Le "modèle" anglo-saxon,  libéral  ... et blairo-socialiste...
 

  ÉCOLES ANGLAISES :
Discipline, rigueur et esprit compétitif sont les maîtres mots de la mutation mise en œuvre par le gouvernement travailliste..

   Royaume-Uni : L’uniforme discriminatoire
En imposant un fournisseur unique pour l’achat de l’uniforme, les écoles pratiquent une discrimination à l’encontre des élèves pauvres. 

  Directeur d'école en Grande Bretagne :
« Le métier a beaucoup évolué. Aujourd’hui, on est beaucoup plus responsable,
on a plus de pression, on nous demande plus de résultats. »

  Deux fois plus d’enseignants sont partis en retraite anticipée au cours des sept dernières années. 

  35% des élèves de 11 ans ne savent pas lire.

  Un ado sur cinq ne peut situer son pays sur une carte.

  Ecoles publiques fermées aux pauvres.  Un rapport émis par ConfEd, (une association qui représente les dirigeants du secteur de l’éducation locale) dénonce le manque d’intégrité des processus d’admission dans certaines écoles publiques. Des réunions de "sélection" d’élèves sont organisées, durant lesquelles ne sont admis que les enfants "gentils, brillants et riches".  Ainsi, 70 000 parents n’ont pas pu inscrire cette année leurs enfants dans l’école de leur choix. En écartant les élèves issus de milieux pauvres, ces établissements "hors la loi" espèrent rehausser leur taux de réussite aux examens. 

   Selon l'OCDE, les écoles privées britanniques ont les meilleurs résultats au monde : FAUX !

  ... & Moins de pauvres dans les écoles primaires catholiques.

  Les écoles anglaises pourront être gérées par des "trusts".

  L’école britannique livrée au patronat.  En mars 2000, le Conseil européen de Lisbonne avait fixé comme principal objectif à la politique de l’Union en matière d’éducation de produire un capital humain rentable au service de la compétitivité économique. 

  Le créationnisme aux examens.

   "BAGUE DE VIRGINITE" : Une adolescente anglaise, fille d'un pasteur évangélique, perd son procès en Haute Cour.

  Grande-Bretagne : l'athéisme (bientôt ?) au programme scolaire

  Grande-Bretagne :Les sponsors au secours de l'école

  Empreintes digitales pour les enfants d'une école de Londres. Le Royaume-Uni réfléchit à la mise en place d’une loi pour la création d’un fichier national des enfants de moins de douze ans.

Naître et grandir pauvre en Grande-Bretagne  est encore plus pénalisant que dans d’autres pays développés.

  Un demi-million de «sans-logement». A Londres, un enfant sur deux sous le seuil de pauvreté.

  Un demi-million d'enfants britanniques travaillent "illégalement".

«tolérance zéro» et conditions de détention intolérables. Plus de dix milles jeunes délinquants britanniques sont emprisonnés.  «Le bilan du Royaume-Uni en terme d'emprisonnement des enfants est l'un des pires qui se puisse trouver en Europe.»

  Les frais très élevés d’inscription universitaire dissuadent les étudiants issus de familles modestes de s’inscrire en fac.

  De plus en plus d’étudiantes se prostituent ou travaillent dans l’industrie du sexe pour payer les frais d’inscription de leur université.

  Plus de 350 000 Britanniques ont quitté leur île en 2005 pour jouir d'une vie meilleure
Les jeunes Britanniques se voient vivre ailleurs.  Difficulté d' acquérir un logement, hausse de la fiscalité et indigence des services publics, en particulier les transports et le système de soins.

M. Ernest-Antoine Sellière, alors président du patronat français :« Je suis un socialiste britannique »

  Londres, paradis des milliardaires.

  Selon des rapports de l’ONU et de la Banque mondiale :  « Au Royaume-Uni, les inégalités entre riches et pauvres sont les plus importantes du monde occidental, comparables à celles qui existent au Nigeria, et plus profondes que celles que l’on trouve, par exemple, à la Jamaïque, au Sri Lanka ou en Ethiopie .»

  Grande Bretagne :  premier pays où chaque déplacement de véhicule sera enregistré.

  Les Britanniques inventent l'ultrason antijeunes.

