Black sheep blackballed From: From correspondents in London March 08, 2006
Ewe beauty ... a rare flock of rainbow sheep celebrates finally being immortalised in song / File A CHILDCARE centre in Britain is teaching children to sing Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep rather than Baa Baa Black Sheep to avoid causing offence.
The new words to the nursery rhyme have been altered by bosses at the Family Centre in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and the Sure Start centre in nearby Sutton Courtenay. Your say: Your PC nursery rhyme? »
Stuart Chamberlain, the Sure Start centre's manager, said: "No one should feel pointed out because of their race, gender or anything else.
"We've taken the equal opportunities approach to everything we do.
"This is fairly standard across nurseries. We are following stringent equal opportunities rules."
The earliest known printing of the words to Baa Baa Black Sheep was in 1744.
