Schoolboys Disciplined For Playing Soldiers

Just how far will schools intrude in the do/don'ts of kids lives.

Political correctness has just got to be stopped.

web.orange.co.uk...

A Warwickshire primary school has been slammed by parents for disciplining two seven-year-old boys for playing soldiers.

Teachers at Nathaniel Newton Infant School in Nuneaton reprimanded the two boys after they were seen making pistol shapes with their fingers.

The school, which caters for around 180 pupils aged four to seven, said the gun gestures were "unacceptable" and were not permitted at school.

However, parents have described the reaction as "outrageous", while family groups warned that "wrapping children in cotton wool" damages their upbringing.

Defending its policy, a spokesman for Nathaniel Newton Infant School said: "Far from stopping children from playing we actively encourage it.

"However a judgement call has to be made if playing turns into unacceptable behaviour.

"The issue here was about hand gestures being made in the shape of a gun towards members of staff which is understandably unacceptable, particularly in the classroom."

But the father of one of the boys said: "It's ridiculous. How can you tell a seven-year-old boy he cannot play guns and armies with his friends.

Parenting groups condemned the school's reaction to the children's game of soldiers, warning that it risked causing a rift between the school and parents.

Margaret Morrissey, founder of the family lobby group Parents Outloud, said: "It is madness to try to indoctrinate children aged seven with political correctness in this way."

When I was a kid, there was no such thing as political correctness.

If you remember years ago there was the mini-series on TV called ROOTS by Alex Halley.

The basis of the story is a slave taken to America, who keeps trying to escape. Lot more to story of course.

At school we started playing a game called Roots.

Basically a mass game of hide & seek, but with two teams, the Masters & the Slaves.

The slaves run & the masters drag them back however is needed.

Our teachers thought it was funny, but PC wouldn't allow that now.

reply to post by acrux

The school, which caters for around 180 pupils aged four to seven, said the gun gestures were "unacceptable" and were not permitted at school.

"The issue here was about hand gestures being made in the shape of a gun towards members of staff which is understandably unacceptable, particularly in the classroom."

I don't believe the school was over stepping its bounds.

Guns and school don't mix. Period.

The school can't advocate the use of guns (fake fake, or real fake) in a play scenario and simultaneously support a "zero tolerance" stance on guns.

Originally posted by GringoViejo

Guns and school don't mix. Period.

Hoplophobe.

School is a great place to learn firearms safety and play soldiers.

It should be made a part of the curriculum.

People like you who want to keep children from learning how to be safe with guns are dangerous.

Do you have any idea how many children are harmed by unsafe firearms practices? Thanks alot.

reply to post by GringoViejo

Parenting groups condemned the school's reaction to the children's game of soldiers, warning that it risked causing a rift between the school and parents.

Margaret Morrissey, founder of the family lobby group Parents Outloud, said: "It is madness to try to indoctrinate children aged seven with political correctness in this way."

I understand where you are coming from, but to thrust PC onto kids so young doesn't seem right. Just let kids play as kids.

reply to post by Exuberant1

School is a great place to learn firearms safety .
It should be made a part of the curriculum.

Interesting concept, but at what age would youi consider a safe age to start.

reply to post by Exuberant1


Please refrain from "people like you" statements, it saves you from looking like a fool

If schools wanted to teach gun safety, I'd be all for it. I just don't want someone from the school teaching it. Also, I think Grade school would be too early. I'd even wait till high school.

The fact of the matter, however, is schools do not teach anything about guns. That is left to the parent, and it is ultimately the parents responsibility to teach the child about firearm safety. So until we start changing some laws, or whatever would have to be done, to get firearm safety in school, blame the parents of the victims of unsafe firearm practices.

This particular case isn't about political correctness. In todays world parents, unfortunately, have to worry about things like school shootings. The school isn't saying soldiers are bad, or even that guns are bad. They are saying "This isn't the place for guns." I don't find anything wrong with that.

The only issue I would see in this, is if the discipline involved suspension or worse. Which would be way overboard in my opinion.

Sadly, a lot of British teachers are like a lot of British Police Officers, (though NOT ALL).
One of the first requirements of the 'job' is a lobotomy.
There is a wonderful story by Ray Bradbury along the lines that a man finds he has the ability to destroy every weapon on the planet. He does so. Another man is so angry that he rips the leg off a table and beats the man who destroyed 'all weapons', to death.
Hence, the more you try to stop something the worse it gets. The more you squeeze and squeeze the population the more escapes.
As for the children, they will find some other way to 'fight' and possibly a way that is more painful.
As for the teachers all I can do is 'sigh'. Britain has become a control, control, control society and the more you try to control, the more just slips through your fingers!

