Joybell
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I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the principal teacher at my sons nursery. It's the nursery attached to the primary school. My son is 4 and has been there for over a year now.
I've never been very happy with the collection/ drop off routine there but recently it's come to a head and I've put in a complaint.
It's a nursery on a busy road which is accessed via 2 gates with high bolts and one gate with a low latch. Entry to nursery is via a secure door with a buzzer. The buzzer system is always faulty and rarely works. They also turn it off and leave door unlocked for the 10-20min period for collection/drop off. This means the door is opened by turning one handle no codes or anything needed and no staff at the door.
Parents arrive, open the door, no buzzer required and walk in to the corridor which gives access to main room, quiet room and gym hall. You change shoes and coat in corridor then take the child into the main room. The register is lying out for you to sign in.
The issue is that there is normally one one staff member in the room who is busy doing other things, like getting the snacks ready for later. There is no one to 'take' your child. I have to try to settle him and leave. Children seem to be allowed to leave the main room and go into the corridor, gym hall and quiet room during collection and drop off times unsupervised which really freaks me out. Especially with various unchecked adults coming in and out and a broken unsecured door.
We frequently see kids who were dropped earlier standing in the corridor watching me get my son ready for drop off and no one Is minding them. I just feel it would be more normal and safe for them to be held in a group and a register taken until the drop off time is over.
Today I did the usual and settled my son in the main room. Returned to the corridor and faffed with his bag and coat peg etc for a few mins before opening the main door to the outside. Something caught my eye and I turned to find my son grinning at me hiding behind me back trying to come outdoors with me. He had left the main nursery room to come find me. Unsurprisingly the lone teacher hadn't noticed or just assumed he was going to the other room. It frightened the life out of me.
Same at collection time. I go in the unsecured door and wander from room to room til I find my son. Frequently he is playing with other kids with no teacher in sight or one teacher engaged in doing something else. I can arrive and lead him out without actually speaking to anyone. Kids are allowed to roam free between rooms and in the corridor at collection time too.
Last year I witnessed two young boys with no coats tagging onto the back of a mum leaving with her child and going out from the corridor Into the playground. Thier parents weren't there yet. I informed nursery staff who quickly took them back in.
It just terrifies me that kids are allowed to wander freely when there are loads of people coming in and out and they currently have access to an unsecured door. Anyone, a non parent could wander in or they could be let our accidently as I previously saw.
The nursery has had very good ratings with care Inspectorate and I've had no issues other than this building and getting worse.
I remember around the time they were inspected a year ago we got a letter saying that they were changing procedures and all kids would be held in a room by staff for parents to collect directly. This sounded fantastic to me but it lasted only a few weeks before falling into the normal routine of kids roaming everywhere.
What does your school nursery do? Does this sound normal?
Thanks
I've never been very happy with the collection/ drop off routine there but recently it's come to a head and I've put in a complaint.
It's a nursery on a busy road which is accessed via 2 gates with high bolts and one gate with a low latch. Entry to nursery is via a secure door with a buzzer. The buzzer system is always faulty and rarely works. They also turn it off and leave door unlocked for the 10-20min period for collection/drop off. This means the door is opened by turning one handle no codes or anything needed and no staff at the door.
Parents arrive, open the door, no buzzer required and walk in to the corridor which gives access to main room, quiet room and gym hall. You change shoes and coat in corridor then take the child into the main room. The register is lying out for you to sign in.
The issue is that there is normally one one staff member in the room who is busy doing other things, like getting the snacks ready for later. There is no one to 'take' your child. I have to try to settle him and leave. Children seem to be allowed to leave the main room and go into the corridor, gym hall and quiet room during collection and drop off times unsupervised which really freaks me out. Especially with various unchecked adults coming in and out and a broken unsecured door.
We frequently see kids who were dropped earlier standing in the corridor watching me get my son ready for drop off and no one Is minding them. I just feel it would be more normal and safe for them to be held in a group and a register taken until the drop off time is over.
Today I did the usual and settled my son in the main room. Returned to the corridor and faffed with his bag and coat peg etc for a few mins before opening the main door to the outside. Something caught my eye and I turned to find my son grinning at me hiding behind me back trying to come outdoors with me. He had left the main nursery room to come find me. Unsurprisingly the lone teacher hadn't noticed or just assumed he was going to the other room. It frightened the life out of me.
Same at collection time. I go in the unsecured door and wander from room to room til I find my son. Frequently he is playing with other kids with no teacher in sight or one teacher engaged in doing something else. I can arrive and lead him out without actually speaking to anyone. Kids are allowed to roam free between rooms and in the corridor at collection time too.
Last year I witnessed two young boys with no coats tagging onto the back of a mum leaving with her child and going out from the corridor Into the playground. Thier parents weren't there yet. I informed nursery staff who quickly took them back in.
It just terrifies me that kids are allowed to wander freely when there are loads of people coming in and out and they currently have access to an unsecured door. Anyone, a non parent could wander in or they could be let our accidently as I previously saw.
The nursery has had very good ratings with care Inspectorate and I've had no issues other than this building and getting worse.
I remember around the time they were inspected a year ago we got a letter saying that they were changing procedures and all kids would be held in a room by staff for parents to collect directly. This sounded fantastic to me but it lasted only a few weeks before falling into the normal routine of kids roaming everywhere.
What does your school nursery do? Does this sound normal?
Thanks