Nursery keeps ringing parents to collect our daughter

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(mistake in the title - nursery keeps ringing US to collect our daughter)

This topic has been discussed before, but our situation feels slightly different, so I’m starting a new thread.

Our 2‑year‑old daughter started nursery on 21 October 2025, and as of today (12 January), we’ve already been called 26 times to collect her due to a “high fever.” Their policy is: cool the child down, administer Calpol, wait 30 minutes, and if there’s no improvement, the parents must collect the child.

What feels strange is that not once has she improved after Calpol at nursery, yet at home she responds to it 9 times out of 10. Out of those 26 occasions, she was only genuinely unwell on about 4 or 5 days. The rest of the time, she was completely fine once we picked her up.

In most cases, the moment she leaves the classroom, the “fever” seems to vanish. She’s suddenly happy, energetic, singing, playing, and remains perfectly well for the rest of the day. This morning we even checked her temperature before leaving home—she was absolutely fine.

These constant calls are now affecting our job stability and mental wellbeing. Both my partner and I work in secondary schools, and we’ve exhausted our paid childcare absence allowance. Any further absences are unpaid and at the headteacher’s discretion. It’s incredibly stressful having to explain yet again that the nursery has called us.

We also don’t have family nearby, so there’s no backup support.

We’ve asked the nursery whether her temperature could be spiking due to distress or emotional upset—something we’ve read can happen in young children. They dismissed this, saying emotions only show externally and don’t affect internal temperature. But it’s hard not to feel like they simply want her collected whenever she’s tearful or unsettled. It’s difficult to understand how she can have a fever only at nursery and then be completely normal the moment she leaves.

Their policy is to send a child home if their temperature is ≥38°C and hasn’t improved after 30 minutes. Our issue is that 30 minutes isn’t long enough for Calpol to work for her—she usually needs closer to an hour. When we’ve tried to explain this, we’re told there is no flexibility because “it’s policy.” It leaves us feeling like they’re not making much effort to support her when she’s emotional, and we have no way of verifying the temperature readings they claim to take.

I’ve also read that some nurseries are stricter because they’re short‑staffed, which makes the whole situation even more concerning.

We’re now reluctantly looking into a childminder. There would be fewer children (just our daughter and two others), the environment is calmer, and childminders generally have a slightly higher threshold before asking parents to collect a child. With fewer children, there’s also less chance of constant bugs being passed around.

Sorry for the long post, but we’re genuinely at a breaking point. We’d prefer for her to stay at the nursery, but the current situation is pushing us toward choosing a childminder as the only realistic option.

Just wondering if anyone has had similar experience?

I would tell nursery you need a copy of their records of administering medication/taking temperature as you are taking her to the dr for tests as there must be a serious health issue causing this many temperatures....

I actually think the childminder might be the answer here. Some nursery’s are just trigger happy on temperatures. I agree though that emotions can affect the nervous system and impact temperatures so taking her to a more manageable environment might be better.

How bloody stressful for you, and 26 times is utterly bonkers.

I had this a few times in my youngest’s last few months of preschool. I think they had picked up that I was working from home because I always collected quickly. The last time they called at lunchtime because he was a “bit tired”! and I told them that he probably needed to eat lunch and to call me back in half an hour if he was still looking peaky. They didn’t call back, in fact they never called me again!

I would start looking at other nurseries and childminders and in the meantime, as others have said, take a bit longer to collect.

I’d definitely move her.

I’ve had 2 kids go through school from 2 until they were 18 yet I never picked them up 26 times, combined. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’d tell them not to give her Calpol next time they alleged she has a temperature, you’ll come in and assess the situation. Take your own thermometer in and see what’s going on. I bet it’s because they want to get their numbers down.

I made it clear that I will only be picking up if kiddo requires A&E or GP, is puking or unconscious.
This 'nursery' sounds ridiculous.

26 temps above 38° since October?? That's ridiculous. And very concerning if true...
Could you clarify what you mean regarding the 4-5 days actually ill? Has she had numerous episodes of being unwell since October? Or 1 episode lasting 4-5 days??

You've been mugged off hard here.

Stop collecting her. Answer the phone and say you can't collect until 3.30pm. Do that twice and they'll never try again.

My daughter's temperature reads high when she's upset. And if she's been running around. My nursery are not ridiculous though and they will calm them down and re check, or if they seem fine in themselves then they don't always call. They know the children and seem to know when they are actually unwell versus just a bit hot or upset for whatever reason.
You're doing the right thing leaving this nursery and finding a childminder. 26 times in 3 months? Completely and utterly ridiculous!
And no Calpol works in bloody 30 minutes! They do need closer to an hour. Sounds frustrating and for all the reasons you've listed, a childminder seems a much better fit.

Are there any other nurseries you could consider, if you don't go down the childminder route? They can vary wildly in how good they are depending on the staff and culture.