   De plus en plus de mineurs hospitalisés pour des problèmes d'alcool. Le nombre de mineurs hospitalisés en Angleterre pour avoir trop bu a augmenté de 20% en un an.
 

Beuark.
Ségolène Royal rend hommage à la politique de Tony Blair.

Jugement en cour d'appel à Londres :
Une adolescente britannique de 16 ans n'avait pas le droit de porter à l'école une "bague de virginité", signe de son engagement à rester vierge jusqu'à son mariage, puisque cela était contraire au réglement interne de l'école.

Lydia Playfoot, soutenu par son père, pasteur évangélique et représentant du "Silver Ring Thing" en Grande Bretagne, avait saisi la justice en juin, accusant son lycée de "discrimination envers les chrétiens", pour l'avoir exclue - peu de temps avant la fin de sa scolarité dans cet établissement - après qu'elle eut refusé de retirer cette bague.

"Je suis très déçue par la décision du tribunal de ne pas me permettre de porter ma bague de virginité à l'école comme expression de ma foi chrétienne".

La direction de l'école (Millais School) faisait valoir que l'établissement imposait le port d'un uniforme, avec le soutien des élèves et des parents.
La Haute Cour estime qu'en choisissant librement cette école, l'élève et ses parents avaient volontairement accepté d'adhérer au réglement incluant la tenue vestimentaire.

Les plaignants ont été condamnés également au frais de justice (env. 30000 euros) ainsi qu'au versement d'une somme de 18000 euros à l'école mise en cause.

By SAM GREENHILL -   16th July 2007

A Christain girl has lost her High Court battle to be allowed to wear a silver chastity ring at school.

Lydia Playfoot's pastor father faces a £20,000 legal bill after a judge rejected her claim for equal rights with Muslim pupils allowed to wear headscarves.

To Lydia, 16, the ring represented a symbol of her faith and her commitment to remain a virgin until she marries.

But to the Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, it was simply jewellery and flouted strict rules on pupil uniforms.

Lydia challenged the decision in the High Court, claiming it had breached her human rights.

The school, which allows Muslim and Sikh students to wear headscarves and religious bracelets, argued that the purity ring was not an integral part of the Christian faith and contravened its uniform policy. 

Deputy High Court Judge Michael Supperstone QC said the school was "fully justified" in banning the ring, a symbol of the Silver Ring Thing movement in the US.

He ruled that since Lydia's faith did not require her to wear one, she could not properly argue she was "manifesting her belief" by doing so.

"The act of wearing a ring is not intimately linked to the belief in chastity before marriage," he said.

He ordered that her father Phil pay the school's £12,000 costs in addition to his daughter's legal bill. Lydia was refused legal aid - unlike two Muslim girls who fought similar cases.

Lydia said she was "very disappointed" at the decision and added that it would mean that, "slowly, over time, people such as school governors, employers, political organisations and others will be allowed to stop Christians from publicly expressing and practising their faith".

Her father added: "This does seem yet another example of how Christians are being treated differently."

Lydia and her silver ring have become the latest symbols of the clash between Christianity and what it regards as the creeping secularisation of British society.

Her case was fought by barrister Paul Diamond, who successfully represented BA worker Nadia Eweida in her battle to be allowed to wear a crucifix openly at work.

She was backed by the Lawyers Christian Fellowship and her devout parents.

Phil and Heather Playfoot originally suggested to Lydia - one of their four daughters - that she wear the ring. Mr Playfoot, 50, an evangelical pastor at Kings Church in Horsham, and his 48-year-old wife are part of the volunteer team which runs the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing, in Horsham.

It is an evangelical American movement which encourages teenagers to make a "pledge of chastity" - and charges them £10 for a silver ring bearing a Biblical inscription.

In his ruling, the judge praised the principle of school uniforms saying it fostered allegiance, discipline, equality and cohesion. He said they helped children to avoid the social pressures that develop around clothing and jewellery.

He said Lydia and her parents had signed up to the uniform code and noted there were other ways Lydia could have expressed her belief, such as with keychains, badges or stickers - all of which were acceptable to the school.

Headmaster Leon Nettley has questioned whether his school was being used as a "vehicle to gain publicity" for the Silver Ring Thing.

He said: "We have always respected Lydia's right to hold and express her views. Our success is tinged with regret that proceedings have needed to progress to this level."

