DEVELOPMENT OF PLAY-GROUPS (Hansard, 21 June 1967)

§ Miss Joan Lestor (Eton and Slough)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to set up a joint authority of the Ministry of Health and the Department of Education and Science to promote, assist and support the development of play-groups for the pre-school child. The purpose of this Bill is to combine the procedure of the two Departments concerned with immediate action which can be taken in order to provide facilities for the under-fives for play space and so forth, something which successive Governments have failed to do in the past. Anyone who looks at the 1944 Education Act today would expect that now, 23 years later, we would have seen an expansion of nursery schools and nursery classes and general play facilities for the under-fives, but what has happened—or rather what has not happened —is that we have a Circular in existence which virtually prohibits any extension in this field by local authorities on grounds of lack of finance and shortage of teachers.

In fairness to the present Government it should be said that one or two aspects of this matter have been dealt with which make it a little easier in certain circumstances for a local authority to provide a nursery school. Generally today, however, the proportion of our threes to fives who receive nursery schooling is no higher than it was before the 1939–45 war. This lack of development has gone hand in hand with something even more worrying. We have seen the growth of high blocks of flats with no facilities at all for the play of young children. We have a housing problem and houses in multiple occupation which means that children are not allowed to make much noise or have the play space facilities which they need.

One of the contradictions in our modern life is that local authorities are 1636 compelled to provide garages and parking space for cars but there is no compulsion upon them to provide facilities for our younger citizens. Because Government and local authorities have not been as active in this matter as we have every right to demand they should be, there has been the development of the play-group movement. Private individuals, some with qualifications and some without, have banded together to hire halls, often to use their own homes in order to try to make facilities available to the under-fives so that they can develop in the proper way. By these means children can use paints and plasticine, can make a noise and have a degree of social activity which is denied to them by those of us who have, or should have, the authority to make these decisions.

We know much more now about child development, yet we remain one of the few countries in which children start schooling at five or later and there is no provision for pre-school years. The play-group has developed from the private sector although some local authorities have helped. There is tremendous confusion about the amount of responsibility they have and the help which some local authorities can give to this movement. We have every reason to be thankful to the movement and to organisations such as the Save-the-Children Fund which have promoted this kind of activity for threes to fives and provided educational facilities for these groups. The groups are not under the control of the Department of Education and Science, but of the health authority.

Because of this, educational supervision and the setting of standards for these groups does not exist. The Department of Education and Science has no right of entry or right to interfere in what is taking place in the movement. In the past we have seen campaigns and many speeches have been made and many Questions asked in this House about when we can expect to see an expansion of nursery schools. The Plowden Report laid particular stress on this. Most of the replies have been encouraging and it may be that the Department of Education and Science is seriously thinking about doing something in this matter.

One thing which is certain is that we are not likely to get a full development 1637 of nursery schools within the next five, 10 or 15 years. So we and the Department of Education and Science must look at what has taken place in the private sector to see if it can be brought up to standards acceptable to local authorities which could then open establishments themselves. The play-group movement is a health responsibility, not an educational responsibility. I think it should be both. My Bill is designed to set up a joint authority whereby the Department would have powers of inspection and could lay down standards for existing play-groups and, more importantly, could encourage and if necessary subsidise local authorities to do this work. If we do not take action now for the under-fives, generation after generation of our younger citizens will continue to be deprived of these facilities which it is incumbent upon us to see that they receive.

I should therefore like to have included in any consideration of the Bill that the play-group movement and development and promotion of play groups by local authorities under a general health and education authority should be seen not as an alternative to nursery schools but as a provision until we can have nursery schools and nursery classes for all children accepted by the Government. That seems to be fairly far distant, but the encouragement and promotion of play-groups by local authorities could start to fill the gap. It would not be expensive. The equipment involved would not need to be expensive and the project would not draw from the pool of qualified teachers which for so long has been the excuse made against the development of nursery schools.

Many play-groups are run by people who are not teachers and who have not had a great deal of training in the care of young children. They have availed themselves of advice and in some instances of short training courses which one or two local authorities have thought it worth while to introduce. This is something which should be thought about by the Department. The play-group movement must be seen as distinct from nursery schools. If it is thought necessary special training facilities should be 1638 provided by certain educational institutions so that women, and men if necessary, who are interested in the under-fives and would like to assist in running the groups may do so.

Other ways by which this can be done include having highly trained persons in charge of groups in their areas with the help of people who are not well trained but are willing to be trained. This may bring some criticism from those who are anxious, as I am, to see the full development of nursery schools. I accept that criticism, but if play-groups can be seen as distinct from nursery schools, not as educational establishments but play establishments, it can be argued that they are not militating against the development of nursery schools. The campaign for nursery schools throughout the country must go on. It is essential that the play-group movement should be developed and facilities provided for the under-fives.

I make this plea this morning because the provision of these facilities for the under-fives has been ignored by successive Governments. I hope that the House will give leave for the Bill to be introduced and will recognise the playgroup movement as a social service rather than an educational movement. If this is done we can begin to make provision for our younger citizens and the public, particularly young móthers, will see that the Labour Government are interested in child development and are prepared to do something about it.