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Original poster

Drove past my dd walking alongside major road yesterday when she was supposed to be at nursery!

144 replies

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 09/02/2006 12:27

dropped her off at 12.30 an went out to try and sort car out(bumped it earlier in day)..driving back up main road to where i live (nothing around it, just a road/Bridge that go's over the river)and i drove past my daughter with another 8 children and 2 carers from her nursery

my point?..firstly she's full of cold and id requested she not play out in playground today, then, there were 9-10 children all under age of 4 with two adults??i am told that they can take 8 each if they want??!!but how to they keep that many children safe walking along a main road?..it only takes one child to bolt and the others are left with one adult with one pair of hands!
Lastly, when i filled in nursery contracts and it came to the bit about 'outings'..i clearly specified that any outing must be first authorised by myself on each and every occasion.

MY GOD..i am so annoyed, upset and shocked by this..am i totally out of order for feeling like this? is this the norm with most places??

OP posts:
Enid · 10/02/2006 14:34

did you talk to her about the ratios? she doesnt sound massively helpful I must say.

paolosgirl · 10/02/2006 14:44

Agree with Enid. Walking beside a main road with so many children and so few adults is not clever, so her concern is justified there IMO - but to say that you wanted her kept in because she has a cold, and because you didn't want it getting worse because you were going abroad the following week raised a few eyebrows, as did classing a walk up the road as an outing. I'm afraid that doesn't work when they go to school.

Socci · 10/02/2006 14:54

Message withdrawn

emmatom · 10/02/2006 14:56

It's your child, you made your wishes clear, if they had a problem with that they should have told you then.

I personally would have stopped my car and sorted it there and then. But then that's just me.

I truly understand how you must have felt. Some people are more laid back about things than others. I'm laid back until it comes to my childrens welfare. But I don't care what others think about that. They come first

tex111 · 10/02/2006 15:14

SUTC, I haven't read the whole thread but I know that I would be furious in your situation. I think it's wrong for DS to leave the school premises without my prior knowledge and approval, except in an emergency of course. I want to know exactly where he is when I'm not with him. If you've made it clear that you want to know about all outings beforehand then I think the nursery is most definitely in the wrong. It might've been just a little walk to get some fresh air but it does seem an odd choice of route and the ratio of carers to children would worry me too.

trix1 · 10/02/2006 15:29

My friend owns a very successful childrens nursery and their policy is if the child is not well enough to go outside and participate in group activites then the child is not well enough for nursery. They dont usually have extra staff to stay inside with one child.

paolosgirl · 10/02/2006 16:12

Absolutely, Trix. Outdoor activities are part and parcel of a nursery day, as they should be. Outings are different, and of course you need to give permission for them to go on a longer, planned event, but for heavens sake! If they had to phone every parent for permission before they did anything outside, they'd never get anywhere -and what about the parents they couldn't get hold of (as happens)? Do they say to the child "sorry, you have to stay in while we all go to the park"?

hercules · 10/02/2006 16:32

Thought about this one and have to agree with swimming. I would be very cross if I saw my dd at this age next to a main road with anything less than 1-2 ratio.

As for the cold, we cant always keep our kids out of nurseries unless you have a very sympathetic boss, if they have a cold.

hercules · 10/02/2006 16:33

but they werent going to a park. They had 2 adults to 8 or 9 kids and op says her child is under 3.

paolosgirl · 10/02/2006 16:37

Hercules - I've posted earlier on this thread, and completely agree that walking with that adult/child ratio is appalling, and I'd complain too - but swimming wants to be informed every time they go out (inc. a walk to the nearby park), and that's what I think is a bit OTT.

MaryP0p1 · 10/02/2006 16:57

Actually last year it was one of the things ofsted really wanted to ensure was happening. That outdoor activities are part and parcel of the days activities and all children had some access to physical and outside play and learning. This did also include local spontatious outings (learning about our environment). However it is not acceptable that ratio particuarly the under threes. We would have had 1:2 ratio in those circumstances for even the 3-5 age range.

morocco · 10/02/2006 16:59

re: not leaving nursery grounds without prior permission
if that's what swimming is happy with, then I don't see anything wrong with saying it. Why do the nursery bother asking if they're not going to do anything about it? Perhaps she subconsciously picked up on the fact that the nursery might be really slack about road safety.
I'd have hit the roof if I'd seen my kids (esp my 23month old who is a terror by roads) out with any less than 1:2 ratio of adult to child. Why take the risk?

Socci · 10/02/2006 16:59

Message withdrawn

roisin · 10/02/2006 17:06

My dss's school tend to play things "strictly by the book". When ds2 was in nursery (3-4 yr olds) we always had to give written permission if they were leaving the school premises.

Tbh I found it a real pain, and completely unnecessary

Blandmum · 10/02/2006 17:10

We also have to sign for everything and I also find it a PITA. The kids are studying houses atm, so they are out quite a bit!

rummum · 10/02/2006 17:37

At my pre-school the parents sign a consent form when their children join allowing the children to go on walks outside of the pre-school, did you do this when she started?? Wanting to be informed every time they leave the premises is a bit OTT imo... just imagine asking all the mums and dads when they're in a hurry going to work or whatever to sign a bit of paper..bedlum ... and what happened to spontinuety (sp)...

the ratio for under 3's is 1:4 I do find this a bit concerning... are you sure they had... what was it.. 9 to 10 children... could you have been mistaken at all??

anyway, sorry your daughters ill... my sons been throwing up all day as well...

Original poster
SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 12/02/2006 19:16

hi
am meeting with nursery ass amnager tomorrow if dd is well enough(still got tail end of chest infection..so will have to play it by ear)
girl from nursery who was meant to come round fri didnt turn up! and friend who she did visit(they are friends) said without prompting, oh have you seen xxx's mum?, she wasnt very happy on friday when we took xxx out.
friend said oh would you let me know if you ever take xxx(her son) out and she said no because you signed the consent for for outings!
so if they keep yacking on about how bloody important these consent forms are, why did they not bother to read that mine said 'only with prior consent'!

i see that some dont want to be botherd if there children are leaving the safety of nursery grounds, but i am and will let them no that tomorrow!

OP posts:
Original poster
SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 12/02/2006 19:17

rummum - hope your sons better?..what an awful bug going around

OP posts:
Original poster
SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 13/02/2006 08:48

got emaill from nursery manager(who i thought was ass manager)
turns out the girl whom my dd is close to and who i get on great with was the one who disregarded my request of 'prior notice'!..no wonder she was red in face when they walked towards me, she knew, yet she took her anyway!

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