Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Shaker on May 18, 2016, 12:57:04 PM

Title: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Shaker on May 18, 2016, 12:57:04 PM
Graduation mortarboard throwing banned:

Http://goo.gl/dpJQnN
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: floo on May 18, 2016, 01:43:12 PM
YE GODS! But no doubt the death rate from flying mortar boards will go down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Brownie on May 18, 2016, 02:25:17 PM
You could have someone's eye out with that.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: floo on May 18, 2016, 02:28:42 PM
You could have someone's eye out with that.

I doubt that has happened.

Health and safety has gone crazy these days. When my grandson (11) attended school they weren't permitted to run in the playground in case they fell over!
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Gonnagle on May 18, 2016, 03:19:20 PM
Dear Shaker,

Quote
students have been urged to mime the throwing action instead, and have hats added digitally to the photo after.

You could cause serious injury with all that miming. ::) ::)

Gonnagle.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Aruntraveller on May 18, 2016, 03:34:23 PM
It will be the EU's fault. Trying to take away our liberty to throw Mortar Boards into the air. Are there no depths they won't stoop to. :P
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Brownie on May 18, 2016, 04:35:39 PM
Floo: 
Quote from: Brownie on Today at 02:25:17 PM
You could have someone's eye out with that.

I doubt that has happened.

Health and safety has gone crazy these days. When my grandson (11) attended school they weren't permitted to run in the playground in case they fell over!


Floo, don't take things so literally!   I was just quoting what a lot of 'old' people used to say in many situations.  IIRC, it was also by a comedian, can't remember who.  Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott spring to mind.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: floo on May 18, 2016, 04:53:36 PM
Floo: 
Quote from: Brownie on Today at 02:25:17 PM
You could have someone's eye out with that.

I doubt that has happened.

Health and safety has gone crazy these days. When my grandson (11) attended school they weren't permitted to run in the playground in case they fell over!


Floo, don't take things so literally!   I was just quoting what a lot of 'old' people used to say in many situations.  IIRC, it was also by a comedian, can't remember who.  Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott spring to mind.

If you say so!
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: L.A. on May 18, 2016, 04:54:03 PM
Graduation mortarboard throwing banned:

Http://goo.gl/dpJQnN

I can see why they might want to ban the practice on a bricklaying course.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Udayana on May 18, 2016, 05:24:07 PM
Mortarboards .. what they actually for? Long time since I've seen anyone, let alone a student, in mortarboard and cape except at graduation ceremonies.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Brownie on May 18, 2016, 07:38:34 PM
They usually hire them for that too which is not unreasonable.
I remember when I was at school, the teachers (the ''Mistresses'' we called them in those days), used to wear their gowns to teach unless it was very hot and then the gown was draped over their chair.  On special occasions, like Speech Day, they would also wear their mortar boards and all sorts of coloured arrangements attached to the neckline of the gown.

Those days are over, like very formal school uniforms for the kids when everything had to be bought from the school shop.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Rhiannon on May 18, 2016, 08:06:06 PM
Where I live all the state schools have official formal uniform mostly sold through the official outfitters. Both senior schools have kilts for the girls.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Brownie on May 18, 2016, 08:29:37 PM
I see some blazers around, sometimes sweatshirts, but apart from that the schools just insist on black or navy skirts/trousers, white blouse or shirt, no tie.  Jumpers and cardigans in either black or navy.  Any sort of dark/sober 'overcoat' or raincoat is acceptable and shoes are usually black. School hats and caps are no longer worn.

Oh yes, I've seen kilts too!  They look very nice.  Uniforms aren't what they were though, I remember regulation shoes (indoor and out), funny hats, different ones for summer and winter, even regulation cardigans and socks.  Gym slips :-).  In the third year we went into skirts which were nicer.  We all had school scarves which we liked but they got lost.

Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Hope on May 18, 2016, 09:13:23 PM
Health and safety has gone crazy these days. When my grandson (11) attended school they weren't permitted to run in the playground in case they fell over!
That sounds unlikely - that rule is used to stop a child knocking other children over - rather like there being no running allowed in the corridors inside.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Sebastian Toe on May 18, 2016, 09:41:41 PM
That sounds unlikely - that rule is used to stop a child knocking other children over - rather like there being no running allowed in the corridors inside.
A primary school has told pupils not to run on its tarmac playground - in case they fall over.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2541423/Elf-safety-gone-mad-Now-school-bans-RUNNING-playground-case-children-fall-over.html4

Does it sound quite so unlikely now?


Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Brownie on May 18, 2016, 11:23:13 PM
From the Mail article:
Parents were told the decision had been taken after a number of pupils suffered scrapes and broken bones.
The school insisted it was not discouraging children from play, exercise or running, but encouraging them to only do it in allocated areas around the school.


Sounds quite reasonable to me.  Scraped knees are one thing, all kids get those, but broken bones is quite another.  Who would get the blame if that happened?  The teachers, the school.
Kids shouldn't be cosseted but reasonable precautions must be taken to avoid real harm.  Not just in school playgrounds but play areas in parks.  Years ago such play areas were on tarmac, even those things we used to call ''swing boats'', a big plank that swung between two scaffold-like structures. If a kid stood at each end (& they did) and 'worked it', they could do ''the bumps'' and it went really high.  Any child sitting on the plank in the middle could fall off and do themselves untold injury. You don't see play areas like that now, all slides, swings and roundabouts are on grass and no-one objects.  In the same way that horse riders always wear riding hats, cyclists wear helmets.   It only takes one serious injury or worse for the public to change their minds.


Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: floo on May 19, 2016, 08:15:11 AM
That sounds unlikely - that rule is used to stop a child knocking other children over - rather like there being no running allowed in the corridors inside.

It might sound unlikely but it was true, my grandson was constantly in bother for running in the playground. It was one of the reasons, among many, that my daughter decided to home school him and his elder brother. 
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Hope on May 19, 2016, 10:36:21 PM
A primary school has told pupils not to run on its tarmac playground - in case they fall over.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2541423/Elf-safety-gone-mad-Now-school-bans-RUNNING-playground-case-children-fall-over.html4

Does it sound quite so unlikely now?
Actually, yes, it does.  So far that's two such schools, and of course pretty well every school has a tarmac playground.  In 2012, there were some 24,300 schools of all forms in England alone, so probably closer to 32,000 in the whole of the UK.  2 out of 32000 = 0.00625%
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Sebastian Toe on May 19, 2016, 11:51:20 PM
Actually, yes, it does.  So far that's two such schools, and of course pretty well every school has a tarmac playground.  In 2012, there were some 24,300 schools of all forms in England alone, so probably closer to 32,000 in the whole of the UK.  2 out of 32000 = 0.00625%
Either it happened or it didn't. Which was it?
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: jeremyp on May 20, 2016, 02:15:16 AM
Floo: 
Quote from: Brownie on Today at 02:25:17 PM
You could have someone's eye out with that.

I doubt that has happened.

Health and safety has gone crazy these days. When my grandson (11) attended school they weren't permitted to run in the playground in case they fell over!


Floo, don't take things so literally!   I was just quoting what a lot of 'old' people used to say in many situations.  IIRC, it was also by a comedian, can't remember who.  Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott spring to mind.
The "you could have somebody's eye out with that" quote comes from the final scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the police confiscate Arthur and Bedevere's weapons.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Rhiannon on May 20, 2016, 06:13:35 AM
The HSE have pointed out this story is much more about the hire company wanting their mortarboards back in usable condition.
Title: Re: Elf & Safety pt. 13446
Post by: Harrowby Hall on May 20, 2016, 06:32:35 AM
It would now seem that following scornful publicity UEA have retracted the instruction.