Nurseries and park trips

[Pickle]

Remember that warm sunny day we had on Tuesday? Already it seems like a distant memory. Anyway...

I visited the playground and enjoyed the warmth with my kids on Tuesday. While there, I spent a lot of time supervising random small children (aged around 18 months - 2.5) who were taking delight in running down a big slide, playing in front of moving swings and climbing into baby swings wanting pushed with no apparent adult around to help. I asked a couple of them who was looking after them, but they were too small to answer. Finally one little boy pointed to a seating area where a group of completely disengaged young women were sitting engrossed in their smart phones.

Eventually one of them dragged herself up off her backside, rounded up the kids, and declared it was time to get back to nursery.

They didnt have hi-vis vests on like I've seen before in the park, so I have no idea what nursery they were from, but from a parents view I was pretty shocked at the lack of supervision for such small kids. This was Peckham Rye Park, so I assume it was walking distance from there. Really unprofessional :-(

[Worker]

What time was this please Pickle?

[RenF]

Did the staff have a uniform or top with a logo on? I know staff at our nursery all wear a particular colour top, so would be interested to know if you noticed this?

Thanks!

[jennyh]

Again would be good to know any more info, our nursery is not that far but they didn't mention they went to the park on Tuesday and they usually do...

[Pickle]

It was quite late afternoon, 4ish - absolutely no logos to be seen (if there were I would definitely have been straight on the phone to them!). There were, from what I saw when they got them ready to leave, 6 or 7 children and 3 late teen/early 20s girls with them,

[midivydale]

A very worrying read indeed.

[Belle]

Oh that's such a shame! I was recently in Ruskin Park playground and a nursery group came in - and I was so impressed by how well the carers managed the kids, and not only that but seemed to be enjoying themselves (as did the kids), they clearly had great affection for each other, and it was lovely to hear the adults calling out to the kids and vice versa. Some of the older kids were doing their own thing but not out of reach and no differently to e.g. how my 4 yr old will be more independent in the playground than I'd allow my 17mth old to be. What a shame the group you saw were at the other end of the spectrum. Wonder who it was.

[Sol]

You should have followed them. I saw a couple of nurseries with children in Goose Green Park on Monday; they all had hi-vis vests and the children were well cared for. The only thing I didn?t like was that the children were walking back with the carers but they were holding their hands. My child's previous nursery used to take them out in double pushchairs but I imagine it is OK to walk if the nursery is not too far.

I must admit I visited many nurseries for my second child in Dulwich and not many gave me the confident I needed it.

I do feel sorry for the children sometimes. First step montessory in Upland road was extremelly tidy in my opinion which showed they didn't give much freedom to the children; not only that but there was a lady who probably had a handover or didn't sleep well the night before and showed no interest on the children at all, apparently she was a trainee; one child went to the toilet and didn't pull his pants up and they took him out of the toilet in a not very nice way, my impression was that they were not very caring.

Mother Goose in Upland Road was fine; but the staff did need it TLC.

Mother Goose in Green Lane told me they had places available and asked me to put my money and application in the letter box and didnt even open the door; then I got an email saying I was on the waiting list for the following year or two, can't remember now.

This was a couple of years ago, hopefully they have improved now.

Children adapt easily but we realy don't know what's going on when they can't even speak properly

[Pickle]

At the end of it all, the kids had fun, albeit supervised by other parents there at the time rather than the people paid to do it, but it wasn't a good situation at all. I have seen nursery groups at the park many times and generally it makes me smile seeing the little ones in their vests trotting along like ducklings :)

Lack of vests suggests it wasn't any of the well known nurseries in the immediate area, I've seen groups from those nurseries before and there were logos identifying where they were from. There are a couple in the parade of shops heading towards Peckham (near the Tesco, towards Rye Oak School), wonder if it could be them?