So many children are choosing to go to the local chippie for their lunch rather than the school canteen that some experts are now calling for children to be banned from leaving the school grounds at lunchtime to prevent them eating junk food. Absolutely right, I say.Perhaps an armed guard on the fences would help, Derren? A few watchtowers, some slavering Alsatians (Oooh, wait, no, perhaps not)...?
It probably won't stop some local mums trying to pass their kids a burger over the school fence, but at least it would send a powerful message that society takes this problem seriously. You can see why some believe it borders on child abuse.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
All Your Children Are Belong To Us
Over at that mine of information on the inner thoughts of social workers, the Social Work Blog, Derren Hayes reveals his attitude to those pesky mums who will insist on thinking their children aren’t the property of the State:
Aside from the obvious problems of a control-freak state and its supporters, i do think its a good idea that kids should not be free to come and go from the school grounds during school hours.
ReplyDeleteWe never could, back in the 70s, and i didnt particularly suffer any mental traumas as a result.
"...i do think its a good idea that kids should not be free to come and go from the school grounds during school hours."
ReplyDeleteWhy ever not...? I fail to se why schools should expect pupils to stay on school premises outside of the dedicated 'learning' hours. I'm not expected to remain in my office.
If discipline in the surrounding areas is a problem, that's for parents and the police to resolve.
"We never could, back in the 70s, and i didnt particularly suffer any mental traumas as a result."
I do hark back to the 'good old days' occasionally, but that's not something I'd like to see a return of. Though I can't recall not being allowed to leave the premises from my own schooldays.
Well Julia, it was, i suppose, to keep us out of trouble.. from scrapping with the neighbouring school's pupils, and saving the locals from harrassment by teens.
ReplyDeleteKids are not adults, and shouldnt necessarily have the same rights to roam as they please during the school day, even outside of dedicated 'learning' hours.
We'll have to agree to differ on this one.
"Well Julia, it was, i suppose, to keep us out of trouble.. from scrapping with the neighbouring school's pupils, and saving the locals from harrassment by teens."
ReplyDeleteThey'll just save it up and do that after school though. And it seems a bit of an imposition on the majority of kids who don't plan to do anything more annoying than wander to the local chipshop...
"Kids are not adults, and shouldnt necessarily have the same rights to roam as they please during the school day, even outside of dedicated 'learning' hours."
No, they aren't. But at what point do you begin to give them the freedom of adults to see how they handle it? School leaving age seems a bit too long to me...
And extending the school's control of them to their designated break times is a step too far. It encourages the attitude (shown by dippy Derren), that pupils are the 'property' of the school.
"We'll have to agree to differ on this one."
Of course. As this isn't a leftie blog, there'll be no banning if everyone doesn't fall into groupthink... ;)
At least social workers are well qualified to talk about raising kids. After all, look how well the products of the nation's care homes turn out.
ReplyDelete"look how well the products of the nation's care homes turn out."
ReplyDeleteLol! Indeed...
A long while ago when I was still at school I went to the chippie once or twice a week for lunch and yet remained as thin as a rake.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it was the compulsory sport two afternoons a week that was the answer then, and probably now, rather than trying to stop an excess of carbohydrates and fat.
Julian
"Perhaps it was the compulsory sport two afternoons a week that was the answer then, and probably now..."
ReplyDeleteWould I be correct in assuming that back then, there were no Playstations, or TVs in bedrooms, and no 'don't go out of doors because of sunburn/paedophiles/knife gangs/traffic'?
I remember those days too.... :)
I was banned from leaving the school premesis during the lunch houer during the seventies. The only kids who could go out were those who lunched at home. It didn't stop me though. A group of us used to sneak out, by some chips and spend the hour wandering around the local railwya train sheds talking to the volunteers - the Talyllyn Railway, if you must know.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, we came to no harm - if you call a career on the railways no harm.
"A group of us used to sneak out, by some chips and spend the hour wandering around the local railwya train sheds talking to the volunteers..."
ReplyDeleteWhy, that's enough to give social services and health and safety officers a fit of the vapours right there! ;)
Happier times...
I used to do that in Secondary School, after a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteFish and chips or a pie, perhaps rolls and a cake, and eventually I discovered a transport cafe and would have lunch there a couple of times a week, using some of my pocket money as well as the dinner money.
There was nothing wrong with it, especially for a loner, as I was.