Positive relationships: Play and Observe Sessions - By invitation

Parents at Windham Children's Centre nursery school in Richmond, Surrey, are gaining a fuller understanding of their children's nursery experience through the introduction of Play and Observe sessions.

The sessions, where parents are invited to spend a morning or afternoon with their child, were successfully piloted last year following an inset day at Guildford Children's Centre, where a similar scheme is run. The majority of families signed up for a session this spring term, with some au pairs and childminders also participating.

'The Play and Observe sessions give parents the opportunity to see what their children do and learn in the nursery, what activities they choose to do, who their friends are and they also experience how a nursery session works,' explains deputy head Cherry Baker. 'We will continue to have home visits, welcome days, settling- in visits, progress reports and leaving reports, but all of these do not mean much unless the parent understands what is happening when they visit the nursery. Attending for a session gives a good background and context to what we talk to the parents about.'