To think animal welfare should be added to the National Curriculum?

[SparkleSunshine201]

I was shocked to read that incidents of animal cruelty are increasing. I realise that educating children on animal welfare should start at home, but it's surprising that a number of children aren't being taught the basics, i.e. that animals have thoughts and feelings and can suffer and feel pain, just like us.

There is a petition about adding animal welfare to the national curriculum. I think it could really help children to be aware of how to treat animals humanely.

You can sign the petition here: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/170481

What do you think?

Look not being funny but every single kids TV show has trips to farms where they show how to pet animals and how they look after them etc. The reading books at school also feature trips to Dr's or vets. Even dog owners in the street tell u how stroke their dogs eyc

If you really haven't got it in you to figure out not to dangle pet upside down or realise you should get a book and reasonable how to like after a pet if you get one, then really a million lessons will be of little use to you

Alfieisnoisy that's lovely about your two cats, tortoise and two turtles! I have put my animals in my will also. I agree people should be more informed on what it takes to look after a pet properly as you said, before adopting.

Could you clarify on what you mean by it being innate? I think that anyone can be taught to love and respect animals if they are given the opportunity.

charleschaplin What a daft comment

Veterinari I'm really pleased to know that, I will have a read of your link. I totally agree about caring for animals having a huge impact on children's empathy and responsibility. I'm a teacher and it's often not hard to tell which pupils have pets and are experienced in helping their parents care for them.

I don't think it should be taught at school but I do think you should need a license to breed or sell animals and I think part of the condition of that license should be to ensure that a) every animal is chipped and traceable to an owner and that b) every purchaser should be able to demonstrate they have a clue of how to look after the animal

Yes of course parents should do this. But clearly quite a lot don't. Some will live in households with animals which are not well treated. I'd much rather my kid had had an unnecessary PSHE or citizenship lesson or two on animal welfare than those kids get none.

Yes and then maybe one child will grow up and take over the rspca and decide to actually do the job properly.

The sad fact is that the sort of person who will abuse or neglect an animal will do it regardless of whether they were taught the basics at school. Its not rocket science, I've never been taught how to look after my pets (or kids!) but it's in my nature to nurture, care for and give the basic needs (and more) to them.
And btw, what bubble do some people live in to say that some kids are never exposed to any kind of animal? What a sad, strange world they must live in

As someone who would have to shoehorn such a stupid proposal into the school hours available, I have two questions:

1. What should give way for this to be added?

1. Why do parents seem to be passing the buck to teachers, expecting educators to help children not be cruel to other living things.

Schools shouldn't have to shoulder the full burden of moral education. They have more than enough to do.

Snugglepalace I'm sorry but that's a terribly defeatist attitude, and one I cannot agree with. Doesn't even helping a handful of children who wouldn't have been taught to help and care for helpless creatures, make it worth it?

I agree with you about feeling about never coming into contact with animals. I imagine a kind of sterile bubble where no animals or germs are allowed. A very sad life indeed.

Exactly snggle

They can all work an ipad and upload a video or get to level 210 on mine craft yet so suddenly loose the ability to think "I'll read the fact sheet that comes with the hamster cage"

Some people don't care and never will. School won't change that

How is this part of education? It's for parents to teach right from wrong.
No-one needed to teach me to be kind to animals, I just knew. Religious education (compulsory under NC) covers kindness, care for animals, the sick, the weak etc, through Bible stories etc (St Francis, etc)

I know sparkle I understand what your saying but from where I stand (and I'm a massive animal lover) it's an unfortunate reality. Take someone I know for instance, he shoots things (birds, foxes) for fun/hobby, thinks nothing of leaving his beautiful lab in a kennel 22-23 hours a day in all weathers with no other human/animal companionship. He genuinely does not believe he's been cruel (as I've had this conversation with him!) as this is the way he's been brought up, his family are all the same. No amount of teaching at school would change his point if view.

This is an interesting comment from the young man who started the petition, a veterinary student. His name is Kristopher Dorr.

"Having worked in city farm where children can interact with animals, Mr Dorr said that he had witnessed the impact a single animal can have on a child.

“That connection gives them a real understanding that that animal has needs, it can feel pain, and we should care for them,” he said.

