I agree with Roz. The assumption that children are hateful and a nuisance is deeply engrained in this country. I live next to Holy Trinity School, and the noise from the playground is in no way offensive.

When I was a councillor (not in Forest Hill) I had several complaints about children playing. I remember visiting one constituent who, I was told, was at the end of her tether as a result of noisy children. When I arrived, there was a group of about six children having a perfectly reasonable conversation on the communal lawn.

I assumed that I would be told that that day was not typical. But no. I had a ten minute 'do you see what I mean' diatribe. It was very clear that she had been over-sensitised to the sound and even presence of children, and was suffering stress and anguish as a result, but, short of banning children from the estate, I was not sure what could be done, as things seemd to have got beyond any reasonable hope of conciliation. I refused to take any action, because it was clear that the housing department had already written to parents demanding that they control their children. This on the basis of the complaint without seeking the other side of the argument, or even observing the situation for themselves. Several other residents assured me that the estate was not suitable for families - perhaps forgetting that the reason for their being rehoused there in the 1950s and 1960s was that they then had young children of their own.

These attitudes are probably not the only reason for the greater difficulties we seem to have in managing children and adolescents than are experienced in some other more child-friendly European countries, but they are without a doubt a factor.