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asked of parents whose children attended the nurseries were increased
from 1s. to 1s. 6d. per day.
As a result of this arrangement and the desire of both Voluntary
Nursery Committees to transfer their responsibilities to the Council,
(1) the Selsdon and Old Coulsdon Wartime Nurseries were divided into
Nurseries and Nursery Schools, the dividing line being at 3 years of age,
i.e. 30 places at each for each age group; (2) the Purley Day Nursery was
taken over by the local Council for children from birth to approximately
2 years; and (3) the Purley Wartime Nursery and Coulsdon Day Nursery
became Nursery Schools under the County Council, both taking children
from 2 years to 5 years of age.
Owing to local pressure on behalf of the owners of three sites of bombed
houses occupied by the Selsdon Wartime Nursery and Nursery School,
countered far too belatedly by those benefiting or likely to benefit by this
amenity, it was decided to close and demolish this building. While the
number of those attending was gradually reduced the actual closure was
postponed until 31st March, 1947.
The co-operation between the staffs of the nurseries and nursery
schools has, on the whole, been very commendable but it has become
gradually though steadily more obvious that the purpose behind each
organisation is fundamentally different. The nursery schools, drawing
their teaching staff from and being controlled by the Education Authority,
regard their problem as the education of the young child irrespective of
its social background. Having once been admitted the child normally
continues to attend until transferred to a primary school, the atmosphere
of which it has already been absorbing to a varying degree, depending
upon the background of the Head Teacher. By contrast the Nursery is
chiefly aware of the social background of young children, though not
unconscious of the need to train for life in the widest sense the children
who come under their care. The mother's need of assistance in the care
of her child, owing to the necessity for her to work, or because of. her health
or that of the child, these are the factors, the urgency of which indicates
the priority which should be given to her application for the admission
of her child. As and when the necessity abates the child can return to
its home, usually the fitter for its time in the Nursery, while another can
replace it.
Starting from these two opposite conceptions of service to the child,
the Nursery School naturally tends to conform with educational practice
and to adopt the normal school hours and holidays. Associating with a
movement in this direction there is a danger that a Child Welfare
Authority may forget its primary function to provide for the social,
physical and mental needs of the mothers and children for which it is
responsible.
The year 1946 provided opportunities for experiments in cooperation
and for gaining experience in these two forms of social service.
It would now appear desirable for the Council as a Child Welfare Authority
to concentrate on providing an adequate and distinct Nursery service
which can continue to provide for the needs of the District in this direction,
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