Policy about state nursery and parents staying at home

[mommycat]

I wonder if anyone knows anything about the policy at State school nurseries, regarding where the parents are when their children are at nursery. Neither my husband nor I have a paid full time job, but I volunteer, and my husband, today, happened to be out doing some xmas shopping.

The nursery called because DD was sick. I was half an hour away, near my voluntary workplace. It took my half an hour to get to the nursery.

They told me at the nursery that one parent should be at home at all times when the children are at nursery, in case a child gets sick and needs to be taken home.

But what if parents are working? OK, we are not working, but what do you do if you are? and what about single parents - are they expected to stay at home all in case their child gets ill?

They also made me feel bad about DD being ill, as if I had sent her in knowing she was sick, when in fact she had seemed fine in the morning.

Just wonder if anyone knows about this. I am talking about state school nursery, not reception class, and not private or fee-paying nursery.

Thanks

Oh yeah - every body stays at home when their DD is a nursery! Not!

that's sounds like a load of baloney (put politely). anyway as I don't drive, it takes me 20 minutes to walk down to school if DS is ill.So I rally don't think 1/2 hour to get to nursery is unreasonable.

madness!

Did you sign anything to that effect when you registered her?

dd spent 4 years at nursery with dh and I out at work- no-one complained!

You need to be contactable, yes, but not sitting at home in case something should happen to her.

no, that's crap.

we do however provide names of a couple of different people they can try if they need ds1 taking home urgetnly and dp or I can't get there quickly

They are talking out of their arse. It takes me 20 minutes to walk to the nursery. Would they like me to stay in the playground, you know, just in case?

thanks. They also have my friend's number, but my friend also volunteers and was out, AND she lives further away than we do - so it would take her just as long to get to the nursery as it took me - and then she would have to take DD all the way to her place which is quite a long walk for a child.

Someone I just spoke with - another friend - says this is typical of state nurseries. obviously in a private or fee paying nursery they would expect you to be at work, and therefore take some time to get there. but i guess at state nursery they assume we are all on the dole and sitting around - as if no one wants to work!

thanks

I've never, ever heard of this before and I've worked in 4 schools, all of which had nurseries. None of them had this ridiculous policy.

Call their bluff and ask to see the policy in writing.

Also, ask to speak to the nursery teacher to clarify this, and if necessary, ask to speak to the headteacher. I think they're talking a load of claptrap!

Absolute bollocks I thinkt he staff member that spoke to you has got the wrong end of the stick. I thinkit is reasonable to be contacable or to have an emergency contact that can answer the phone, but that is as far as it goes. I have worked in different nurseries and used two state ones for my kids, never ever heard of this ever.

I think it is one of those situations where someone picks something up wrongly or puts their slant on it and runs with it.

Although nurseries and schools are bad for expecting you to turn up at at moments notice at the slightest cough or sneeze or bump. They don't care if you are at work or at home with a 20min walk they just say can you come in DD has fell.

THat is rubbish!!!At my dd's nursery as long as they have a number to contact you on that is fine. We all have thinkgs we need to do and they cant expect you to stay at home!!!

I would have thought that whilst your dc is at nursery the nursery is in loco parentis. I work 2 hours away (1.5 if I time the tube/train right) from my ds's nursery and now school. No problems at nursery but a few calls with him being unwell at school. He stays there until I have tracked down someone locally to go and collect him which can take up to an hour. He has been known to go to after school care because I couldn't get there before the end of school. Not a problem at all although both nursery and school are private. I assume they have to comply with LEA guidelines though on this sort of stuff.

Never heard of it before and I'm an early year's teacher.

This is not a state nursery policy. Why would a state nursery expect everyone who uses them to be at home on the dole as you put it? Many parents choose to send their DC to the nursery class attached to the school they will go to. Some are SAHMs others use childminders for the afternoons.

I've been teaching for many years in lots of schools with nursery classes. None have had this policy.

mommycat if they said this to you then they are lying to you. I would write to them if I were you, asking them to put their demand for one parent to be at home in writing.