RIDDOR

[Heaven Scent]

:rolleyes: Some of you may know that since my huge loss of children before Christmas I was looking for work to make up some of my lost income on days when I have no children and having tried getting paid for doing surveys etc I gave up because the only surveys that I ended up doing were rewards surveys and I would need to do 50,000,000 to get anything out of it so I registered with Sitters and with Tinies (a childcare agency) and have been working in nurseries on and off over the past few weeks - no a pleasant experience all in all some of the things I have seen (even in the Montessori one I've done most of my work in - I'm Montessori trained for those of you who don't know) has made my blood run cold and even boil.

The worst thing I think I have come across though was in one nursery which belonged to a chain which has just recently been taken over by another chain where when a child (boy) throw a toy in the direction of another child (boy) and hit him the room supervisor - the only employee of the nursery in the room sat at a table for ages writing up a RIDDOR report on 'bad behaviour' and myself and another temp had to sign it and date it saying where we were in the room and giving our account of what had happened - I couldn't bl***y believe my eyes - This has nothing to do with RIDDOR child who was hit cried for a few minutes and had no visible signs of any injury and the boy who threw the item did so because of conditions in the nursery and how the environment is prepared for the children there - basically he was over stimulated by too much stuff and noise around him and bored because no body had bothered to show him how to use all this stuff.

All that was needed in this case was an accident form and an explaination to the child why we don't throw things and if it was me I'd get him to apologise to the injured party and give a kiss and hug - but both children were ignored and the paper work was dealt with as a priority - unnecessary paperwork at that.

And parents take their children away from childminders to put them in these places because they think they will learn more - rubbish.

[Shar]

I hear stories like this often!! It has been proven that we do a much better job than nursery's. Parents should do their research and make the right choice.:thumbsup:

[sarah707]

I've told that story to a few people now... none of them understand it.

What on earth did they think they were doing? :panic:

those poor children :(

[rickysmiths]

All this makes me sooo cross. Its not only Nurseries I have issuses with a pre-school that one of my mindees goes to 2 ams a week.

One am I arrived to pick up and a piece of A4 paper was thrust into my hand and I was asked to give it to the parents. It was their invoice for the term!!!:eek: I handed it back and said 'Could you put this in a envelope please, this is confidential.' They said they hadn't got any envelopes and this wasa the way they did it. I asked if they had a Confidentiality Policy to be asked 'Whats that'!!!!:eek: The los Dad was not impressed and rang them about it.

Then I arrived to be told lo had grazed herself could I please sign the accident book, fine and I did, no confidentiality there either, all accidents recorded one after the other and no copy of the form to give to the parents.

Then last week, lo had cut her hand while playing with the fence!!!:eek: I had to sign the book again, and they said to me ' Can she have a plaster on?'
What do you mean I said looking at the plaster on her hand!! 'Don't you know if she is allowed a plaster? What do you mean they said!! Don't you have and info form and signed permissions I said? 'Well we did ask the child and she said she could have a plaster. (the child is just 3yrs!!) At which point the manager started to get quite agitated!!!!:panic:

Do Pre schools not keep a record of things like this? What if the child had an allergy to plasters? Surely if they weren't sure they should have rung the parents and if they couldn't raise them they could have rung me to check before they put the plaster on?

I was mad when I got home that day. So I took a deep breath and thought before I do or say anything I would have a look at their latest Ofsted report. Well that was a shock! not a surprise though.

They had a 'Good' in 2000, a good 'Good' in 2004. In 2006 they got 'Satisfactory. I would say they are overdue for an inspection now.
You would never guess it though, by the state of the pre-school. You know all of us before an inspection (I have 2 friends at present who are 'overdue'). We are spit and polishing everything, smartening up every last poster and notice on our boards etc, etc. No evidence of this at this place.

Anyhow the worst dicovery was, they are registered to take children 'from after their 2nd birthday until before their 5th birthday'.

My mindee was offered a place to start 3 months before her second birthday and told if the place wasn't taken she wouldn't get a place later and then wouldn't get a place at the Primary School either.!!!!!:eek: ( I phoned Ofsted to see if they could take a 'Rising 2'. The answer was a resounding NO and that was from and inspector with the Compliance team. They are going to investgate.)
I did persuade her parents that it was tooo early to go and they put it off a year, well what a surprise, she got a place anyway. Now the pre school want her to do 2 full days from this Sept, a full year before she goes into reception and all the school nurseries around here do 1/2 days for the year before reception!

I have now heard that parents that don't like this pre-school, but want to get into the Primary (its a Catholic school) send their los to another pre-school that is good but send their los to the Catholic one, one day so they don't 'loose their place' at the Primary!!

Why are parents so dumb!!!! Going to a particular pre-school or School nursery makes no difference to your chance of getting into a Primary school or not.!!
Lots must have got their 'come upances' this year though because I have heard that only three chidren from the Parish got in this year, so even on address, if the lo I have had been going in this year she wouldn't have got a place.

Sorry I have had a real rant haven't I I didn't mean to I guess it has all been playing on my mind the last few days. It makes me soo cross when we work so hard and these places seem to flout the rules and get away with it and the parents think they are the best thing since sliced bread to boot. :angry:

[cher25]

I hate nurseries aswell, have done supply work in a few and i can honestly say only 1 nursery i went was any good. And the good nursery was in a renowned bad area! 1 was at a hospital, supply staff should not at any time be left with children alone! (same as our assistants) I got left with 4 babies for 20 mins, until a parent complained. Few weeks later i got left in a room with 4 toddlers for over an hour. Was told if any problems, shout!! Then got left in a room with the door shut with 6 2 year olds. When it came to nappy time and kids kept running off, i got told off! lol
Kids threw thing's, kid's got upset. No-one around to comfort them, of course they wouldnt come to me, cos they didnt know me.
Everyone was far too busy talking about tea and what they did and were going to do at weekends.
At the time i was far too shy and quiet to voice my concerns. Get me there now and id definitely let loose!!!
(this job has helped me a bit to speaking my mind, i love it!lol)