Childcare in the UK: Invest in Skills Not Surveillance

I am sure that you all remember that final week in June of this year; there was a belief that we were approaching one of the hottest summers on record and we were all eagerly anticipating our upcoming summer holidays. However, there is another reason why this hot and humid week sticks out in my mind.

I clearly remember lounging in front of the television sipping on my first café au lait of the morning when a rather bizarre news story appeared. I was informed that a toddler had her head shaved during a hairdressing ‘role-play’ at a London nursery.

I must admit that I was rather taken aback by the fact that a group of toddlers had been given hair clippers to play with, but then again, I seem to remember playing some equally bizarre games at school when I first moved to this country. In France we used to sing songs together and play games in the playground. However, when I came to England I remember being entrusted with a toy sword and encouraged to chase another child around the playground. Needless to say, it didn’t end well, and I was instructed to sit in the corner alone for the rest of the day.

Apart from the food, the main thing which stuck out the most during my time at school in England was the lack of close supervision that we seemed to be given in comparison to France. This is evidently the case surrounding ‘clippergate’. How else can you explain the reasons for a toddler having their head shaved?

I was further astounded when I learned that that it is becoming fairly common for nurseries to install webcams in order for parents to monitor their children while they are at nursery. I am an advocate for utilising the latest technology as much as anyone else, but for me this is surely a step too far. Also, do parents really lack so much confidence in childcare in this country? Surely rather than investing in such features the nursery should be investing the money in their staff in order to ensure an optimum level of care and attention for the children in their care.

I have a couple of friends who have been sending their kids to nurseries in Hove for a couple of years now and are yet to report any problems despite the fact that they are yet to implement these bizarre ‘babycams’. They also managed to obtain highly positive OFSTED inspection reports as well.

While I am yet to experience the joys of parenthood, and I certainly am in no rush to, one thing that I am sure about is the fact that I will be looking to send my child to a nursery which invests in their staff and the children’s surroundings above anything else.