I have SO many horror stories about that place, but if I get into it all at once, I’ll get all worked up and angry.
A private nursery is a nursery for children ages six weeks old to five years old. Usually split into three age groups; 0-2 year olds, 2-3 year olds, and 3-5 year olds. Some bigger nurseries have more age groups, such as 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5. My nursery was quite big in comparison to other local private nurseries; the baby room was a 1:3 ratio and we could have nine babies, the 2-3 room was a 1:5 ratio and could hold thirteen toddlers, and the 3-5 room was 1:8 ratio, and could hold 30 children.
I started as a trainee there, worked for £3.05 an hour while doing senior work. The nursery went through the usual understaffed and overworked joys that pretty much every private nursery goes through.
I put up with A LOT of shit there. In my first year there we had 49 different staff come and go. There is not one person who works there, that worked there when I did (I left four years ago, but still. You’d think there would still be one or two people there…)
But what made me leave, is when they wanted me to work through my miscarriage.
I got married in 2017 and a few weeks before our wedding, we found out I was two months pregnant. We announced the pregnancy at the wedding, and then later on that evening I started bleeding. Only told my husband and we acted like everything was fine.
Wedding took place on a Saturday, on the Sunday morning I took another pregnancy test and it said I was still pregnant. Spoke to my doctor on the Monday, was told to do another test a week later. I did, it was still positive. I went back to work (I was on annual leave for a week after the wedding) and was suddenly moved out the baby room (which I ran despite not being a senior, the room had no senior and my manager wouldn’t promote me as at that point I stopped doing attempted forced overtime) and made me the lunch and break cover. I asked to go back into the baby room as there was no consistency in there staff wise; the babies were all unsettled as they were being left with strangers. But my manager said it wasn’t my problem.
After a week or two I was in pain; I was crying at work and my manager wouldn’t let me go home. My midwife tried to get me an ultrasound booked but as my 12 week scan was near, the hospital wouldn’t let me have an earlier one.
I ended up paying £90 for a private scan, to be told that I had miscarried a few weeks earlier (on our wedding day). It was a missed miscarriage. Contacted the hospital and was told I would either need surgery, or to take a tablet to force a period. Basically, an abortion.
Told my manager this, who still wanted me to work until my hospital appointment. She told me to book the surgery, as I could take that day as my day off and be in work the next day.
I ended up taking a few months off work, as my mental health took a huge hit. But every week my manager sent me the schedule and put me on it (in the baby room, as clearly I must want to be around babIes after losing my own; she said it would cheer me up) and was shocked when I’d send in another sickline.
I bumped into a parent from work who mentioned that therapy helped her after she had a miscarriage and she hopes it helps me. Not only had my manager told staff and parents I was in therapy, but she also told them why.
So I quit. I was weak back there and was just happy to get out of that place; bug I do wish I had been strong enough to file an official complaint. That woman was evil. I’m sad to say this is just a small insight to how much shit she put her staff through.
Oh, and after all this, she blocked me on Facebook and slagged me off to Arendt and staff for leaving abruptly lol.
Sorry is so long – it was therapeutic getting it all out. Fuck that place.