Topical Projects

Report from The North Devon Journal - July 29 1999 'Crying babies lesson to pupils' Two special computerised "babies" will be helping to cut down on the number of teenage pregnancies in North Devon. The baby size "dolls", which have been given to Pilton Community College and Park School by members of Soroptimist International of Barnstaple, cry and mimic the demands of a real baby. The President said, "We are proud to have provided what are thought to be the first infant simulators for use in local schools. When used as part of an extensive programme it has been proven that they deterred under-age pregnancies in America." The special dolls, which cost more than £200 each, require constant care. Each doll can be programmed to cry at certain intervals and registers if it has been badly treated or left to cry unattended. "We are going to use it as a trainer doll to show boys and girls what it is like to have a crying baby at two in the morning," said the Deputy Head at Pilton Community College. "We are also going to use it in our normal GCSE child care lessons." The Head teacher added, "We introduced one of the babies to staff this morning and she immediately started crying." He said it would show youngsters what it was like not being able to go out to a disco or listen to CDs because they have a baby to look after. "It is that sort of pressure the children have to cope with”, he said. The Deputy Head at Park School added, "This baby will be used along with our personal and social education programme to ensure that teenagers are fully informed of the issues surrounding the bringing up of a child." Figures from North and East Devon Health Authority show the area is below the national average for teenage pregnancies under-16 but it is still a problem. Locally, seven girls in every thousand fell pregnant between 1994 and 1996, compared with nine girls per thousand nationally.