UK schools are ridiculous

I was reading the paper today when I came across this insane piece of news.

www.independent.co.uk...

A school in the uk has actually banned all balls that aren't made out of sponge!

Now to my mind that's just insane.

As one of the people that has suffered being hit in the face with a basketball (I was beaten up with one as a child.) yeah it hurts but the worst that's gonna happen is your going to get a bruise or a broken nose.

What kind of children are is this going to produce.

Schools are getting more and more warped, in some schools they've already banned

news.bbc.co.uk...
Conkers

www.dailymail.co.uk...
hugging

www.thesun.co.uk...
The word “school”

news.bbc.co.uk...
Valentines cards

menmedia.co.uk...
white students having “black” hairstyles

www.nursingtimes.net...
swimming goggles

www.shropshirestar.com...
pink hair

road.cc...
Bicycles

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk...
fake tans

www.guardian.co.uk...
mirrors
www.guardian-series.co.uk...
football

www.brandrepublic.com...
marmite



and the one that truly drive me insane
women.timesonline.co.uk...
They've banned Baa Baa black sheep, a traditional anti-tax nursery rhyme, under the idiotic assumption that if the sheep is black then it must be a racist nursery rhyme.


Some of the above could be argued to some degree but most of it is pathetic especially considering how little schools do to tackle real issues such as bullying.

My question to fellow ATSers is this, do you think this is a conspiracy by the powers that be to turn us all into feckless morons or that we are so dumb we are voluntarily doing this to our kids?

That is nanny state UK for you. But alot of the stupid decisions that have been made, have been criticised in the past. And is being criticised in the present.

Nowadays if any slightest inidvidual is hurt or what ever, then lawyers are contacted and those responsibleare sued.

Alot are doing this to cover thier own backsides.

I know it is stupid, but these reccommendations are past down from idiots whom are paid thousdands.

The UK education system is a joke and a hotbed of Political Correctness.
It entrenches conformity and medocrity.
Pupils who do well in the Comprehensive system do so despite it not because of it.

ETA.
Sorry forgot:

Personally I think it's part of the general dumbing down of the masses and the move back to a Victorianesque society.

reply to post by monkofmimir


They are seriously trying to control us, if this goes on Im going to capture every headteacher and staff, torture them for 72days before letting them express their own opinions. Its totally unacceptable to think people should decide over our lives even if we are a teenager. SCREW THE SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!

reply to post by monkofmimir


Yeah this is true insanity, children need to be open to a degree of risk in order to thrive and survive as adults.Funnily enough, I remember playing a netball match when I was a kid and the only thing I caught in the whole game was my wobbly tooth, which was knocked out by the netball ! Had it been made of sponge I wonder if it still would have happend? You know what I don't care, its riddiculous to wrap kids in cotton wool, and I for one don't do it

I can't speak for UK schools, but if improvement is what you seek look not into USA public schools, either. We love to keep horrific teachers, ensuring our children learn that poor performance, dishonesty, and even total incompetence are the social norm, and fighting it will only cause you great distress, so it's best you just play the same game. In exchange we'll continue to dumb down the curriculum to ensure your failings are turned into accomplishments, and opportunity for all remains with no real "discrimination" between retardation and genius, for all must be of the same soup of enslavement.

reply to post by monkofmimir


We weren't allowed to use normal footballs when I was in school either, we had to use sponge ones. That was in primary school and, to be fair, we did used to put a window through ever few weeks so it's hardly surprising

All of this politically correct stuff is just ridiculous, but I'm more concerned about the actual teaching of the subjects rather than silly little things like conkers and Valentines cards.

So before anyone bursts a blood vessel over their child not being able to play conkers, maybe they should ask why their child is underachieving in what is a pretty awful education system?

reply to post by monkofmimir


This is nothing new. In primary school we had to use a sponge ball and in secondary school we had to use a plastic one. Our school wasn't a fan of football, we specialised in rugby, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it

They need to ban school itself I think.

Making schools more PC isn't going to help students.

I live in the UK and when I was at primary school about 20 years ago we were only allowed sponge balls, yet back then conkers, marbles and hanging 10 feet in the air on climbing frames were fine.

reply to post by LiveForever8


I agree completely that the poor education is just as big if not bigger issue but this just goes to show one more way the school system fails it's victims

I left school some twenty yesrs ago. In the comprehensive school the trainee teacher used to play a version of "dodge ball" with the medicine ball whilst he was being unsupervised. I'm sure it was just his evil streak at watching the skinny kids getting knocked off their feet. We had sponge balls but the girls were only allowed to play with them.

In Junior School, smacking by the teachers was still legal for the naughty kids, I got smacked loads!

Kids today have it so good.

With all the brilliant minds and money being put into our education system, its a wonder things haven't gotten better or changed much. I think we need smaller schools....and have students be able to choose their school.

I left school last year in June and as far as i am aware we didn't have any ridiculous rules, but the teaching overall was ok i think it's just disrespectful kids, although i was a little bugger from time to time i was one of the good ones!

When I was in infant school we weren't allowed to run!
I was 'sent in' for playing horses with my friends, in my defence 'I wasn't running, I was galloping'
pupils caught running in the playground during breaks and dinner time were to be sent inside, to complete work and then at the end of play, the head teacher would ring the bell, bring out the offending students and line them up, naming and shaming them for running!

actually thinking about it when i was in infant school we weren't allowed too do the conga line thingy!

reply to post by BarmyBilly


things worsened as the years went by though,
After I left school and went to college, on the first day of my government and politics class we were told straight away 'you opinions are not wanted'

I subsequently dropped that class, took sociology instead