Nursery World - Warning signs

A child's challenging behaviour may require early years practitioners to implement a crisis management strategy, say members of the Camden Early Years Intervention Team Last year, a national broadsheet covered the story of a two-and-a-half-year-old child excluded from nursery because staff felt unable to manage her challenging behaviour. This short report was headlined, 'Youngest child ever to be excluded'.

Last year, a national broadsheet covered the story of a two-and-a-half-year-old child excluded from nursery because staff felt unable to manage her challenging behaviour. This short report was headlined, 'Youngest child ever to be excluded'.

What was the purpose of this story? Was it to draw the readers' attention to the fact that children with anti-social behaviour are getting younger? Or a comment on the nursery staff's apparent inability to manage the behaviour of a two-and-a-half-year-old child? Was there an implicit message about poor parenting skills, which had resulted in this small girl's exclusion from her first educational setting?

Our team's experience of working with challenging children in a variety of early years settings is that challenging behaviour is complex. It doesn't happen in a vacuum and, whatever the causes, skilled behaviour management can make a difference.

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