Last year, Muslim Shabina Begum, 15, fought to wear a jilbab - a long loose gown - in class, and earlier this year a 12-year-old who cannot be named battled a Buckinghamshire girls' school for the right to wear a full-face veil. Both were granted legal aid, and both lost their cases.

John Dunford, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "I hope that today's judgment will send a strong signal to parents and pupils that schools have every right to set a uniform and that pupils should abide by it."

BBC News - Friday, 22 June 2007

A 16-year-old girl has gone to the High Court to accuse her school of discriminating against Christians by banning the wearing of "purity rings".

The school denies breaching her human rights, insisting the ring is not an essential part of the Christian faith.

On Friday, judgement in the case was reserved to a future date.

Miss Playfoot says Sikh and Muslim pupils can wear bangles and headscarves in class.

BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Piggott said a group of girls at the school were wearing the rings as part of a movement called the "Silver Ring Thing" (SRT).

Human rights barrister Paul Diamond told the High Court the school's action was "forbidden" by law.

"Secular authorities and institutions cannot be arbiters of religious faith," Mr Diamond said.

He said a question the judge would have to answer was: "What are the religious rights of schoolchildren in the school context?"

'Sexually pure'

Originating in America, SRT promotes abstinence among young people.

Our correspondent said it was now spreading to the UK as part of a wider protest by traditionalist Christians against what they see as the secularisation of society.

Miss Playfoot's school said her ring broke uniform rules and ordered her to remove it.

When she refused, she was taken out of lessons and made to study on her own.

She told BBC Breakfast: "In the Bible it says you should remain sexually pure and I think this is a way I want to express my faith."

Miss Playfoot is seeking a judicial review under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act which guarantees freedom of religious expression.

She says that should protect her right to wear the ring.

In a written statement to Deputy Judge Michael Supperstone QC, Miss Playfoot said young girls faced a "moral and ethical crisis" and that other teenage girls at her school had become pregnant.

She said other pupils regularly broke the uniform code with nose rings, tongue studs, badges and dyed hair.

The only reason for banning the rings was because the school refused to "give respect to aspects of the Christian faith they are not familiar with", Miss Playfoot said.

"The real reason for the extreme hostility to the wearing of the SRT purity ring is the dislike of the message of sexual restraint which is counter cultural and contrary to societal and governmental policy," she added.

But headteacher Leon Nettley, said the school was applying a basic uniform policy, which "has the overwhelming support of pupils and parents".

He said her ring was "not a Christian symbol, and is not required to be worn by any branch within Christianity", adding that Lydia was free to display her faith in other ways.

Uniform code

Lawyers for the school will insist that it is not operating a discriminatory policy because allowances made for Sikhs and Muslims only occur for items integral to their religious beliefs.

It argues that a Christian pupil would be allowed to wear a crucifix.

In freely choosing the school, lawyers will also say that Miss Playfoot and her parents voluntarily accepted to adhere to the uniform code.

Miss Playfoot's first application to the High Court was turned down last year, but judges agreed to hear it after she appealed.

Miss Playfoot completed her GCSEs last week and has now left the school.

But her father Phil, who is a pastor, said she wanted to pursue the case because of its wider significance for all Christians.

Mr Playfoot and his wife Heather are part of the volunteer team which runs the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing from their church in Horsham.

The organisers of the movement say as many as 25,000 young people have joined so far in the UK and that numbers are growing.

Miss Playfoot has received messages of support from politicians, including former Conservative party chairman Lord Tebbit and Tory MP Ann Widdecombe.

She also has the backing of the Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) which represents 2,000 Christian lawyers across the UK.

The case is being funded through individual donations gathered through the LCF's sister group Christian Concern for our Nation. 

Alexandra Topping - Saturday June 23, 2007 - 

A Christian teenager accused her school yesterday of religious discrimination for banning her from wearing a "purity" ring. Lydia Playfoot, 16, told the high court that preventing her from wearing the ring, which symbolises chastity before marriage, was a breach of her human rights.

Miss Playfoot is one of several students at the Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, who wear a silver ring as a symbol of their belief in sexual abstinence. Her family is central to the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing movement, which preaches against sex before marriage.

