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

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.