Suffer The Little Children
Wednesday, 14. February 2007, 15:48:13
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6359363.stm
This is the link to a story about Britain failing its children and the fact that they are the most under performing in the developed Western world, and to be honest I am not surprised.
For many years now successive governments have delivered a 3 pronged attack on the childhood that I had and I feel most benefits children.
Firstly the get people off benefits and back to work policy and if that included young mothers then so what, this (along with the financial pressures of a booming Housing Market) has lead to children being put into day centres or looked after by Grandparents or Child Minders.
Secondly the Health and safety and anti competitive sport paranoia, those in other countries may find it amazing that many British kids are not allowed to play competitive sports because somebody has to be a winner and that is not fair on those who lose, in addition the fear of legal action if a child is injured at school has lead to the insanity of a school banning kids from playing tag in case one of them got injured. I must point at least one finger of blame for this litigious culture at the USA who is in fact only one place above the UK in this league table.
Thirdly exams and tests in schools, kids are tested under national guidelines at ages 5,7.9.11.14.16.17 & 18 if they go all the way through to A levels and these results are published and used as a stick to beat failing school ,as a result the kids are permanently under pressure to get good results at the expense of a proper education.
Is it ny wonder that countries like Holland and Spain with a much more relaxed attitude to life are at the top of the league, they allow there children to develop in the home under the guidance of their parents in the same way as it used to be in the UK when I was a kid. Today the idea of sitting down to a meal as a family does not exist, parents apparently hardly ever read a bedtime story to the children and even on the family holiday they are put into Kids Camps rather than spending time with Mom and Dad
Hopefully Britain as a country can learn from this but I do despair certainly of the current government and I am not sure if any future administration would change policies to return childhood to children so that they can enjoy growing up as part of a family.
This is the link to a story about Britain failing its children and the fact that they are the most under performing in the developed Western world, and to be honest I am not surprised.
For many years now successive governments have delivered a 3 pronged attack on the childhood that I had and I feel most benefits children.
Firstly the get people off benefits and back to work policy and if that included young mothers then so what, this (along with the financial pressures of a booming Housing Market) has lead to children being put into day centres or looked after by Grandparents or Child Minders.
Secondly the Health and safety and anti competitive sport paranoia, those in other countries may find it amazing that many British kids are not allowed to play competitive sports because somebody has to be a winner and that is not fair on those who lose, in addition the fear of legal action if a child is injured at school has lead to the insanity of a school banning kids from playing tag in case one of them got injured. I must point at least one finger of blame for this litigious culture at the USA who is in fact only one place above the UK in this league table.
Thirdly exams and tests in schools, kids are tested under national guidelines at ages 5,7.9.11.14.16.17 & 18 if they go all the way through to A levels and these results are published and used as a stick to beat failing school ,as a result the kids are permanently under pressure to get good results at the expense of a proper education.
Is it ny wonder that countries like Holland and Spain with a much more relaxed attitude to life are at the top of the league, they allow there children to develop in the home under the guidance of their parents in the same way as it used to be in the UK when I was a kid. Today the idea of sitting down to a meal as a family does not exist, parents apparently hardly ever read a bedtime story to the children and even on the family holiday they are put into Kids Camps rather than spending time with Mom and Dad
Hopefully Britain as a country can learn from this but I do despair certainly of the current government and I am not sure if any future administration would change policies to return childhood to children so that they can enjoy growing up as part of a family.
WIDGETIZE