Opinion: Letters

RESPONSE TO BABY P

I am writing this as chief executive of Westminster Children's Society, which looks after more than 600 children across London - but, more importantly, as a human being.

What has disturbed me most about the case of Baby P, wherever the 'blame' may ultimately come to rest, is the use of the word 'saddened' by leaders of the various organisations involved.

Quite simply, we should not be saddened. We should be furious.

Furious that, as a supposed advanced society, we have failed yet another child. Even more furious, that supposed experts who were directly involved considered it acceptable to leave a child covered in chocolate and cream, and to never once think to question the state of his care, at least sufficiently to actually do something about it.

In a world so often defined by tick-box directives, it seems cases like this will keep on haunting the headlines. In our rush to professionalise everything, in our fear of blame in a litigious society, not only does it seem we have lost our ability to simply do what is right - much more tragically, we have lost sight of our essential humanity in the clamour to apportion blame and defend our actions.

If we turn our backs and close the door on a child, letting them die as we blindly follow procedures, we cease to be the thinking, feeling human beings we once were. Saddened, yes. Just not furious.

June O'Sullivan, chief executive, Westminster Children's Society

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CULPRIT IN VIOLENCE

The media reports that thousands of children have been suspended from nurseries over violent behaviour (News, 13 November) have failed to mention the most likely culprit - an imposed early years 'curriculum' against which children are protesting in the only way they know: through their behaviour.

Young children express themselves directly through their behaviour, unmediated by awareness, morality or intellect. So to respond to this behavioural malaise as merely 'a failure of discipine', as politicians have been doing, is to miss the most important dimension.

A 'curriculum' which has made a utilitarian dog's breakfast of authentic play, and introduces by stealth a quasi-schooling ideology and anxiety-saturated 'audit culture' for young children, with over-intrusion into and over-stimulation of young children's experience, cannot but create behavioural disturbance in young children. That is precisely what these latest figures are depicting.

Our alienated children are offering us a telling (if unwitting) commentary on the 'mad-making' world which we have created for them. Career politicians, while well intentioned, seem incapable of hearing, let alone acting upon, our children's urgent commentary on this cultural malaise.

Dr Richard House, lecturer in psychotherapy at Roehampton University and founder-member of the Open EYE Campaign

PRINCIPLES MATTER

Ruth Pimentel's departure (Analysis, 20 November) leaves a challenge for anyone replacing her to address the question of 'what matters to children'. I recommend that the new director applies and promotes the principles of effective learning and teaching that underpin the work of the 'What Matters to Children' team:

- first-hand experience as a necessary and significant element of childhood

- children as powerful learners who learn from each other and learn together

- children as active learners who think and feel for themselves and who use their hands, eyes, ears and their whole bodies to explore the world and everything and everyone in it

- intellectual engagement and emotional involvement

- what adult educators can do to provide, organise and value what learners do

- educators who think for themselves, making choices that ensure worthwhile learning that matters to children

- children and educators working together to build a harmonious learning community.

Diane Rich, co-ordinator of the What Matters to Children team and director of Rich Learning Opportunities

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