Seeing beneath the surface: an observer’s encounter with a child’s struggle to find herself at nursery

The nursery that Helena attends is a Montessori school. Most of the activities are time-limited and structured. There are four fully trained staff and a number of assistants and trainees who stay at the school on brief placement and seem to come and go. The staff–child ratio is good, and each age group has a teacher. Group size is a maximum of eight children. Helena’s sister, Alice, was 6 months old in September when Helena began attending full-time at the nursery. Helena was therefore well aware that her baby sister was at home, occupying the nest. She was looked after alternately by her granny and her father while Helena herself was away from home. This major encroachment by Alice on Helena’s family relationships was one of the principal themes of the observation. Helena had had the experience of being the only child in the family until relatively recently.