‘The best place for young children isn’t nursery. It’s at home’

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Retired head teacher Angie Jones challenges Christian parents to check whether their priorities are based on God’s principles or our consumer-driven culture.

I sat in the conference centre and listened. The man with the microphone said that the future workforce of the UK – engineers, directors, managers and even builders – would become increasingly female. That day I failed to recognise the implications of this statement.

I was a young primary school teacher.

Some 20 years later I sat in another school hall. Life had moved on; now I was a headteacher. Another conference was in full swing. The speaker had a different message…yet it was a direct consequence of the earlier one coming true. He said that soon we’d have all-age schools, for children from a few weeks old right through to 18 and every school would provide wrap-around childcare from early morning until early evening.

“Babies will be issued with a keyring holding a photo of their mum, so they know who the key person in their life is,” he announced with a flourish.

When he asked for questions I nervously raised my hand and cleared my throat. Across the sea of heads, my voice sounded out: “What’s wrong with leaving little children with their mothers?” I asked. A murmur went around the hall – I know not whether in agreement or disapproval.

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