Letter: What Does Stoughton Attack Say Of Our Education System?

Published on: 18 Feb, 2017
Updated on: 18 Feb, 2017

From Ben Paton

Our education system is failing if young girls, once reputedly the gentler sex, can act in this manner. This was an assault by three armed girls against one defenceless younger girl. For what purpose? The report suggest it was cowardly and ignominious.

Schools must teach by using the vicarious experience of world history and show children that violence, by governments, groups or individuals almost always results in tragedy.

This is not happening in an urban ghetto but in leafy Surrey. Surrey County Council, responsible for our school system, must investigate the school that these girls attended. Whatever they are learning there seems to be the wrong stuff.

Responses to Letter: What Does Stoughton Attack Say Of Our Education System?

Mary Bedforth Reply

February 18, 2017 at 10:21 pm

Leafy Surrey?

I would think the girls’ parents have the primary responsibility.
C Barker Reply

February 19, 2017 at 9:24 am

Nothing to do with the education system. My children, teenagers and hundreds of others go to local schools and they certainly don’t behave like thuggish Neanderthals.

The problem is most likely closer to home and, even more likely, bad parenting. Our local education system, although not perfect, is an excellent one and doesn’t deserve to be slated because of a few loose canons.
Paul Bishop Reply

February 19, 2017 at 1:13 pm

The buck stops with the parents. Kids are only in school for six hours-a-day, five days-a-week. That’s 30 hours total, less than 20% of their week during term-time.

I suggest if you find the school these girls went to there will be many kids leaving and having bright, successful futures.
Dave Middleton Reply

February 19, 2017 at 7:07 pm

Fortunately, like most of the rest of society, the vast majority of young people are decent and law abiding and incidents such as this are blessedly rare.

In fact, bearing in mind the decades of liberalism and the efforts of the so called intelligentsia in our schools and society as a whole, I’m amazed that there aren’t more incidents of this type.

The fact is, that discipline is sadly lacking in the education and the upbringing of children and has been for the past 20, or so, years. So often nobody ever says, “No” to children and if the bad behaviour continues, appropriate sanctions are not applied. Consequently some of them grow up believing that they can do what they like and nobody can tell them not to do it.

It’s not just at school, many parents just don’t discipline their children, or even simply tell them that what they’re doing is wrong or inappropriate. How often do you see a child misbehaving in a supermarket, the library, or another public place and the parent fails to act to stop it.

This is not fair on them, as all too often the first time they get told, “No, you can’t do that,” is when they break a law and end up in confrontation with the police.

I know that I’m an old crusty now, at the ancient age of 54, but I certainly don’t view the past through rose tinted glasses. I do know though, that I thank my parents and teachers for giving me clear and firm boundaries and a firm slap or the slipper when I misbehaved, leaving me in no doubt that what I’d done, or was doing was wrong.

Discipline breeds self-discipline and self-discipline breeds good citizens, unlike the three young ladies in this incident.