A school has told parents they must send sick kids to class in order for them to develop a “be tough” attitude.Quite right, though when you read between the lines, there’s another explanation for this sudden verve for toughening up our increasingly mollycoddled offspring…
Fairways Primary School, in Leigh, has sent out a letter to parents saying it will administer medicine at school, and that children should persevere if they are only suffering minor illnesses.
In another letter to parents, Mr Pinchback wrote: “Unlike a lot of schools, staff at Fairways administer Calpol, antibiotics and other medication if brought to the office. We find a child will often be able to get through the day if dosed up.Just a ‘can do better’ drive then…? Is there anything wrong with that?
“Children need to develop a ‘be tough’ attitude and be prepared to persevere if they only have minor ailments.”
The letter to parents says the strict policy is to boost attendance, even though it has consistently been above the national average of 96.4 per cent.
Ah:
If the trend continued, it could have an impact on the Ofsted rating for the school, which missed an outstanding grade by 0.1 per cent at its last inspection.So, this, despite the spin put on it by the head, is nothing more than yet another bowing to targets set by Whitehall.
Also, perhaps it’d be a lot easier to persuade the kiddiewinks to ‘be tough’ if the grownups weren’t peeing their pants over swine flu, or using it as a handy excuse to expand the public sector:
Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson warned it was 'premature' to assume the virus was mild just because no one had yet died from it in the UK.Because nothing says ‘We’re serious people, engaged on serious issues’ like the appointment of yet another useless central diktat issuing civil service position…
As if to underline the level of concern in Whitehall over swine flu, ministers today appointed a new 'national director of flu resistance'. Ian Dalton, formerly in charge of the Health Service in the north east, will ensure all parts of the NHS have enough equipment, drugs and vaccines.
Today postmen began delivering official swine flu advice leaflets to every house in the country. The literature urges people to observe strict hygiene standards, and says they should appoint 'flu friends' to pick up food and drugs for them should they fall ill.Because now we’ve created this post, god forbid someone might point out that we might no longer need it…
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Sir Liam said although it might seem the spread of swine flu was slowing down, there was a chance the virus could mutate and come back with devastating force over the winter.
He urged people not to panic-buy Tamiflu on the web, saying Britain had the largest stockpile in the world of the powerful antivirals. He said they would be distributed 'at the right moment, when the numbers increase'.Yeah, good luck with that!
Who are you going to trust to ensure supplies in the event that swine flu does turn out to be the equivalent of Stephen King’s ‘Captain Trips’– the private sector, or the NHS?
Yeah, that decision didn’t take long, did it…
That's a laugh when entire schools shut down the moment some kid sneezes or if half a dozen snow flakes fall.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the SATS; I've been told that an absent pupil is given 0 marks - disastrous for the school averages, particularly if the absent pupil was expected to do well.
ReplyDeleteI know of a child - a gifted mathematician - who was suffering from a nasty stomach bug on the day of the maths test.
The headmistress phoned his mother:
"Is there any way he can come in?""No, he's feeling very ill."
"We really need him to sit this test.""Sorry, but he's vomiting constantly."
"That's alright; we can give him a bucket."
I can just see it now: 28 weeks later and we few ragged survivors dodge the shambling, pig-faced, brain-eating zombies that Swine Flu reduced 98% of the world's population to, and only one elegantly body-armoured and duster-coated heroine can help us escape the shambling cannibal crowd...
ReplyDeleteCan anyone imagine Hazel Blears in a little red cocktail dress and riding boots?
Anyone not on LSD, I mean?
Go ask Alice...
Bugger Swine flu, I want to know what the Governments of Europe are doing about these bloody East European immigrants that are coughing and spluttereing anti biotic reststant T.B all over our pulic transport systems.
ReplyDeleteIn parts of Berlin where there are large influxes of Russians, Bulgarians and others, the T.B rate has shot up...if I remember the EXACT figure, 18%+ in twelve months. Other European cities are similar.
How many percent are sneazing like pigs in sombraros?
Von Brandenburg-Preußen.
Von Spreuth.
ReplyDeleteBugger Swine flu, I want to know what the Governments of Europe are doing about these bloody East European immigrants that are coughing and spluttereing anti biotic reststant T.B all over our pulic transport systems.
Good luck with that VS - they haven't touched The Badger Menace yet: let alone this Reaper Strain of yours...
North Northwester said...
ReplyDeleteGo ask Alice...I think she'll know.
Von Brandenburg-Preußen.
"That's a laugh when entire schools shut down the moment some kid sneezes..."
ReplyDeleteYeah, he's on a bit of a hiding to nothing, poor chap. His timing sucks...
"..."That's alright; we can give him a bucket."..."
!!!
"I can just see it now: 28 weeks later..."
Ah, that's why I had a sudden shiver when the number of UK swineflu cases reached a paltry 28 last week... ;)
"In parts of Berlin where there are large influxes of Russians, Bulgarians and others, the T.B rate has shot up.."
The same here in places like parts of East London, etc.