 News
8th March 2006
Baa-baa rainbow sheep
Nursery school children are being taught to sing 'Baa Baa
Rainbow Sheep' instead of the traditional 'Baa baa black sheep'.
Teachers at two Oxfordshire centres were told to change the words to
promote 'equal opportunities'.
Stuart Chamberlain, of the Oxford Sure Start Centre in Sutton Courtenay,
Oxfordshire, said, "Basically we have taken the equal opportunities approach
to everything we do.
"This is fairly standard across nurseries. We are following stringent
equal opportunities rules.
"No-one should feel pointed out because of their race, gender or
anything else."
The Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality
refused to comment on the revised rhyme but campaigners have described
it as another crazy example of 'political correctness gone mad'.
Nick Seaton of the Campaign for Real Education said, 'This is a traditional
children's song and the reference to black sheep has nothing to do with
black-skinned people.
"It's a new Stalinist approach to good manners and respect."
John Midgley, co-founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness,
said, "This is absolutely ridiculous.
"If they say it's for equal opportunities then it's counterproductive.
"It fails to understand the history of nursery rhymes which have
enriched children's lives down the generations.
"It's a blatant example of political correctness and somebody ought to
give the Sure Start Centre a good dose of common sense."
It is thought that the nursery rhyme dates back to the Middle Ages and
is about the tax imposed on wool.
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