Olive Howes: A Trailblazer in Early Childhood Education
Olive Howes, who has died at the age of 98, was a pioneering figure in the field of early years education. Her career spanned decades and left a lasting impact on countless children and families.
Early Career and Innovative Beginnings
After completing her training as an infant teacher in the late 1940s, Olive Howes embarked on a professional path that was quite unusual for women in the 1950s. She successfully combined motherhood with her teaching career, demonstrating remarkable dedication and resilience. Her innovative spirit led her to establish a private nursery school in a friend's front room near her home in Romiley, Stockport. Remarkably, she often taught with her infant son on her hip, showcasing her multitasking abilities and deep commitment to education.
Passion for Early Childhood Development
Olive was deeply passionate about the transformative power of nursery education on children's life chances. She firmly believed that the most skilled and dedicated teachers should work with the youngest pupils, a principle she frequently emphasized throughout her career. This conviction drove her to create nurturing and effective learning environments for preschool children.
The Plowden Report and Cheshire County Council
The publication of the landmark Plowden report in 1967 provided Olive with a significant opportunity to expand her educational vision. Cheshire County Council commissioned her to set up a pilot nursery school with a dual purpose: to enable professional women to return to the workforce by offering free childcare, and to provide children from Educational Priority Areas with a solid foundation for primary school.
The nursery was located in Woodley, near Stockport, an area that offered a healthy mix of families from diverse backgrounds. Olive quickly became a trusted advisor to the parents of the children in her care, building strong relationships within the community. She carefully selected two nursery nurses who supported the education of numerous children over the fifteen years her team operated the nursery, developing exemplary practices that served as a model for early childhood education.
Personal Background and Wartime Experiences
Born in Stretford, Manchester, to Carrie (nee Wheelan) and John Shaw, Olive survived a premature birth at a time when special care baby units did not exist. She began her education at a local council primary school but was sent to live with an aunt in Blackpool when the Second World War broke out and the Manchester ship canal became a potential target.
Her Aunt Gertie enrolled her at Arnold School, where Olive excelled in sports and passed her school certificate in 1944. She aspired to continue her education and study biology at Liverpool University, but her father considered the expense unnecessary. Instead, she began working in a department store before joining the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in the mid-1940s, inspired by the seamed black stockings of a Wren she saw on her bus.
Teacher Training and Family Life
In 1949, Olive commenced her teacher training at Drake Hall College in Staffordshire as part of the postwar emergency scheme designed to increase teacher numbers. It was there that she met Kenneth Howes; they married in 1950 and settled in Romiley. Olive taught large reception classes at Hyde and Woodley primary schools before taking on the nursery project. In the late 1960s, she finally had the opportunity to attend university, studying for a term at Manchester to enhance her knowledge of contemporary educational theory.
Retirement and Later Years
After retiring in 1986 and moving to Marple, Greater Manchester, Olive remained active in her community. She managed a local charity shop and continued to support fundraising activities for several local organizations, demonstrating her lifelong commitment to helping others. She enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles, sewing, and knitting. Olive maintained an active lifestyle, attending fitness classes and swimming regularly until her mid-80s. In her late 80s, she cared for her husband, Ken, who passed away in 2015. Her younger son, Nigel, died in 2019. Olive is survived by her daughter.
Olive Howes' legacy as a pioneer in early years education continues to inspire educators and families alike. Her dedication to providing quality early childhood education and her innovative approaches to teaching have left an indelible mark on the field.