The school, which allows Muslim and Sikh students to wear headscarves and religious bracelets, argued that the ring was not an integral part of the Christian faith and broke its uniform policy.

Miss Playfoot, in a statement put before deputy judge Michael Supperstone QC, said: "The school does not afford equal rights to Christians; that is the message given." She said young girls were facing a "moral and ethical crisis" in the school and sexual problems were "not uncommon".

She added that the uniform policy was only "loosely adhered to", with students being allowed to wear nose rings, earrings, tongue studs and badges and to have dyed hair.

Human rights barrister Paul Diamond, who also represented Nadia Eweida in her case against British Airways over her right to wear a cross to work, said the school's action was an unlawful interference. He argued that secular school authorities had no right to "rule on the correct manifestation of religious beliefs" and they could not "rule on religious truth".

In response to Miss Playfoot's statement, Leon Nettley, headteacher at Millais school, said: "If we allow one set of pupils to wear rings symbolising one particular message, when that item of jewellery is not required by their religion, then doubtless other pupils will then demand to be able to wear jewellery symbolising other messages. Teenagers are worse than lawyers for wanting to haggle over definitions. They will always try to push the boundaries. "

He said Miss Playfoot had been encouraged to voice her opinion in class and was free to display her faith in other ways.

Jonathan Auburn, appearing for the school governors, argued that in choosing the school over other specifically Christian institutions Miss Playfoot and her parents had accepted the uniform restrictions and there had been no unlawful interference with her religious rights.

Before yesterday's court case Miss Playfoot said the ring was a vital part of her beliefs. "It says that I am not going to have sex before I'm married and I'm going to stay sexually pure until I'm married," she told the BBC. "In the Bible it says you should remain sexually pure and I think this is a way I want to express my faith."

Her father Phil Playfoot, a pastor at King's Church in Horsham, and his wife are part of the team which run the UK branch of the Silver Ring Thing from their church; his wife is the secretary of the company. He insisted that his daughter was pursuing the legal action on her own initiative.

Mr Nettley said the court case had been "extremely disruptive" for his school and was draining money from its budget. The headteacher added: "I do wonder whether this action is brought more for the purpose of generating publicity for the Silver Ring Thing movement in the UK than for any practical outcome for Lydia, who leaves my school this month in any event."

The case continues.

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent -

A teenage girl took her school to the High Court yesterday claiming it had discriminated against her Christian faith by banning her from wearing a "purity ring".
 

Lydia Playfoot, 16, told the court in London that she had been unlawfully prevented from wearing the silver ring, which symbolised her belief in chastity before marriage.

She warned that other girls are facing "an ethical and moral crisis" because of a lack of guidance.

Miss Playfoot was challenging the decision by Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, to ban her and a number others from wearing the rings because the jewellery was not allowed under the uniform code.

She argued that the school let Muslim and Sikh pupils wear headscarfs and religious bracelets. Miss Playfoot claimed the school did not afford equal rights to Christians.

In a written statement, she said: "Many teachers are aware of the ethical and moral crisis among young people who are not given any direction. Sexual problems among the girls are not uncommon."

Miss Playfoot said that since she had been at the school a number of pupils had become pregnant.

She added: "Students have been allowed to wear nose rings, ear rings, tongue studs, badges and have dyed hair."

She claimed that the uniform policy was not consistently enforced.

But Leon Nettley, the headmaster, denied there had been any discrimination, saying that the purity ring was not a Christian symbol, and not required to be worn.

In his statement, he said that a Muslim girl had been permitted to wear a headscarf "as it was understood this was considered to be a requirement of her faith". Two Sikh girls had been allowed to wear a Kara bangle on a similar basis.

The judicial review, backed by the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, is seen by many Christians as an important test of their religious rights in an increasingly secular society.

Paul Diamond, appearing for Miss Playfoot, argued that the school governors were violating her right to "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Jonathan Auburn, appearing for the school governors, argued there had been no interference with Miss Playfoot's fundamental religious rights as wearing the purity ring did not involve "a manifestation" of her Christian belief. Even if there was interference with her rights, it was "justified and proportionate", given the legitimate aim of the uniform policy - "the promotion of allegiance, discipline, cohesion and equality within the school", he said.

The purity rings originate from the Silver Ring Thing movement, which started in the United States. A judgement is expected in four to six weeks.