CHILD-MINDING

It seems that lots of child-minders are giving up. Some are regarded by Ofsted, the education quango, as "inadequate". Many give red tape and bureaucracy as the reason for giving up. The have to jump through hoops and have their criminal records and so on checked. And on top of that they now have to work to a curriculum. EYFS is the Early Years Foundation Stage and sets out what the under-fives should be doing. For hundreds of years mothers at home have brought up their children without any such formal guidelines. Many will have introduced an element of learning into their child's pre-school life. But I believe this new initiative is OTT. It merely gives Ofsted a chance to extend its empire, adds more petty bureaucrats and red tape into the lives of people who were minding children quite well - making sure they didn't run into the road or fall into the garden pond.

CARRIER BAG CRIME

A hardened dangerous criminal was sentenced at Swindon after police charged him with criminal damage. The 16 year old boy had torn the handles of a fellow pupil's carrier bag which she was using to carry PE kit. The report claims the value of the bag as a penny. Glad to know the police are following up these incidents with such zeal.

POLICE AGAIN

There has been correspondence on the letters page about children's outdoor play. One yesterday from a Janet Norton (of London) says that when she takes her children to the local park the playground has often been vandalised and beer cans and worse (her word) are strewn around.
On Monday a Mark Fenton from Lancashire relates that he passed a children's play area whilst walking his dogs. A group of about 10 youths were drinking alcohol and smashing bottles so that the area was strewn with broken glass. Walking on a short distance he came across a policeman sitting in his car and told him what was going on. The officer basically told him to go away and report it to the council. The officer remained in his car for another 15 minutes. Anything for an easy life. There is, I believe, a connection between these two stories.