Nursery keeps ringing parents to collect our daughter

[NaptimeNavigator]

(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?

Btw I have literally never been called to collect my daughter from nursery, school or after-school for a temperature, not one single time and she's 10 years old and has been attending for most of that time. She does get temps when she has a virus etc like any kid and from the sounds of it your little one sounds pretty typical as well. I just can't fathom being contacted for a temperature specifically that many times in such a short space of time. I wouldn't trust the nursery with my kid if they're potentially faking illness but especially faking illness and giving medication for it.

I had this once it’s so stressful. I had to get quite short with them in the end and ask that they didn’t take my child’s temp unlesss they were showing other signs of illness.

I work in a nursery and our policy is if they have to have calpol they aren’t well enough to stay so they get sent home as soon as calpol has been administered.

is the room hot when you go in? If they’ve got the heating on full blast it makes sense that she cools down once she’s left.

My son went to nursery at 20months and the first nursery he went to was exactly as you described! I was constantly picking my child up and he was fine as soon as we got home. I even hired a nanny to avoid missing out on work as I was getting desperate after the number of times they called me saying he was unwell. Finally after 3 months I was able to move him to a nursery closer to home and they were fantastic. I think I was only called when he was genuinely ill. No more random calls when he wasn’t actually ill. Look into a child minder, I did too but last minute a space became available and I opted for the nursery as I felt it was more regulated, more staff and more control over who could interact with my child.

@NaptimeNavigator we had this with our twins. They'd pick one of them, once a week, to have a temperature and then it made no sense to leave the other one there and make a separate journey back to collect, so they'd hand over both twins with a grin. Always fine in temperature when we arrived to collect.

After about the 7th occasion, we told them we'd be purchasing our own thermometer and to call us immediately on finding either child had a temperature, and NOT to give Calpol until we arrived (this worked because I was within 15 mins of the nursery) so I could check the temperature with my own thermometer. Lo and behold, no further incident until about 8mths later with a genuine temperature.

26 times? That’s shocking! If she doesn’t have a known long term illness it does feel like they’re taking the mick! I wonder if they’ve not met their legal staff numbers and need to reduce numbers and since you’ve answered you’re seen as an easy option? I’m so cynical of everyone these days though so probably not

Ask the bursery to take a photo of this alleged temperature and dont pick up as you are teaching. Of she geniurly ill they will leave a voicemail so listen to that.

This! I had this with my very healthy and Harty second child. He was never ill or feverish once I got him home. I had to change nursery it was getting ridiculous

Several years later by chance I became friendly with a member of staff, she had moved on by this stage, she said they were known for it. Treated staff badly so the didn’t turn up then called partners claiming sickness. Practically fraud

This is absolutely ridiculous. Even if she has been in full time nursery Mon-Fri since the day she started, that would be 58 nursery days (minus Xmas day and boxing day) meaning almost 50% the time she's been there they've sent her home? I'm assuming she's actually had more time than that off for Xmas, and don't actually know how many days you send her per week, so the percentage of "sick days" is probably actually much higher. If a child is genuinely ill 50% of the time, that's a massive worry. The nursery is either ridiculously over cautious or taking the piss due to staffing issues, as there's no way a child can have a temperature that often without some underlying issue. Id definitely source another childcare option op, this doesn't sound at all sustainable.

I’d be tempted to join them in their concern.

You've noticed that thats a large number of fever events. Youve discussed it with the GP and been advised to try and understand any patterns.

So going forward could they please:

• take note of what prompted them to take her temperature.
• take four readings, two in each ear. At least 5 minutes between each pair. And a photo of her and the thermometer readings to help keep a record of her pallor at the time.
• contact emergency contact to discuss plan, which may be to try calpol or just to monitor for the 30 mins without calpol.
• retake after 30 mins as per their policy, but given the need to understand the pattern, add the extra steps with same records as above.

And make some comment that one potential explanation is a teething phase or similar that may pass soon.

Do they/you check her temperature when you are there?

If not get them to and if normal then leave her there

My daughter was premature and used to get sick constantly. I mean, if we had a month were she only had two illnesses, that would be a good month.
The Nursery only ever called me if she was lethargic or not eating. A temp in itself isn’t enough.
Id try a different nursery.

That's a ridiculous number of times. Have they ever taken her temperature with you there? I'd be tempted to take my own thermometer in and test alongside there's to check it's calibrated correctly too.

If she's crying and stressed, then its not the right fit for her. Her unhappiness would be my biggest concern..

Also putting her in a 'school like setting' age 2 is ridiculous. She's a baby!

FWIW I had a childminder who did something similar except instead of saying DC was sick, she'd say she (the childminder) was ill or her daughter was ill and this went on for a few months before my manager suggested I reassess my return to work.

Definitely change childcare providers. Particularly if your daughter isn't happy there.

If she's been sent home 26 times since October, mostly due to being hot from distress, it's probably not feeling like a relaxed and familiar setting for her yet!

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.

If she's completely worked up it would, in which case I'd be looking for alternative childcare anyway.

As others have suggested, I would 100% be checking her temperature on pickup - if she's fine at home, their thermometer could be off!
I'd also be slow to pick up - blame traffic- and see whether her temp has gone down by then.

Good move to seek other support, the nursery sound pants to me. They may not even be giving calpol and frankly stress can cause internal temp rise, it happens to me.

Good luck with a child minder.

Several of my friends had this issue... what if often happening is If staff dont come in they dont have the ratios and some child has to go home to get the room ratio

Its this.

Make it hard for them. Next time they ring say you are away on a course and will have to travel back by train, it will take you 2 hours. Repeat excuses.

They will start ringing someone else.

If this doesn't work, change childcare. A lot of nurseries are like this. They are owned by chains and are there to turn a profit, they run on very tight ratios.

As others have said it sounds as though they are either lazy, badly organised regarding staff or are making their own job easier. Next time get them to take the child’s temperature in front of you with their thermometer. When you see it’s normal tell them you’re not going to keep playing this game, you want a refund for the money you missed having to leave work and leave without your child. Cheeky fuckery needs to be called out on and addressed.

Are they administering Calpol every time too? So she’s had 26 doses of Calpol just from them in three months? But outside of two occasions, has never shown any other suggestion of being ill? So they’re just giving her paracetamol multiple times a week?

Tbh this is getting beyond annoyance and into a welfare thing at this point. I’d ask them to stop giving the Calpol at the very least as she’s having frequent paracetamol that she probably doesn’t need.

They are trying it on because you can and do collect. Let the phone go to voice mail. Listen but if not emergency don’t respond gor 45 mins or so (if you’re a teacher this is perfectly realistic). Then call them back and say you’ll be about an hour or so due to travel and traffic. Be 90 mins but be in contact with them on route home. If it’s the afternoon it’ll be almost real pick up time anyway after all that. Obvs don’t do if she’s really ill. Coupled with arriving with your own thermometer to check and maybe even making a point of proving she’s well in drop off thry should start to realise you aren’t going to roll over!

Use a childminder.
See how it goes the nursery are not really trying are they...30 mins is not long enough..