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’d take your daughter to your GP just to check her out for any unexplained cause. I’d also speak to the nursery and explain the effect it’s having on your work. It does sound a bit fishy that she’s apparently having a temperature so very frequently.
Discuss the fact she’s fine at home and ask they don’t administer Calpol. Take calpol and your own thermometer when called in. Then you can see if your daughter really had a temperature to begin with and they can’t claim the calpol eventually worked.

Sounds ridiculous, you should look at a childminder or a new nursery. My Dsis called me in a panic recently as she was at work and pre school care said her DS had a temperature and should be picked up. When I picked him up, he was running about playing football. They insisted that school wouldn’t take him. I took him home and he was fine!

26 times since 21st October - that's roughly a call every second day.

I'd be concerned that they've given your DD Calpol 26 times in 3 months. I've got bottles going past their expiry date because they're used so infrequently.

In 7 years of nursery for my two I only had 4 or so calls to collect (once was for COVID as a child had a confirmed case and they had to close the room, once when DS2 hit his head and needed stitches, twice due to vomitting bugs). I'd be in to speak to the manager and if also be chatting to other parents to see if they are having the same issue.

Wow, my kids are older, attended nursery from 6 months old and I don’t recall ever being rung to take them home because they had a temperature. I’d find an alternative as these people are such cfers I’d wonder how well I could trust them for anything

Being sent home 26 times is certainly questionable, particularly when each time a fever was cited but your child appeared fine on collection. I’d also be concerned about Calpol being administered when it may not have been necessary, and that’s something I would definitely raise too. Before considering a new nursery, I’d challenge this directly asking the questions others have already highlighted and querying the staff ratios on the days your daughter was sent home. Once I’d had all the answers, I’d consider making a formal complaint to ofsted - the calpol situation would really concern me.

That’s unacceptable!
They might need a new thermometer 🌡️?
Your daughter might run hot ?
The nursery might be too warm ?
My older children didn’t really go to nursery, only a playgroup for 2 mornings per week , my youngest did go to nursery for 2 days per week from about 9am till about 3.30pm and I think I was called once ! She got earache / felt hot and I collected her.
I would also be concerned about then giving her Calpol so frequently ( if they did indeed give her a dose )

https://www.medisave.co.uk/collections/thermometers?limit=12&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=&utm_source=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22357127969&gbraid=0AAAAACjCjVYDcn09qJ52iFQdFL2S4KbY1&gclid=CjwKCAiAmp3LBhAkEiwAJM2JUHvWtIW1ai35riWuAZFPKMii0bXWK5SiCvf2Qi4HNzNz-0LdqD_T9xoCROcQAvD_BwE

buy a Childs ear thermometer and take their temperature when you arrive at the nursery. If it is not over normal body temperature then they should stay.

(I wonder if their thermometer is actually reading correctly?)

80 days and 26 calls outs is excessive, 10 weekends take the number of days in nursery to 60 days and thats 26 call outs in 60 days

maybe also worth you taking the temperature and getting the nursery to use their equipment to take the temperature and see if it varies ?

I haven't read all replies, but we have a nursery in our town that is notorious for this - if they are over their quota or whatever, ie theres more kids than adults required, they call round the parents with 'oh they've got a temperature' or with the younger ones who can't speak 'oh they've been sick, they can't come back for 48 hours now' when they hadn't been sick at all. I heard it independently from multiple parents I know, and then a former member of staff blew the whistle and put it on social media saying that it was very much the case this actually happened.

I'd have a look for another nursery, or preferably a childminder. Childminders round here where I live are a like searching for a unicorn, but they are much better for the children (I'm a former childcare worker).

26 times in that period is outrageous!

I'd speak to nursery manager, tell them not to give Calpol again, ask for their logs showing the symptoms that led them to take her temperature, when Calpol given, and temperature after the Calpol. Ask how often they check their thermometers accuracy - do they use more than one and fet the same reading? Explain you need the information to take to her GP due to the constant illnesses.

Dress her in light layers, so she can be in tee-shirt and leggings or similar.

When they next call, take your own thermometer in and check the temperature. When/if it comes down once home, phone them and tell them (and bring her back in, if you can). Do it in a "let's work together to sort this issue out" kind of way.

But she will be hot if she's upset. They need to address why she's upset or why she is so overheated at nursery but fine at home.

Ultimately, I'd be looking for alternative childcare anyway. They sound completely inflexible.

It doesn't really - it implies that they picked up the pattern of the nursery phoning them for a temp far more than would very be typical.

My adult DD's son was at a fairly new local nursery which had few children and wasn't well enough staffed to give them any flexibility if staff were ill. She suspected that they'd sometimes have children collected if they were above the legal numbers when a staff member was sick. On one occasion they actually closed the nursery due to illness and offered her a place at a nursery 30 minutes drive away.
She moved her son.

Before I even read all your OP I was thinking a child minder would be a much better fit for you.

I agree with PP’s, take your thermometer along when they call you in and take her temp in front of them. I would also start taking her temperature in the morning before you take her in to nursery.

Hope you get it sorted, it sounds very stressful.

Take a thermometer with you next time you're called to collect & take it in front of the staff to see if she actually still has a temperature. Mention that you'll be speaking with her GP as you feel it's happening to often. Ask them to record her temperature throughout the day so to see if there's a pattern of when her temp goes up. Is it when she's been playing & is just hot & they've said its a temperature as an excuse for her to go home due to staff issues or ratio issues? Ask them what sort of thermometer these use & provide a one you know records her usual temperature correctly at home. That amount of times her Temp is spiking is worrying if it's actually true & I'd def speak with your GP.

I had this when I returned to work. I got so fed up I took DC to GP who listened, examined my very happy and healthy child and she gently suggested that I needed to find a new nursery.

Interestingly at the new nursery I was never called to collect her.

13 years ago now but want to assure you that looking for a new provider is the best thing for your own stress and wellbeing.

Sorry you’re experiencing this OP, it’s tough being full time working parents and you do rely on the nursery to do some heavy lifting to support - we are in the same situation especially with no family to help out. It honestly sounds like the nursery may be using this temp thing as a bit of an excuse to cover for being short staffed or cover gaps in staffing and that will be hard to prove/expose. If you have options it might be better to look to relocate your LO to another nursery that might have a better track record - any other parents at the nursery have the same thing happen?

Two words:

move her

My daughter was at the same nursery for 4 years

we got called to collect probably twice

they are taking the peas

What are the symptoms that they are claiming lead to them taking her temperature to check for a fever?

Administering medication to a child 26 times in three months where a child is not unwell sounds like malpractice to me.

Tell them not to administer medication for a fever. Take a thermometer with you every time they call and check the child’s temperature at the nursery. Tell them yes the fever has gone down. Make a note of every time they do this and the cost to you financially.

I’d be tempted to claim malpractice and at least take them to the small claims court to claim money back for fees. All you need to do for a small claims court claim is apply using a form online.

Of course you need to look for another nursery in the meantime.

I would ask for all their records (say you need them for the GP to investigate the constant fevers). I assume they keep records if administering meds? Move her them report to Ofsted because I suspect there's nothing wrong with her and that nursery is a big red flag for safeguarding.

My child “ran hot” pp is absolutely right. Or maybe their thermometer is faulty. I don’t think those forehead ones are very good.

They sound dodgy as hell. Move nursery.

have you spoken to your doctor?