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QUESTIONS WHICH COULD HAVE HELPED AVERT PLYMOUTH TRAGEDY
Could the Plymouth nursery abuse tragedy have been averted by a ban on staff using mobiles at work? A leading child psychologist believes the use of mobiles is one of many less obvious but vital questions parents need to ask about when choosing a nursery school.
“There has been a lot of negative publicity about nurseries, which can be great environments for children to learn and socialise - but parents need to play a much more pro-active part in choosing them,” says Bebe Jacobs.
“And that means knowing all the questions they need to ask.”
The mother of three, who is a parenting coach and professional assessor of nursery teachers, has just launched a downloadable e-book guide to choosing a nursery. It’s packed with many other pointers parents may not have considered before making this most sensitive and important of decisions.
“There is stuff out there about childminding, but almost nothing about choosing the place where children will spend many hours of the most formative period of their lives.”
Faced by logistics with having to choose different nursery schools for each of her own three children while working full-time, Bebe believes many factors are left out of the equation when parents look at their children’s first formal educational experience:
“Imagine you were told by the head of your local nursery that all her children read fluently by the age of four - but then you peeked in to see rows of desks, blank walls and not a single toy.
“Would you still choose that environment for your two- or three-year-old?
“And even when you visit a nursery and see all the resources available, it doesn’t guarantee your child will have a good experience there. Environments differ just as children differ, and it’s important to find the right match.”
Many parents do not realise that nurseries, like schools, are subject to government inspections, says Bebe, who suggests looking at the most recent Ofsted report and rating given a prospective nursery as one starting point. Following up a word of mouth recommendation is another.
Other factors considered in the guide include the look and feel of the nursery, how flexibly the curriculum is delivered and the pros and cons of specialist approaches like Montessori and Steiner.
Less obvious, but nonetheless important, concerns are how well the nusery observes a child and provides feedback to parents, how it deals with difficult behaviour - and how happy you would be to leave your child with the nursery manager:
“Your body will answer that one for you!” says Bebe, who holds a degree in Child Psychology, MA and post-graduate diploma in Counselling in Educational Settings.
“If your stomach is tightening or your throat going dry, it’s telling you not all is well. It might be a wonderful nusery but it may not be the one for your child.
“You know you’ve found the right nursery when you feel not only that you’d be happy to leave your child with the manager you’ve just met, but you’d almost like to spend the day there yourself!”
*The Essential Guide to Choosing your Child’s Nursery School is available to download at www.parentingcoachingnow.com, £11.95.
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