If you think that the nursery is not playing straight with you, possibly for reasons of staff ratios, then, whatever the temp situation, I do not think I would want my child there. A good childminder might be a better option.

Also, going and taking temp then going away and leaving her again wou
ld be very confusing for her.

I'm so, so sorry that this has been your experience OP.
It is hard enough to leave them somewhere new, but to do so under these circumstances when you're constantly checking your phone and worrying is akin to mental torture.
A few things:
Have you ever taken a thermometer with you to collect her? I think I would do this the next time it happens, because I just don't believe that your little one can be above 38⁰ that regularly if she isn't ill. I would want to check and no longer take their word for it.

You could possibly formally complain about the number of times you have been called. 26 calls in three months (with a week break for Christmas in there too!) is ridiculous.

If you don't want to formally complain (and I can see why not really, I don't know that I would kick off at the people who look after my child) I think you should arrange a chat with the manager and just say that this is unsustainable. Your daughter has no signs of illness and you can't keep leaving work. Let them know that you're struggling and that you are also worried about your child's fluctuating temp and would like them to keep an evidence log as you may need to follow up with a GP.

Good luck OP.

Seconding everyone else saying take her temp yourself next time.

The number of times is insane. For context my son has been in nursery for 10 months and I’ve not been called to get him once. He’s had a few days off for illness here and there (norovirus was fun) but it’s been when he wakes up poorly and I don’t take him in.

I’m a teacher as well and I’ve told them my mobile doesn’t get answered during the day, so they have to call the school office if he needs to get picked up. I don’t know if that puts them off.

Change her , their are either short on staff or took a deslike to your child . Neither are ok so please read the room and find another place

That's madness. My 23 month old is with a childminder and I've never been called to pick her up early. She had her fair share of coughs and colds in the run up to Christmas though...

Mine are at school now (4 and 9). I don't think the 9YO was ever sent home from nursery other than when the whole nursery closed during lockdown. 4YO was sent home once due to an ear infection and her room closed once due to a strep a outbreak. I'd be looking for another nursery.

Is she very unhappy or unsettled there? Crying can be taken for illness - either way I’d move her, as it must be very stressful for her.

As a childminder..who hardly ever sends a child home sick…why are you so reluctant to use one?
Do you know we are all registered with Ofsted, have to follow the eyfs exactly the same as nurseries do, and have to have all the relevant qualifications?

26 times in 3 months is ridiculous. My DD was at nursery for 2 years, I was called 3 times to pick her up. I'd look elsewhere.

Change nursery or provider. They are being ridiculous

I have two children who have both gone through nursery from age 1 and are now in primary school and secondary school. One has complex health conditions which require daily medication and hospital stays… and I can confidently say I have only ever been called to pick either of them up about 4 times in their whole lives. 26 times is crazy

26 times since September. So they think your child is seriously ill but know you havent had them assessed by a GP for their serious illness, but they havent made a safeguarding call to social services?

I would be asking them directly whether they have staffing issues which needs reviewing by Ofsted or would they like their dodgy thermometer replacing?

Either way they aren't providing the service you are paying for and it's putting your jobs at risk, so I'd be making a formal complaint to them and to Ofsted regardless and finding an alternative nursery anyway.

I wouldn't be keen on my child being constantly dosed on Calpol. This is a ridiculous situation. What do they do, wrestle her to the ground every second day and take her temperature? I have two children who were in childcare from a young age and I think I was called maybe three times and one of those times was when they had tripped and sliced open their chin on a doorframe and the other time they had a vomiting bug. I would be finding another childcare provider and also asking them directly whether they have staffing issues which needs reviewing by Ofsted or would they like their dodgy thermometer replacing. In the meantime, if I did have to turn up, I'd be bringing my own thermometer and if it's normal, I'd say I wasn't uplifting a perfectly well child.

I had similar with DD3. They knew I was working at the school next door and called constantly.

By sheer coincidence when I said I was getting really worried about the number of times she needed Calpol and kept getting temps so asked them to keep a written record for me as I was going to make a Dr's appointment the instances dropped dramatically.

I did move her shortly after that though as I decided I didn't want her staying somewhere that was giving Calpol far too often (and I had a niggling doubt that they may not have been giving it and lying about that is even worse).

Wow. I am here for the update because they are defo having you on. Bring your own thermometer.

I'd actually go so far as to suggest you may need to involve safeguarding/LADO regarding how often calpol is given, if it needs to be given or if it even is being given, and to investigate their reasoning ie is it to cover staff ratios. They'd be able to correlate your collection days with the staff lists...

This happened to us too. Honestly was at least once or twice a week I’d have to go and collect my son due to him being ‘unwell’. I ended up changing the nursery - I since found out that this nursery has had a very poor OFSTED rating at its latest check and they don’t stick to ratios either, so probably trying to get rid of children so they’re in ratio.