For seven years, my youngest constituents were abused at Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead, London. Earlier this year, Vincent Chan was jailed for 18 years for his horrific crimes. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to discover that their child has been subject to abuse. For this to have happened in a nursery, where parents trusted their children would be safe, is truly abhorrent.
A group of 200 locally affected parents have come together to call for mandatory CCTV in nurseries, as well as requiring Ofsted to review such footage in all inspections.
*sigh*
I can see why they would think that, but it's a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Better hiring practices unaffected by identity politics and the need to tick boxes to ensure 'representation' and greater staff-to- child ratio would be better options, except of course the latter would impact the profits for nursery owners.
Together we have met the previous education secretary and the previous early years minister, and gave evidence to an expert panel to assess the feasibility of mandatory CCTV in nurseries. With none of these ministers still in post, we must not lose momentum.
Of course, if those ministers had been effective in their job. they might still be doing it.
With 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in English nurseries in the past five years, we need mandatory CCTV to tackle this.
Babies and toddlers are the most vulnerable people in our society, and we must do all we can to protect them from harm.
Who is leading this charge? Why, none other than:
Tulip Siddiq MP Labour, Hampstead and Highgate
A convicted criminal who should be extradited to Pakistan to serve her sentence. Bit cheeky of her to call attention to other MPs no longer in post. Parents, if you want CCTV in nurseries, choose a better champions, eh?

