“I feel educating children helps them develop a more compassionate and caring personality and hopefully through this, we will see a fall in a number of animal abuse cases.”

From mrcvs.co.uk/en/news/15232/Student-launches-petition-to-put-animal-welfare-on-curriculum

Bit alot of these things only work of baked up at home.

A teacher could tell you anything if you go home to pets being hit ajd your dad telling him you it's all bollocks and fir 4 years befire you went to school that's all you ever saw, just how effective will it be?

I'd have hated that in school. I have 0 interest in animals so I just stay away from them. It would be a waste of time for many.

Anything that can help educate people and help animals gets my vote. Animals bring so much to our lives and we are so richly rewarded by having them.

Teaching people to be kinder to each other might help too!

We don't have pets, and my DCs have little exposure to them. My mum has cats, but they disappear as soon as they get a hint of the DCs invading and the DCs are convinced that there's only two cats when there's 5 as two look the same as they shoot off for a dark corner, and only one hangs around out of stubbornness.

My DCs are nervous around dogs as they've had too many "just being friendly" dogs bouncing around their faces (apparently, it's OK as they love children despite the fact that my children are clearly cowering and distressed. Thanks. ) I take the opportunities I can to show the DCs how to treat animals kindly and carefully, and really it takes getting to know an animal rather than just words.

On the beach last year, we had to defend the 3 yo and his sausage roll from the marauding sea gulls, have have been explaining since that we had to protect him on that occasion, but that's not a reason to go around scaring birds generally.

Animal cruelty is usually a sign of deeper underlying issues and is unlikely to be addressed by a few lessons in school.

Agree and have signed

Tbh I think if children are hurting animals than being taught not to in schools is not going to help.

If we're adding something in, it would be how to manage money.

We cant keep adding things to the national curriculum. Its difficult enough as it is to fit everything in.

If the RSPCA didn't waste their funds trying to prosecute ridiculous cases they could do a lot more. Im adamant its their responsibility along with the parents to inform those younger generations of whats acceptable and whats not. Our school has been trying for years to get them in for a few hours to talk about this sort of thing but they don't have the funds apparently

Most primary schools do trips to farms and zoos and that includes teaching about the care of animals.

My kids were always going on about animals and what they'd been taught about them at school. They still didn't feed the dogs, check the water, groom them and most importantly they didn't walk them without being nagged.

What exactly do you think would happen if it were added to the national curriculum? Do you think there will be less cases reported? I'm guessing not. More instances are reported now than ever before, do you think thats because there's a surge in the number of people now committing the crimes against animals or that its because its easier to report now anonymously than before? I believe it's the latter.
I haven't noticed more cruelty while out and about, which was frequent and obvious when I was a child, but I have noticed people generally are more likely to report if its available online and anonymous.

I think it would be a good idea. It's not just that some children see overt cruelty to pets in their own homes, it's also the casual cruelty that some people see as normal. Things like letting children chase birds and squirrels in a park. That's quite commonplace and some people see it as cute, but it's not, it's frightening the animal and that is cruel.

Do people really not see how exposure to and instruction on how to properly care for an animal will prevent animal neglect and cruelty? Really? It's pretty basic common sense!

I grew up in a rural area and we used to keep farm livestock at school. I'd love to see RSPCA trained volunteers giving the Small Animal Care and other courses to 8 year olds.
Empathy needs to be taught, its a skill that can be practised. Itwould benefit children to learn how to care for an animal, and how to behave around them, especially dogs.

Do people really not see how exposure to and instruction on how to properly care for an animal will prevent animal neglect and cruelty? Really? It's pretty basic common sense!

Do you not see how kids are already snowed under with spellings and exams and homework from the age of frickin 4 and yet people still want to offload more of their jobs into teachers and fir them into an already packed day.

Why don't they just do away with lunch time and breaks. Can't have parents having to actually do their jobs now can we.

Do you not see how kids are already snowed under with spellings and exams and homework from the age of frickin 4 and yet people still want to offload more of their jobs into teachers and fir them into an already packed day.

My comment was in response to posts suggesting that children who would be cruel to animals would do it regardless. The space in the curriculum is a separate issue that I wasn't addressing. I agree there is no room for it. I was addressing a different objection.