'm confused by this, as there's been countless times where they've had several staff off sick at one time (including her key worker), and yet she's still been able to go into nursery.
I'm actually starting to think they just want her out of the way for the day so it'll be easier for them to focus on the inspection, but surely this would be the best time to show off how good they are at dealing with children with SEN and other disabilities?
I genuinely don't know if I'm right in being a little bit upset about this, as it feels like they just want to sweep her under the carpet; like they're embarrassed by her being there or something.

I think this is awful. Both my DS have severe learning disabilities and when their nursery was Ofsteded I was asked to speak to the inspector rather than hide them away!

Yeah that’s pretty gross of them. Mine got recently ofsted and they didn’t do a thing like that. They had my very disruptive child there and still got outstanding.

theyre clearly not good if they don’t have the staff to do what they normally do. Even if ofsted downgrade them, schools know what that means. They should care more for their actual kids including yours.

Same

If they are that close to ‘closing down’ they can’t have one kid in, there are serious issues.

@AARichtGoodDram have you experienced an OFSTED inspection recently? I agree that some things are rather zealous in terms of scrutiny with much context due to short timescales. However, of the three inspections I've been involved with or party to in the last year, I just don't recognise what you are saying. 3 different schools, 3 different inspectors.

SEN was heavily interrogated and all 3 schools have a number of children with complex needs. Reference was made to the quality of support in place, but it certainly wasn't a beating tool.

Sorry if I've got it wrong, but it just feels a bit like a lot of these "OFSTED WILL discriminate against your child and nursery" comments are baseless. There's no guarantee anything will happen.

I think Ofsted need to know regardless.
Awful that the nursery has done this.

Is it a private or state nursery out of interest?

I think you are spot on here. OP is essentially being told by some posters that she should disadvantage her own daughter based on assumptions about how Ofsted will behave. The truth is no one knows what will happen but disabled children should not be used as pawns in all this.

@ARichtGoodDram not sure what happened with the @ you username there. Let's try again 😅

As an employee 5 Ofsted inspections in the last 8 years. As a parent 4 over 3 schools. Including the one I mentioned earlier in the thread where my daughter and her needs were used as a large stick to beat her school with.

There is no guarantee. The nursery may get lucky and get decent inspectors. They may not. It’s a gamble for them

It’s incredibly hard to find decent nurseries for children who need extra help, especially atm with the crisis in staffing. Given the impact an inspection can have on a setting (including being able to offer funded places) I would, as a parent happy with a setting, be doing what I could to help. In my DD4s case that was keeping her home on inspection day.

My friend used to work as an after school club leader. She got absolutely slated in the report and ended up quitting. She was amazing at her job and the parents were really unhappy about it.
That inadequate scathing report is still online and I know it has worried her a lot in terms of prospective employers seeing it. The whole experience really did a number on her self esteem. Ofsted is not fit for purpose. I say that as someone who also works in the childcare field.

@Fidgitigdif123

"It could well be that her key workers is one of the managers, and she's not able to provide support. However, she's attended nursery when her key worker has been off in the past. There are other managers who don't work in any of the kiddie rooms, and do office/admin work etc. I don't really know what to think anymore to be honest 😔"

Go with your gut...

There's clearly a problem and you would be doing your daughter a disservice to hide her away.

@ARichtGoodDram your experience is a lot more personal than mine. So I won't argue the difference of opinion and can't honestly say I would definitely do one thing or another if I was in that situation. Your experience sounds awful. However it doesn't sound like the OP feels her daughter would be negatively impacted by the visit or change of carer but would be the lack of routine. I still stand by my earlier point also, unless they were also prepared to ask other children to not attend, it doesn't appear to be fair.

It would reflect so poorly if it was discovered that this was the case. OP shouldn't have to conceal this for the sake of anything. Her child is entitled to that care, regardless of circumstances.

I’d bet money the OPs child isn’t the only one they’ve asked. A setting that’s prepared to risk asking will have asked more than one parent.

It would reflect very poorly if it was discovered. Ofsted know it happens - I know of one school told to make sure they date letters to parents because the Ofsted inspectors know a specific group had been taken on a last minute trip. They knew it, the school knew they knew it, but there wasn’t anything that could prove it.

It’s just ridiculous we’re in the situation when settings are so pressured by Ofsted that they feel the need to do things like this.
Inspections were never fun, but they were never as hideous as they can be now when I started in education.

Parents shouldn’t have to think about inspections and the impact on the setting their child attends. They should also be able to rely on the inspection report being a fair, balance and accurate portrayal of how the setting runs. Sadly that’s not always the case with Ofsted.

This is symptomatic of how disabled people are treated throughout their life where they are expected to lower their expectations, make themself a little bit smaller and a just be a little less of an inconvenience.

Yes agree - the nursery have put OP in a very uncomfortable position, especially as her daughter is non verbal 😞
It's very unprofessional of them and if it was me, there would now always be a lack of trust in them.

This. If the nursery is supporting your child well, they should have nothing to hide. And this is what they are doing - hiding your daughter. As a mother of an autistic child, I am sickened by this. It's common practice in schools but I've never heard of a nursery trying to play this game. They should NEVER have asked this.

You've hit the nail on the head.

I’d report them to Ofsted. 100% it’s like they have something to hide.

That’s ridiculous

That’s a complete botching of the issue.

The issue is how OP should respond to the fact she has been asked - and she has been asked - not to take her DD in that day.

The issue isn’t whether the nursery should ask her not to: I think most of us are clear that they shouldn’t have.

The issue is , given they have asked her not to come in , whether OP should send her anyway.

Those of us who wouldn’t send her are not necessarily endorsing the nusery’s approach; rather, we are trying to front end DD’s well-being on that particular day, which is the day at issue. If I had been told by someone they did not want my child that day ( as a one off) because they couldn’t manage them, or because they didn’t have capacity or even simply because they felt it wasn’t desirable for some other reason would I send my child? No I would not, because at all times knowing my child has the best possible care is my priority. And a reluctant carer is not the best care.

Yes, I agree with this.

But OP now has to evaluate whether sending her DD in that day is the best thing for her DD. Not whether it is best for Ofsted, or justifiable by the nursery.

They OUGHT to have been able to prioritise her care. But for whatever reason - be it they are under unreasonable pressure from an Ofsted process that is failing both schools and pupils, or be it simply that when approaching the inspection they have got their priorities wrong - they have indicated that they don’t feel willing or able to provide her normal care. But the question isn’t whether if not it’s wrong but rather does OP send her Dd regardless.

Agree. OP is in an awkward position.

Honestly they are in the wrong to exclude your child from nursery that day and if it was my child I'd be extremely unhappy. However ofsted's understanding of addition needs and early years is in my experience woeful. Especially if it's ab early years setting that favours a child led/child centred approach.

In my local area there are a few different nurseries so it's quite competitive. A truly fabulous early years setting was inspected and received requires improvement. The two sticking points seem to have been a child with additional needs wandering off during story time instead of being supported to access the story and the same child eating some of their lunch off the floor -as in the dropped something, picked it up and ate it before their key worker could get to them to prevent it. The impact of that one grading on the setting has been devastating - they've actually now been taken over by a Montessori inspired chain and have lost a lot of what made them stand out.

Oldest trick in the book. Get rid of the ‘problem’ children and make themselves look better.

Take your child in.

Tell Ofsted they’ve asked you to remove her for the day of the inspection.

How dare they?! I’d be livid and extremely insulted.