“Toddlers at risk of extremism, warns Education Secretary”

Last Updated: August 8, 2014By

“This is the headline of a story in the Telegraph today,” writes Alex Little in his blog, alittleecon. “I had to double check it’s not April 1st, but apparently this is not a joke.”

Apparently it isn’t, and we should all beware of nutters in nappies!

“The article says:

Nurseries are at risk of being taken over by religious extremists, the Education Secretary will warn as she announces that toddlers are to be taught “fundamental British values”.

“Here is another paragraph from the article:

Proposals by Mr Gove to oblige schools to promote “fundamental British values” will be extended to children as young as two, Mrs Morgan will say. For toddlers, the teaching of such values is likely to include learning right from wrong, learning to take turns and share, and “challenging negative attitudes and stereotypes”, it is understood.

“Since when has teaching very young kids about right and wrong and learning to share been an anti-extremism measure?”

That is an extremely valid point.

“The Birmingham schools debacle, which then moved to Bradford, already moved us into witch hunt territory, but this takes us to a whole new level of crazy.

“How paranoid have we become when it is thought there is a need to prevent two-year-olds from radicalisation?”

Comment on this article at alittleecon, here.

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14 Comments

  1. Abdul Aziz August 8, 2014 at 10:55 am - Reply

    Are they really afraid of Zionist extremists in our toddlers schools.

    • Mike Sivier August 8, 2014 at 2:32 pm - Reply

      Or Muslim extremists. Or possibly Catholic and Protestant ones. Extremism takes many forms – albeit more commonly in the minds of older people, possibly including some of those who came up with this idea?

      • Joanna August 8, 2014 at 7:02 pm - Reply

        This might not be part of the point, but when I was in care, because I didn’t have a religion, I was brought up from 4yrs to 12yrs in the Methodist church, yet in the file kept on me, it stated that I was Church of England, which I later very much objected to. Now I don’t care about any religion, I have my own moral compass and instincts which have served me so well.

  2. creatorsnotconsumers August 8, 2014 at 10:58 am - Reply

    “…beware of nutters in nappies!” Priceless.

  3. phillevans August 8, 2014 at 11:01 am - Reply

    Control through fear…. Mind you, has anyone else choked on the irony of their use of the world “fundamental”? Aren’t fundamentalists what have caused the problem in the first place (by their logic)?

  4. Ulysses August 8, 2014 at 11:12 am - Reply

    Define “negative attitude”? Every contributer to these blogs?

  5. Nikki Williams August 8, 2014 at 11:18 am - Reply

    I think the issue is more to do with all forms of deist bigotry and ignorance e.g. Intelligent Design getting inculcated into kids and the staff. Perhaps it might prevent the funding of the crackpot Steiner organisation as well as fundamentalist abrahamic religions ramming their delusional beliefs into kids’ heads. Are political parties finally coming round to realise that only secular education with no theistic input is the way forward in a modern Britain to encourage mutual respect and greater integration as well as proper evidence-based teaching. We can but hope this is the beginning of the end to taking religion out of schools and telling the Priests, Rabbis and Imams that if they want their own schools they can damn well pay for it with their own money and get nothing from the State.

    • Mike Sivier August 8, 2014 at 2:36 pm - Reply

      Of course, there are many who would find your attitude quite appalling, too. Look at the language you use: “Deist bigotry and ignorance”, “crackpot”, “fundamentalist Abrahamic religions ramming their delusional beliefs”.

  6. samedifference1 August 8, 2014 at 11:45 am - Reply

    I completely agree Mike. Toddlers don’t even understand religion. This is a crazy idea.

  7. Colin Taylor August 8, 2014 at 11:54 am - Reply

    To paraphrase the Jesuits:
    ‘Give me the child and I will give you the Paranoid’

  8. flyonnz August 8, 2014 at 11:56 am - Reply

    We would do well to scrap this, and inform children that the telegraph endorse predators and paedophiles. THAT seems, i dunno, much more important … to me?

    • Mike Sivier August 8, 2014 at 2:40 pm - Reply

      Does it?

  9. John August 8, 2014 at 4:00 pm - Reply

    Where does it all end today? Gaza? Iraq? Syria? I could go on – and on – and on.
    Keep religion out of our schools.
    Teach comparative religions within a historic context by all means so that school students can understand events like the Crusades, Spanish Armada, etc.
    Exclusivist schools teaching virtually one religion and damning all others with faint praise – at best – does facilitiate extremist ideologies.
    Let’s see secular education in secular schools.

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