club enhances children's lives in many ways, perhaps mostly by encouraging them to be themselves, to develop their own particular gifts and skills. So I was surprised at the anxiety level in a staff support group as 10-year-old Tara was being discussed.
Tara was joining club the next day. 'She's gifted...bit of a brain box,'
said one worker with a nervous smile. Tara's teachers and parents were concerned that she was isolated from her peer group at school. She had no particular friend and the other children certainly regarded her as odd. The hope was that our after-school club would help her to socialise. Helping children to socialise is the essence of a playworker's role, so why were the staff anxious?
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