There are some things from my time as a nursery school headteacher that I will never forget, like the day that three-year-old Jayda was taken into local authority care.
Her behaviour had become more and more erratic and worrying. She was running away, biting and hiding under tables. I still have the trace of a scar on my arm from where she bit me.
Concerns from her grandparents, neighbours and nursery staff were piling up and it was clear that home wasn’t a safe place for her.
The young social worker who came to talk with Jayda’s mum was as kind, clear and compassionate as she could be, as she explained that Jayda would not be going home at home time. Both Jayda and her mum were, in their different ways, devastated.
Although this all happened about three decades ago, the events came back to me vividly when Jayda recently contacted me via social media and asked if we could meet.
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