General Chat

Unbelievable. How much will this little exercise cost exactly?

Surely there must be higher priorities in education than this?

I'm all for stamping out bullying and racism in schools but really !!! There has to be a more sensible and cost effective way of achieving it ! what an absolute waste of resources and money.

Nice one Ed Balls !

Heaven knows!!! If children are using phrases in all innocence why not explain the meaning and ask them to stop rather than blighting their school records for life..

Sue

Schools are introducing a 'Hate Register'. Children make innocent observations - it is adults that percieve they are racial or homophobic. THE SCHOOL and PARENTS should challenge childrens language and not let the nanny state dictate from a distance.

What is it supposed to achieve exactly?xx

Yes, I KNOW IT'S THE MAIL

Heads will be forced to list children as young as five on school 'hate registers' over everyday playground insults.

Even minor incidents must be recorded as examples of serious bullying and details kept on a database until the pupil leaves secondary school.

Teachers are to be told that even if a primary school child uses homophobic or racist words without knowing their meaning, simply teaching them such words are hurtful and inappropriate is not enough.

Instead the incident has to be recorded and his or her behaviour monitored for future signs of 'hate' bullying.

The accusations will also be recorded in databases held by councils and made available to Whitehall and ministers to help them devise future anti-bullying campaigns.

The scale of the effort to stop children using homophobic or racist language was revealed after the parents of a ten-year-old primary school pupil in Somerset, Peter Drury, were told that his name would be put on a register and his behaviour monitored while he remained at school.

The boy was reported after he called a friend 'gay boy'. His parents fear the record of homophobic bullying will count against him throughout his school career and even into adulthood.

In another incident last year a six-year-old girl, Sharona Gower, was reported for 'racist bullying' at her school near Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

Sharona was chased by two 11-year-old girls, one of whom taunted her that she had chocolate on her face.
The six-year-old responded to one of the girls, who was black: 'Well, you've got chocolate on yours.'

Many schools nationwide have already followed advice that they should record incidents of alleged racist, homophobic or anti-disability bullying.

One report last year by the Manifesto Club civil liberties think-tank said that 40,000 children each year are having racist charges added to their school records.

But ministers aim to make reporting of supposed 'hate taunting' a legal requirement for every school, primary as well as secondary, and every local authority across the country from the beginning of the new school year in September.

Why aren't the teachers just having a quiet word with the pupil and parents?

Sue

I am horrified to discover that children, below the age of 10, who are below the age of criminal responsibility can be place on a "Hate Register" in the UK for remarks made at school that are considered to racial, homophobic or targeted at people with disabilities.

My family do not have a racist bone in our body - whilest we are hetrosexual - we accept people that aren't.

So when my five year old exclaims "Mummy, that lady has a brown face!!" in front of the first Indian person she has noticed.

or / cheeky monkey to the Indian Shop Keeper - when he played a trick on her.

Why should innocent remarks land her on a register that will tag her with racists and homophobics?

When my daughter is playing trick on me I often call her a cheeky monkey - because in my language it is a phrase for a mischievious person.

Will the politically correct brigade back off and let me do my job as a parent. I will soon correct her when it is necessary and I would expect teachers to do the same. Children do not always appreciate the effect their behaviour has on others. They learn by having clear boundaries and guidance - but this should be at an individual level - not a one size fits all attitude.

(Oh - and yes some of us do have brown faces - children say what they see. It is not a racial remark - simply an observation)