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Original poster

Lancashire Boy Living in "Terrorist" House

42 replies

OurBlanche · 20/01/2016 13:27

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-35354061

I am stuck between laughing at the fairly obvious error, "I live in a terrorist terraced house"

and being shocked that a 10 year old hears the word terrorist so often he can make this error.

Maybe I am most shocked that the school had to report this, that common sense was bypassed, that the law demands this.

Actually, having heard this a few moments ago, I am not really sure what / how I feel about this, other than shocked and bemused!

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TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 20/01/2016 13:29

It means we can't laugh at the American police for their little bomb /alarm clock confusion because ours are just as bad Blush

whatdoIget · 20/01/2016 13:41

Poor child and his family. He's never going to trust his teachers again is he? Sad

Lolimax · 20/01/2016 13:46

I heard this earlier and was a bit Shock where was the common sense of the school staff before calling the police? I know as professionals they have a duty of care to prevent extremism but really??? It's cases like this I think that cause issues. A bit of old fashioned British common sense was required.

Justanotherlurker · 20/01/2016 21:29

lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/latest-news/commissioner-condemns-mis-reporting-of-so-called-terrorism-incident/

“The facts are that a young person disclosed a worrying issue in his school work – not just that he lived in a “terrorist house” – and this was reported through the appropriate channels and subsequently a visit was undertaken by a neighbourhood police officer and a social worker.

Creatureofthenight · 20/01/2016 21:33

Why did the teacher not just ask him what he meant by terrorist? To which he would have said, you know, in the middle of other houses, and situation avoided!

timelytess · 20/01/2016 21:34

Because teachers are forced out of their jobs for being reasonable and applying common sense, nowadays.

They have to follow procedure to the letter.

Justanotherlurker · 20/01/2016 21:38

Did you not read the police report?

It is highly possible that there where in fact other 'worrying issues'?

Owllady · 20/01/2016 21:41

BBC ought to be ashamed of themselves

SixtyFootDoll · 20/01/2016 21:42

If the teacher hadn't reported it - they'd be in trouble.
If the police hadn't looked into it- they'd be in trouble.

Fortunately there was an innocent explanation.
Sign of our times.

whatdoIget · 20/01/2016 21:44

Just read the police report and it's quite different to what the BBC report said Hmm

SueDunome · 20/01/2016 21:44

Due to the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act of 2015, schools now have a legal obligation to report any circumstances which may suggest a child is being drawn into terrorism.

SixtyFootDoll · 20/01/2016 21:45

It seems to me that it was dealt with at the right level and sensitively.
Police - damned if you do, damned if you don't.
If the child or his family left to join Isis, then who would be to blame?

CalmYoBadSelf · 20/01/2016 22:02

Typical of the BBC recently, first they ignore the attacks in Cologne then they report the biased left wing view on this first then release the truer account later when nobody is looking here

Children often do let things slip that adults would cover up so it has to be investigated

Footle · 20/01/2016 22:05

I seem to remember George W Bush confusing 'tourism' and 'terrorism' fairly regularly. Hope he got investigated thoroughly.

LumelaMme · 20/01/2016 22:08

The BBC is plunging in my estimation at the moment. Talk about sensationalism - I expect that of the tabloids, not the Beeb.

ProfessorPreciseaBug · 21/01/2016 07:55

"young person disclosed a worrying issue in his school work – not just that he lived in a “terrorist house"

It would clear up things if Plod explained what the other issues were? What exactly turned a schoolchilds howler (like the ones on another thread) into a serious issue?

LumelaMme · 21/01/2016 09:09

Plod (or someone) was on R4 this morning. The kid wrote that his uncle was beating him, so any self-respecting school would have to check that out.

AnotherEffingOrangeRevel · 21/01/2016 11:01

I seem to remember George W Bush confusing 'tourism' and 'terrorism' fairly regularly. Hope he got investigated thoroughly.

Grin
VertigoNun · 21/01/2016 11:06

The BBC reporting is worrying.

Not just this and Cologne. I contacted them about their factually incorrect description of Tara Hudson. The response was to blame Tara Hudson for giving them the wrong information.

It seems the BBC don't check their sources and will report any old nonsense.

BarbarianMum · 21/01/2016 11:11

Not surprised that a child hears the word "terrorist" all the time - it's on the news every day. Mine hear it a lot because we have the radio on at breakfast and talk about stuff that's on (esp stuff that worries them like terrorism).

It was reported on R4 this morning that a 10 year child was interviewed for using the word "ecoterrorist" (presumably in context). Hmm

Original poster
OurBlanche · 21/01/2016 11:49

No... it seems that the truth lies between the two.

www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/14216694.Accrington_schoolboy_quizzed_by_police_after_writing_he_lived_in__terrorist_house__rather_than__terraced_house_/

The Lancashire Telegraph has published the homework in question. The boy was writing about a fictional character, Cheeky Charlie and the school reported it as he 'disclosed' that he was being beaten by his uncle.

Or was it the fictional Charlie that was being beaten by his fictional uncle?

This, it seems, is just one of a number of incidents coming from the new 'Prevent' legislation that holds teachers criminally responsible for not reporting any issues.

Having read more about it I am even more bemused!

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wanderings · 21/01/2016 12:36

Because teachers are forced out of their jobs for being reasonable and applying common sense, nowadays.

And the pen-pushing privileged politicians who write teachers' rule books don't live on the same planet as everyone else.

Original poster
OurBlanche · 21/01/2016 13:42

The Beeb is definitely not going quietly... they are ramping it up and showing more instances of unintended consequences of Prevent.

To be fair, they did explain why the new laws came in, just asked the obvious questions about the reality of the way the law is actually working.

The Muslim boy used the word 'ecoterrorist' in a French class, in context, in French, in a conversation that was specifically about people who use violence to save the planet.

He had learned the term in a previous debating society class.

I am with him... he wondered what was going on when he was dragged out of a French class and asked about ISIS!

www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/22/school-questioned-muslim-pupil-about-isis-after-discussion-on-eco-activism

Have we gone mad, as a society? We know radicalism occurs, so to stop it we force teachers to be professionally suspicious of their muslim students, to report such conversations for fear of being punished? Pshaw!

I pity any teacher nowadays. I am so glad I got out before all of this new madness.

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NewLife4Me · 21/01/2016 13:46

On our local news last night it stated that the school reported because there were other issues that made them decide on this route.
They obviously didn't state what, but it wasn't the only factor.

I do think it's sad though that teachers are being pressurised into making the call. It's sad we live in such a world.

Original poster
OurBlanche · 21/01/2016 13:49

The police, and another poster, said it was the 'beatings' that formed part of the other factors... they were also part of the story he wrote, it seems.

The family certainly seem to be incensed. I doubt we'll ever know the full ins and outs, but it does seem that there are some very odd decisions being forced with the new legislation.

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