A cry in the Asda car park, 40 births later — and a school that answered a fire with fairy doors
A supermarket worker in Ipswich who heard a woman in labour in the car park six years ago is now a qualified midwife, and a Wiltshire primary school that lost half its buildings to fire has won a national award for the playground it grew in the years afterwards.
Charmaine Taylor was leaving the Asda in Ipswich with a colleague six years ago when they heard a noise. 1
It sounded like someone in pain. It was coming from the car park.
They found a woman in labour in the back of a car. Taylor sat on the phone to the ambulance service and talked the woman's partner through delivering the baby. 1
"It reinforced my desire to pursue a profession where I can advocate for women," she said. "It was just a beautiful moment." 1
Six years, and a fear of blood
Taylor had taken childcare at college and finished it knowing it was not what she wanted. 1
The car park changed that. Midwifery was the thing, she realised. She put it off for years because she had a fear of blood. 1
She got there in the end: an access course, then a degree. A friend who was already a midwife told her to go for it. 1
Taylor is 28 now, and a qualified midwife. The route she took is one of three.
In England, midwifery training means a degree, a postgraduate degree or diploma, or a degree apprenticeship. 2
Universities usually ask for five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and a science, plus two or three A-levels or equivalents. Eligible students get at least £5,000 a year towards the course, and keep it. 2
Forty births and a hat made of gloves
Taylor has helped at 40 births at Ipswich Hospital since the car park. 1
The unit marks that number with a tradition: you wear a silly hat for the photographs. Taylor's was built out of white surgical gloves, folded and knotted until it sat on her head. 1
She gives the supermarket some of the credit. "Being in a customer-facing and leadership role allowed me to develop my communication skills, my leadership skills and be able to delegate responsibilities," she said. 1
Half a school, and a week later
In September 2021, fire took hold in the oldest parts of Woodborough Primary School, near Pewsey in Wiltshire. At its height, 70 firefighters were working on it. About half the school's buildings were destroyed. 3
The school has about 150 pupils. They were back on the same site a week later, in temporary buildings. 3
Fairy doors and a shepherd hut
Then came 18 months of work on the outdoor space. Staff and children raised money for the new equipment with sponsored walks and other fundraising. 3
It has now won the platinum award from OPAL, Outdoor Play and Learning. 3
Mark Banham, who chairs the governors, listed what is out there now: fairy doors in trees, trees to climb, rope swings, a shepherd hut for quiet contemplation, scooters for the older children. 3
"The children are more or less policing themselves," he said. 3
He is still slightly astonished by the week after the fire. "In a week they were back teaching on the same premises; it was extraordinary," he said. 3
About 2,000 schools in the UK are signed up to OPAL, which argues that more play improves wellbeing, aids emotional development and helps children learn to manage risk. 3
The programme runs across 18 to 24 months. OPAL says its schools report up to 80% less use of behaviour policies, and it now runs in the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia too. 4
Freya Wren, the head teacher, does the arithmetic. Five lunchtimes a week, an hour each.
"That's five hours out of their week that they've got the opportunity to play," she said. 3
Two pupils, Holly and Coco, told the BBC that playtime is "much happier" now, and that they can concentrate better "because they've got all their energy out". 3
The hat
What stays with me is the glove-hat. The milestone at Ipswich is 40 babies, and the way the unit marks it is a joke worn for the photograph.
The same instinct runs through Woodborough. A building loses its roof, and five years later the story people tell about it is fairy doors.
If you are the one who has been putting it off, Health Careers sets out the entry grades and how the training is paid for. If you have a suitcase or a milk crate going spare, Woodborough's OPAL page lists what the school still asks for: fabric, guttering, buckets, scooters.
References
- 1
- 2Midwife | Health Careers
healthcareers.nhs.uk
- 3
- 4Home | Outdoor Play and Learning
outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk
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