Nursery World - In my View - Observed or involved?

Finding out about how children learn and get on together is important.

New understandings can be bought to bear on ever-improving early years practice. The new opportunities at Glyndwr University ('Nursery on site for study', 24 March) to do this will no doubt become a valued resource.

However, did an ethical explanation get lost in the writing of the report? It explains that parents have been involved and the setting is nationally regulated. but what about the children? Is this move to observe children through a glass panel as if they were animals in a zoo perhaps a step too far?

There's always a debate surrounding research with children - one which involves consent and their competence. There's also a connected ongoing discussion about observing children. The rights agenda has moved some way over the past two decades and young children now, where humanly possible, have an entitlement to be 'in the know' and asked.

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