News

From classroom to Santa's grotto

Classroom assistants and nursery nurses are being recruited by department stores to play Father Christmas and his helpers because they have already undergone police checks. Marks and Spencer, which is setting up grottoes in nine of its stores in England for the first time, said it had taken on some teaching assistants and nursery nurses because they met its criteria that all staff had to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Marks and Spencer spokeswoman Bella Pagdin said, 'We have got two or three teaching assistants and nursery nurses among our Santas and their helpers, but we have not specifically set out to recruit them. It is simply that they happen to have been checked by the CRB, and we wanted people who are good with children.'

Marks and Spencer, which is setting up grottoes in nine of its stores in England for the first time, said it had taken on some teaching assistants and nursery nurses because they met its criteria that all staff had to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Marks and Spencer spokeswoman Bella Pagdin said, 'We have got two or three teaching assistants and nursery nurses among our Santas and their helpers, but we have not specifically set out to recruit them. It is simply that they happen to have been checked by the CRB, and we wanted people who are good with children.'

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here