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?

The appealing aspect to us about a nursery is being in a school-like environment and start getting her familiarised with that sort of environment.

At age 2 a school like environment is not developmentally appropriate and she wouldn't get from that what a four or five year old would.

The reception year of EYFS is there to familiarise herself with a school like environment

That all sounds very strange, firstly the number of days she apparently had a fever, and secondly that they’d let children stay if the fever goes down with Calpol (because where’s the point in that, they’d still be contagious). I’d look for a new nursery.

It may sound strange but it could actually be genuine...we had a similar situation. Our son had a lot of fevers but would perk up at home - it turned out that he had chronic tonsillitis. A normal cold would sometimes just tip him over the edge.

Definitely go to the GP just in case. Do you know any other parents of children at the nursery - are they having similar experiences?

We had a similar nursery issue. When we started to tell them not to give nursery and that we'd check the temperature when we arrived - they suddenly stopped ringing so often.

It's usually when they're short staffed!

This is what really, really bothers me and I agree with you that actually it's serious.

Cynic here - they probably haven't got enough staff to cover the number of children they have. I'd find another and report them to Ofsted.

I’m really surprised they have continued administering this amount of medication. It should surely be a very occasional thing, if at all.

Our nursery doesn’t administer Calpol by themselves in the first place, only if it’s by agreement for a specific issue (so a child recovering from a procedure who is well enough to be at nursery but still on Calpol for mild pain relief or something like that).

It doesn’t even make sense; even if Calpol lowers a temperature, it’s not going to prevent an ill child spreading whatever it is causing the temperature. It’s a bizarre policy, made even more bizarre by the fact no one there has apparently thought to question giving a 2yo 26 doses of paracetamol in three months.

secondly that they’d let children stay if the fever goes down with Calpol (because where’s the point in that, they’d still be contagious).

Not everything soothed by calpol is infectious or contagious.

You aren't going to "catch" teething, or earache, or vaccine side effects. Lots of things are infectious or contagious before symptoms emerge and symptoms can persist long after you are no longer passing on germs.

Came here to say the same thing. Absolute madness and a huge welfare concern if they are administering Calpol this amount of times (and if she’s genuinely not poorly afterwards, for no good reason). I’d want a serious conversation with them to express these concerns and visibility on my child’s dosing and temp logs (while also looking for a new setting).

We only send them home if they have a genuine temp and seem unwell in themselves . However lots of parents will try to mask illness by giving calpol before arrival so they only become unwell after this wears off.

Are you sending your child in ‘not quite right’ with calpol the being surprised they call you when the masking wears off?

No child should be in nursery unwell. It makes other children unwell, means other parents need to take time off, makes staff unwell and might lead to closure of the room.

And I’m not crunchy about painkillers etc., we use them with our kids as appropriate, but I don’t think my 3yo has had 26 doses of Calpol in her life, much less in a three-month period. Paracetamol like every painkiller has risks, low as they may be, and administering it so often in such a short space of time without further discussions or input from parents/medical professionals is very poor practice.

Take a thermometer next time you go and check her temperature at the nursery. If they know you are going to do this every time then they may think twice

I wonder what they'd say if you asked them for an exact record of her fevers because you're so concerned that you think a referral to a pediatrician is necessary. If she actually had a fever 26 times in less than 3 months (which I seriously doubt) then that should be followed up on.

Similar situation happened to me too. My 14month old (at the time) was only there 3 days a week and I was called so many times it was ridiculous. I am also a teacher and it was incredibly stressful having to sort cover and set work only for my son to be right as rain when we got home. He then wouldn't be allowed in for 48 hours - basically the remainder of his days that week (he never got a temp on a Friday funny enough...).

The last straw was them calling me at 220 one afternoon to tell me yet again he had a temp. I told them I would be there ASAP but I had to find someone to cover me for the last hour of school, I had to pass on messages that I needed relaying to parents as well as set work quickly for the next day as I obviously would have to stay home with him (partner did it previous time) but I would be there quickly. They called me again 10 mins later telling me he was hotter. I'm panicking now trying to find senior management. Then 12 minutes later they call me again to ask if he always has a rash when he gets hot! By now I am really panicking thinking he has meningitus. I'm in tears speaking to my headteacher telling him I have to leave now! I practically run out the door at 250, drive the 10 mins to collect him, get home in another 20 mins, give him calpol and he's running around with his sister as happy as can be. I found a childminder after that. Best thing we did!

Can you take her to the GP to get a sense check as to whether it is really likely that she will have had that many fevers in such a short period? Obvs GP can also assess whether there is genuinely anything wrong with her (unlikely). Then go back to nursery armed with GP’s assessment that they must have been overcautious.

You haven’t answered a question a few people have asked- what is the nursery’s explanation for why they are taking her temp so frequently? I can imagine them roaming round with the thermometer willing one kid to have a temp .1 over 38 so that they can get shot of them. I’d be telling them they do not have my consent to take her temp unless they can justify it with clear symptoms.

Are they using one of those forehead temperature checkers? Hospital told me they aren't accurate. Children can get hot running around excited playing. They only tell you the skin temperature. That's not an indicator they are unwell. The ear one's are best for checking body temperature. That's the best indicator they are unwell.

Sounds like a problem with their thermometer or the way they are administering it. I’d take your own thermometer and test her on arrival.

Make sure they are giving the correct amount of Calpol based on body weight and not the label on the bottle. Sometimes the label recommended dose is too low. If needed get it clearly prescribed by the paediatrician. This way it will work much more quickly.

I would speak with the nursery manager and say that you spoke with GP who would like now a written confirmation of the 26 instances of fever to refer her to a paediatrician. Just state that this is a serious matter and that you would need a picture of the reading whilst it gets taken.

They don't need to be in a classroom type environment until they're much older. A lot of studies have shown that it makes no difference to development starting very early. My son goes to a forest school and they're outside all the time so rarely catches anything. He was at a traditional inside nursery the first year and got a different illness every week (and so did we). Forest school aged 2 and has been ill once this winter! Also his development has come on incredibly in that time and they're all so imaginative.

To be honest it sounds like they're making it up, but either way I'd change nurseries as they don't sound reliable or trustworthy.

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You've blown my mind.

They are definitely extracting the urine.
I'd be looking for somewhere else. Meanwhile tell them to stop giving calpol because thats a ridiculous amount of drugs for no reason.

There is no way a child is that ill that frequently without an underlying health issue. And nor would they recover so quickly.

Op my first had a nursery that called weekly, my second only had a handful nursery calls in 4 years, viral wheeze that required hospital, a sickness bug (nice) and I think once he was just ill.

But if they are doing that, why on earth would any parent want their child to spend their days in that environment anyway?

Its fairly obvious they are short staffed, more kids on the books than they are insured for so get one picked up ill.

We've had this problem with my sons nursery. I'm a nurse and I've had it out with the manager, as I was starting to feel like they didn't want him there.

They would call, say my little boys temp was over 38 (they dont give calpol) We have a 2 min walk home and by the time we get home he's absolutely fine.

The nursery is like a sauna. Obviously its winter so he wears a jumper. Last time they called i asked them to take his jumper off and give it half an hour. If his temp hadn't started coming down then I would collect him. They never called back and miraculously he was fine in collection at the end of the day. .