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?

Yeah so I had four at about this age just after covid. It was relentless. Absolutely brutal. The bugs just kept coming.

BUT. I would say 3 times maybe I was called.

something is not right there.

26 times in three months is insane. I mean if you had come home to find your daughter had got a raging fever 26 times in three months you'd be having her investigated for leukaemia or something. Look for other childcare asap, because your nursery are weird and incompetent!

When my DC was at nursery I received frequent phone calls to collect due to fever. I realised that most of the high temperatures occurred after a nap with a blanket over DC. When DC felt hot, the nursery staff cuddled DC which meant they stayed hot and didn’t have a chance to cool down. Might be worth asking the questions about timing of the day when high temperatures occurred.

26 times in 2.5 months, of which 2 weeks the nursery will have been shut for Christmas? 😲

Our nursery has the same policy with regards to temps above 38, but there's no wait and see approach, they have to be collected. They will then ask if we want them to administer calpol to bring it down whilst they wait for us to arrive.

For context my son has been sent home 3 times, since September 2024, twice with a temp and once where he was visible unwell (without temp). I'd say you need a new nursery...

Stressful for you but also your poor baby who is clearly not settled or in the wrong setting. 26 times is a lot; either she’s very sickly which needs to be checked asap or they’re chancing their luck in which case it’s the wrong place for her and she’s better off somewhere else. If she’s hot or out of sorts that often that they hover with a thermometer, that’s a concern too so I’d be thinking it’s wrong all round tbh

our nursery had similar ‘policies’ and it got to the point when my heart would sink if my phone rang during the day. It turned out they were having staffing issues, but of course couldn’t just be honest about it. Have you noticed a correlation between staff absences and these mystery fevers?

Childminder.

They’re taking the absolute piss. Definitely look into a CM, my 2 went to a CM and they still went to preschool/nursery when they were old enough. My kids are bigger now but we’ve not had 26 requests to pick them up over 2 children over their whole lifetimes in childcare/school let alone within 3 months. There are people who would have lost their jobs by now due to this nonsense.

That is mental OP. I strongly suspect it is a ratio issue and I would start letting their calls go to vm.

That is utterly ridiculous. I have 2 kids who have done a combined 7 years in nursery and was called to pick them up 3 times, plus once for an emergency closure.

Get a new nursery, they're taking the piss.

Check vm at the end of the teaching day, not before. And bring a thermometer with you. I have never heard of anything like this. You would know if your child was this unwell and taken action before now, this is bullshit.

Take her to the Drs and get them to confirm that her temperature runs hot. Also are the nursery just randomly taking her temp throughout the day?

I'd take a thermometer next time they ring and take her temperature there and then and if she's not got a temperature tell them she's staying. I would find a new setting though as they aren't providing reliable childcare if they are faking her being poorly in order to not have her there.

Your nursery is absolutely at it!! I’d ask them to write a report about all of these ‘temperatures’ and when and what dosage calpol was administered. Say your taking child to the doctor as your concerned about the level of sickness occurring and you need the log they’ve kept to evidence this.

edited to add;
Also, ask them to take pictures of the thermometer showing these temperatures. Shouldn’t be an issue if they are not lying.

They’re taking advantage of you. 26 picks ups is ridiculous, and it’s also a lot of times they’re just dosing out Calpol. I would move her to another setting.

Totally this too.

Well it depends, has she genuinely had a temperature on these occasions? You say it takes longer than 30 minutes to bring it down with calpol so I presume she has had fevers when you collect her.

If not, you need to start bringing a thermometer with you and taking her temperature before you leave after they have called to collect. Make sure they log the temperature if it’s under 38.

My youngest is a very sickly child. He’s probably had more than 26 days of fevers in the past 3 months. He has recurrent tonsillitis and was recently referred for an immunology panel.

Eldest I can count the times he’s had a fever in his life off one hand.

You need a new childcare setting.

If anything, our nursery tried too hard to keep my son in last week. He was low-spirited, didn't eat lunch, had two mega-short and unhappy naps, then had a temp of 37.9 over the course of 3.5h, and they tried to cool him off, before they called me to collect at 2.30. (he'd been a bit off in the morning then rallied after breakfast so I took him in assuming they'd call if he turned unwell!)

I wish they'd called sooner, but appreciated that they actually showed some initiative and tried the same sort of things I'd do at home.

Like others, I'm really shocked at the frequency of this. If she goes 5 days a week this works out as nearly every other day - even worse if she isn't full-time?! I think I was called to collect from nursery about 3 or 4 times across both my children, so about 7 cumulative years! If they really honestly believe she is ill that frequently it speaks very poorly of them that they haven't spoken to you about seeing a doctor - they should care that she's so unwell. If, as seems more likely, they are lying then this is pretty awful if they're lying about giving her calpol. If they actually are giving it, and so are giving a child unnecessary medicine constantly for their own convenience, that's appalling. I can't see any scenario where I'd feel confident that this is a good nursery where I should be sending my child.

Do you know her resting temp? I would start checking her in the mornings before you leave. Why on earth are they checking that many times? That is bizarre I think I would be suggesting they invest in a new thermometer. I would also complain to the manager.

My DD was with two childminders, one from 5 months to 3 years and then another part time when she started school (afternoon nursery initially so with her in the am). First CM called by exactly once when she got very ill with chickenpox and ended up in hospital for a couple of days (she caught it from CM's own chil so she was happy to still take her). Second CM never. I obviously kept DD home on the (luckily) few occassions she was ill. School also very rarely sent her home. I think a childminder is a better setting but you are kind of "eggs in one basket" as if the CM are ill themselves then there isn't usually any coverr, although my second CM had two assistants who worked with her so I don't remember ever being stuck but my DD is just about to turn 16. I also much preferred the environment. Both had children of similar ages themselves so it was kind of a family feeling. Both CM did so many activities and excursions - more than a nursery would provide I think.

We had something similar. I used to refuse calpol administration, and go with my own thermometer. If her temperature was normal when I arrived (which it always was) I’d refuse to take her home. After the second time this happened they stopped calling me found another poor parent to pick on

Wow, that is insane. Your child clearly hasn't had a temperature five full weeks of weekdays in less than 3 months. It sounds like they need a new thermometer. I would also very unhappy with that amount of Calpol being given potentially needlessly.

We had a sinilar experience with our first nursery. Moved DD to a different nursery and it was a completely different experience and they have been fantastic.

The first nursery did close down as it ran out of money. Think they were pushing kids home when they didn't have enough staff to look after them.

Would say it is a setting specific issue rather than something that applies to all nurseries.

OP you might try getting yourself a thermometer that can take the temperature in her ear and carry it with you so when you're called to collect you can take her temperature there and then and see if she actually has a temperature.

I would withdraw permission for them to give her calpol at all - 24 times getting calpol when she isn't actually sick in the last 3 months can't be good for her. Go when they call and take her temperature, if she doesn't have a fever ask to see how they are taking it. Maybe frame it as being concerned about their equipment or training rather than accusing them of lying. Just say it's surprising how often she's been sent home in so short a time when there's been absolutely no sign of a fever once you get home, so you want to check if they're perhaps misreading because of rushing or well used equipment.

Get an ear thermometer because it's easy for them to heat up her skin temporarily to give the impression of sickness.

But you still need to move her. It's not a nursery you can trust.