cartwheels and handstands banned

[oldandgreynow]

DD has just told me that any gymnastics on the (large) school field have recently been banned as they might result in someone getting kicked.Yet the boys are allowed to play football and I've lost count of the number of times my DC have had a football booted into their face , been kicked etc Recently a teacher on the playground with a cup of coffee was scalded when a footballhit her.
So why is it OK for boys to have their sport but not girls? I remember as a child the girls spending every playtime somersaulting on bars or doing handstands,leapfrogs and cartwheels.
Is this the norm?

[southeastastra]

no complain to the county council

[Thediaryofanobody]

YANBU the school are being ridiculous and sexist.

[PortiaNovmerriment]

Agree with SEA.

[bluecardi]

Can this really the case? would check before complaining.

[Chandra]

I don't know, I remember being in a Tumble Tots session where parents were asked not to let their toddlers run in the room as they could crash with the walls.

Apparently, one child crashed against a wall while running so it became a health and safety issue. I found it ridiculous...

[southeastastra]

that is ridiculous!

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Bloody hell, that's mental. DD often comes out of school complaining that she's been hit in the face/on the head/other part of body by a football. She has never moaned about being kicked by a cartwheeler. I would definitely complain (and also about the teacher with the hot bevvy too).

[Numberfour]

world gone mad.....

[pixierara]

World gone SERIOUSLY mad.....along with "only children that represent the school at country sports" can race during sports day.....

[misdee]

dd3 (5yrs old) was kicked in the face by a child doing a backflip on the field. she busted her nose, split her lip and had bleeding gums. it was an accident. i told dd3 to look where she is going and stay out of the way of the bigger kids doing flips.

BUT i dont think it should be banned. i think its a good thing for girls to learn if they want, and its good fun.

though dd1 drives me mad doing it in the front room

[savoycabbage]

It is ridiculous and I would find out what the rule is and then take it further. I once did some supply teaching at a school where they weren't allowed to play that horse game where you put a skipping rope or a scarf round your friend's middle and then prance along behind them. It made me all sad.

[seeker]

Are you absolutely sure about this? I ask because ds told me that football had been banned completely - when it had been confined to one part of the field so that it didn;t take over.

[cory]

Well, I wouldn't be surprised. Ds' primary school has the safest playground equipment you could imagine: low climbing frame, soft squidgy material underneath; yet they are not allowed to use it spontaneously during breaktimes; the only time they can use it is during their group's weekly slot when they are escorted there by a teacher and noone else (even of the same age,but not in same group) is allowed on. Equipment was paid for by parents- I don't think we're getting a whole load of use out of it.

They are also not allowed to touch twigs or anything else lying on the playground for reasons of hygiene.

[echt]

Complain, complain, complain - this is so silly.

But remember that somewhere, a parent will have threatened to sue the arse off teacher/school for not washing the twigs referred to by cory.

[savoycabbage]

I live in Australia now and I remember when I was looking round the school thinking to myself 'I wonder which bit of equipment is for reception' because that is the way it is in the UK but they are all allowed to go anywhere. They climb trees and make dens and all sorts of things. It's so different. The schools aren't locked either but of course neither were ours before Dunblane.

I actually miss some of the security aspects from the UK and I often think 'you wouldn't get away with THAT in the UK' For example you could come off the street and go in the toilets because the door is into the playground.

[ZZZenAgain]

well if cartwheels etc are banned because someone might get kicked, football must be banned too because people get hit by the ball all the time and indeed kicked

Why one and not the other? Should think football is more of a risk personally.

Seems very odd to me. Think there must have been an incident or two and complaints otherwise can't see how this came about. I would ask about it.

[TheBride]

I remember when I came home from school and said that playing British Bulldog was now banned at school. My dad called to complain to be told that actually, it was only banned on the concrete

I still remember thinking it was completely unreasonable though.

[SolidGoldBrass]

Do call the school. It might be down to the even more sexist reason that little girls cannot be allowed to do anything like that in case someone sees their knickers (this teaching them shame, passivity and restricting their behaviour at a really early age...)

[TheBride]

Screamin' yes- this was 25 years ago. It just reminded me how far it's come from "maybe we should review whether children rugby tackling each other on concrete is a good idea " to "you cant do a handstand"

We were allowed horsey skipping rope but "not around the neck"

[TheBride]

.........and you were only allowed airflow footballs, which was probably quite a good compromise.

[Butterbur]

At my daughter's old school, the girls all put their PE shorts on under their dresses before break in the summer, so no-one could see their knickers.

Seemed reasonable to me. They all spent most of the summer upside down anyway.

[ZZZenAgain]

why do uniforms have to be skirts/dresses in this day and age for though. Why not shorts in summer, trousers in winter - primary at least. Much more practical.

[ZZZenAgain]

missing qustion marks:
??

[lazarusb]

I work in a school, we have an area for handstands etc, one for football (but only with softballs), a reading area, dancing area..it works really well. Staff are also banned from taking hot drinks outside because of the risk to children.Just sounds like common sense to me, we are a large school with limited space but very few accidents