Originally posted by Exuberant1

It should be made a part of the curriculum.

I entirely disagree.

Why introduce a child to an adult weapon? You don't teach them automobile safety - and this I thin we SHOULD be doing as it is a necessity. A gun is a luxury.

If you believe weapon education should be taught to 7 year olds, then you should also accept religion in schools, because both are a way of life, and I'd have neither introduced to my child - my child would learn appreciation for things like this from his family, not from a curriculum I have no control over.


-- edit

Oh and I forgot to add - this is a joke surely. Kids have played cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, armies ans soldiers, since air.

Do they even still sell toy soldiers or are they now considered child abuse? Far out...

If this is the way things are to go, then those calling the shots should take a damn hard look at history. What the hell do they think SPORTS symbolizes? Conflict.

Replace the bombs with balls, soldiers with teams, but the strategy remains, defeat the enemy.

If 2 young boys pointing finger guns at each other is considered punishable, and some of you are OK with this, you have to be either really young or one of those sorts of people who I knew in school who always went to the library during lunch and looked down on everyone else because you had no real friends to play finger guns with.

Originally posted by badw0lf

Why introduce a child to an adult weapon?

Not an adult weapon.

I'm talking about weapons such as the .22 and the .410, the kind we all learned on when we were children. You know, before the cowards took control and lack of firearms safety started leading to so many accidental (and preventable) deaths.

Originally posted by Exuberant1

Originally posted by badw0lf

Why introduce a child to an adult weapon?

Not an adult weapon.

I'm talking about weapons such as the .22 and the .410, the kind we all learned on when we were children. You know, before the cowards took control and lack of firearms safety started leading to so many accidental (and preventable) deaths.

We never had guns here in Aus the same as the US does. And while I am sure it has happened I can't recall the last time a child shot another child after finding their parents guns - which are required by licensed owners to be locked up at all times anyway...

I still don't see it as an essential skill to be taught at school. Teach it at home.

reply to post by badw0lf


It is too late, I've already suggested the idea and will now push for it.

How do you feel about bb guns for the kindergarteners? Should they be taught using those, or with the new airsoft guns?

reply to post by badw0lf


Very good point.

But I do not believe that pointing a fake gun at a staff member is appropriate, do you? I also don't believe throwing a ball at a staff member, or acting as if you were going to, is appropriate either.

"The issue here was about hand gestures being made in the shape of a gun towards members of staff which is understandably unacceptable, particularly in the classroom."

Also, the discipline in this case amounted to being "reprimanded," or a "talking to" in other words. Is that too much of a "punishment" for the scenario?

ETA: From what I get of the school's statements, this might be entirely a non-issue if staff had not been involved. The "judgment call" was obviously due to the fact a staff member had been pointed at by the fake gun.

I dont think this has anything to do with PC at all. Its simple due to rising violence among school children period games like these make educators nervous. Its really as simple as that. Its not really as deep as teaching gun safety or even guns period.


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reply to post by GringoViejo


The poor child is probably traumatised.

He didn't hurt anyone or threaten to kill anyone. It wasn't like he put the staff member on their knees and jammed a real gun in their mouth.

He was playing guns and the teacher ended up as part of the fun. But people who are mentally ill can't see that. They think this is a bad thing, because political correctness tells them so.

reply to post by Exuberant1




Traumatized? From being "reprimanded?" What a weak mind someone would have to have to be traumatized by being told not to do something.

reply to post by GringoViejo


Weak mind? We are referring to a child here.

Yes, adults can use their voice to traumatise a child. If the child is hurting no one and doing nothing wrong and you tell him that he his, that child will be negatively affected.

Same goes for weak-minded adults. That is why political correctness is so bad.

So the kids are disciplined for playing soldiers?,Welcome to the army you soft little bastards .

ridiculous.. but then again from my experience UK state run schools are mad.. you can have 2 schools within a short distance of each other and one will have utterly different teaching methods and rules.

As for this school.. well I expect they also have non competitive sports.. my son went to one of those schools for a short while and we quickly moved him as I do not agree with teaching children it is wrong to work hard towards winning, and wrong to work hard towards attaining a goal.

When I was a child one of the most favourite and common game played by me and my mates and almost every kid I know was 'Japs and Commandos'.
'Cops and Robbers' was another game we often played.
As we got older the toy guns got more realistic and the games more blood thirsty etc.

Guess what?
We've all grown up and are reasonably balanced individuals and none of us has ever got a gun and been tempted to shoot anyone.

This is more PC nonsense and has no place in the British education system.