I taught myself to swim, or rather I took the plunge after watching the style of the guys at the pool when I was five or six. I queued up behind them at the diving board as though I was one of them and followed in turn. I still remember that first dive and how exhilerating it felt, and then throwing my arms over respectively and pulling myself to the side with feigned nonchalance. When I was older I was a near champion at swimming carnivals--though was always pipped by this God-like other who always seemed to be there--despite my unorthodox style. Never had a lesson in my life; I just studied the form (it's the way to accomplish anything) and I've always been doggedly determined.

Back during those innocent times I recall a really nice man who used to pick my sister and I up and play with us in the cathedral grounds (my father was the bishop's chauffeur). Then it turned out he was playing with my sister indecently and he was marched off by the constabulary. I was completely naive and it was a valuable lesson.

I love your point Houllie about the middle classes having too much money. So true! This is why we have so much patronage of private schools. They don't provide a better education (or shouldn't); it's just more swaddling for the little darlings and kudos to the parents, who see it as a sign of elevated status--poor deluded bastards!

An important implicit point in the article is that children should be protected from their parents' first and foremost--but until that happens a decent playground is their only escape and the least we should provide.

Actually come to think of it The Rodent tied flag poles to school funding didn't he?

So we must blame Little Johnny's patriotism.

Houellie,

I have to tell you this one.
Last week at the pool my son had done his laps and was looking forward to a soak and meditate in the toddlers area with the bubble jets. First of all he usually stops at an intermediate sized pool for a bit of a walk, etc - he normally slots himself in between all the other paid classes and the school swimming classes.

However, we noticed that all these areas had been closed - no bubbles and no entry. We sat fascinated as several staff seemed to have swung into a high state of alert. One was holding a large plastic container of some sort of chemical and pouring it liberally into the pool and a couple of others were wading through the toddler's pool with nets. My son looked at me quizzically wondering why all the action.
I said that I supposed those people with the nets weren't trying to catch fish - and it dawned on him that a small bowel donation from one of the younger patrons had apparently been menacing the patrons.

The only thing missing from the whole episode was a siren - reminded me of the beach when a shark is spotted.

I noticed this story recently - a ban on pre-primary and kindergarten children playing on grass before school hours. The school in question is citing children's safety, as in not enough staff at that time of day to supervise...which, in my opinion, is a load of old cobblers. Parents of kindergarten and pre-school children always stay with their child until they are under the supervision of their teachers or teacher assistants (at least they did when my son attended these two years). So what's the big deal with kids playing on the grass while their parents are chatting and watching.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-17/mp-attacks-pre-class-play-ban/4265440