Gone Missing - security

The advent of summer weather means the season of nursery outings. They need careful planning, losing a child at the zoo or seaside, with the risk of them being abducted, injured or worse, is every nursery professional's worst nightmare.

Every year the news carries stories of children who have gone missing on day trips. Sometimes a child wanders off and gets left behind in the nursery when the party is setting out and boarding the bus. In other cases children have fallen asleep and been left on the bus after the trip.

Staff and parents on visits must keep on their toes. Finola Barr, co-proprietor of Oakfield Nursery School in  Altrincham, Cheshire, says that with their top class of four-year-olds they maintain a ratio of one adult per three children on visits to indoor premises and one adult to two children at outdoor sites. 'If we are outdoors we have one child in each hand,' she says. 'The children wear their uniforms so they are easily identifiable. When we plan an outing we think about which child might be inclined to wander off and the staff know to keep an extra special eye on him or her. You always get one or two children like that and we would not give two such children to one person to look after. If we are taking a child who might be a bit difficult, we ask his or her parents if they would be prepared to come along. The parent usually is very happy to take a day off and spend it with the child doing something interesting and fun.'