To think banning 'running' in school playtimes is missing the point of play time?

[HubbaBubbaMumma]

I've got 2 lively DS who are both in primary school. Recently found out that as well as ball games, playing in the trees, on the grass etc 'running around' has been forbidden in the playground except at lunchtime. Is this common? I WANT my kids to run a round at playtime so they get rid of some energy an can settle down to learn and concentrate in class. I don't care if they get the odd grazed knee or bump, they are little boys and they need to run around! I'm thinking of going in to see the Head about this. AIBU?

Had this 20 years ago at DS s primary school.
The playground was quite small. The environmental garden, built by parent volunteers, was closed for no given reason.
Headteacher banned conkers, British bulldog and all similar games, carrying each other piggyback, then football or kicking a ball at all.
They could still bounce a ball but were stood out of play if they kicked it.
Then finally he banned running.
We were relieved when he retired.

Maybe it's just 'running' which becomes too boisterous and might endanger other children which is banned? At my ds's school some of the more, um, lively running games are banned, as other children were in danger of being knocked over etc.

Boys are often more active, I know saying such a thing is a crime in mumsnetland, but there we are then.

lisbeth it is against the MN law to suggest that boys and girls are in any way different, don't you know

It's not being sexist to say that it is usually boys who tend to play much more 'roughly'. Doesn't mean girls aren't energetic or lively, but I don't think I've ever seen girls e.g. playfighting in the way that boys do. Not all boys do, of course, but it's much more unusual to see groups of girls racing around or playfighting in the way that groups of boys do.

" lisbeth I gather you're making these sweeping sexist statements with some sort of evidence behind them? "

all I did was say that boys and girls play differently.
That is why girls get more head lice than boys do. For example.
I had B/G twins but I expect my experience doesn't count.
Honestly you cannot say anything about gender differences here without someone clucking and hissing at you like an outraged goose.

Thank you Bialystok

Not normal at all!

Our school playground allows running, screaming, playing on grass when it's not muddy, making snowmen if it snow... (It achieved OFSTED Outstanding last year so schools aren't encouraged to be banning simple pleasures like running in the playground)

Running around at playtime is pretty much what my son plays every day since starting nursery in 2009. I would be furious if it were banned.

Are boys encouraged to be active and play more energetically, whilst girls are discouraged from this? Is this all part of society expecting girls to be gentle and 'girly', whilst boys are expected to be rough and tumble?

I can't imagine that girls are genetically programmed to be less energetic and quieter than boys, so it must be upbringing and societal influence. I am not saying every girl and boy are brought up with these expectations, but I suspect a lot are.

Call your local paper or the DM...

The catchment areas round here are so small that no-one is more than a 15 minute walk from school.

At DD's school the reception play area is separate from the rest. In the main playground it seems to be staggered, so the year 1s are out with the year 2s and 3s, for example. I'm pretty sure this is not happened at her school, DD is a terrific runner so I'm sure she'd be outraged if this was banned!

SDTG I really don't think it's about expectations, especially now. Even in the 70s when I was a child, I don't remember anyone discouraging me or female friends to be more sedate etc. And I honestly cannot think of anyone I know, friend, parent or teacher, encouraging/discouraging in this way.

From my own experience, and now having a girl and a boy (and seeing them in many, many social situations at school and outside) I don't think I've ever seen girls doing the kind of play fighting that some boys do. It doesn't mean girls don't run, have energy, climb trees etc, but there is undeniably a physical kind of play which is usually only seen with boys.

Even with play with toys etc - can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen girls set up battle scenes with play mobile figures, for example.

I know what you mean bialy.

My daughter and I enjoyed similar active games in the playground - skipping, elastic, hand-clapping songs, tag, climbing on apparatus...

My sons are active in a different way. My y5 son and his friends almost jump onto each other's backs and enjoy "friendly" tugging at each other as they play. By "friendly" I mean they seem to have a mutually agreed, slightly wrestley vibe to their interaction with each other that I don't see them do with girls in their class or their sisters.

Well my boy/girl pair play fight all the time, including wrestling, in fact I would say DD is slightly worse than her brother, being the eldest. I suspect they don't do it as school as it just wouldn't be acceptable. There is far more 'policing' of girl behaviour

Playgrounds are for running about in.

Screaming shouldn't be allowed, shouting ok but screaming is for emergencies I think.

Boys are generally more boisterous than girls with some exceptions. Worked with children all my life and this has always been the case. It's due to testosterone something girls don't have in the same quantity.

" Are boys encouraged to be active and play more energetically, whilst girls are discouraged from this? Is this all part of society expecting girls to be gentle and 'girly', whilst boys are expected to be rough and tumble?"

possibly subconsciously but certainly not overtly.

In dc's school if only one year group is in the playground that's 120 children running about. Sometimes more than one year group goes out together.

It has increased in size by taking an extra class every year for the last few and the playground is noticeably more chaotic/accident prone as the number of children increases, (of course), so more control has to be exercised to keep the children safe.

Some children's idea of playing is quite aggressive.

The screaming gets right on my tits very last nerve.
I work near a couple of schools, the sound of screaming at break and lunch time is intense.

I don't live near a school but I think the screaming would annoy me more than the parking

Running isn't allowed in DD's school playground, neither is playing on the equipment or ball games. The year she started, there was a big announcement, pictures in the paper and everything about the climbing equipment, bikes and scooters the school had bought, and how fabulous this would make playtimes.

She got to go on one of the scooters once, they've not been seen on the playground in three years. There's a large storage unit where they live, which has taken up a chunk of playground. The climbing equipment is very occasionally used in PE, it's fenced off from the rest of the playground.

Last year an enormous portacabin was installed on the playground, and a further section was fenced off to provide parking for the minibus. The school has doubled in the number of pupils on roll in four years, and the playground is about half the size it used to be, so I can see why running around is banned but it doesn't mean I think it's a good thing.

Sounds like a misunderstanding. Normally it's no running inside the school. I have had parents check things that their children have told them and often they've completely misunderstood, so check with the school first. Sometimes as an earlier poster said, ball games are sectioned off from other areas as little ones are easily hurt by 10/11 year olds engrossed in going for the ball. Maybe it's something like that.

Yes - I will check facts first and not go in heavy handed. I'm very supportive of the school and involved in a voluntary capacity at times so I know the head anyway. The school has three playgrounds so EY/KS1/KS2 are all in their own areas -we don't have 11 year olds and 5 year olds playing together. From my own observations of my own DS and other DC I know, generally (there are exceptions of course) boys and girls do have some differences in how they play - the boys ARE often very rough and tumble but girls less so. I just can't imagine my DS 'walking' around in the break time! Like most primary schools, almost 100% of our teachers are female so it is a 'female organised' environment at the school if that makes any difference. Artando's post about most kids 'walking 30 mins each way to school each day and going to the park for 2 hours afterwards' !!! I don't know what planet you are on Artando but the proportion of UK children who do that must be tiny - not a single family I know or have ever met that's for sure. National statistics are clear that vast majority of children are driven to school these days - many because parents are tying in with getting to /from work. Not saying its a good thing, but its how it is. And 2 hours in the park after school - what each day ?!

I live in Scotland and there's a primary school up here where the Head has a policy that, except in the worst weather, all the children run a mile, round and round the playground, before school starts.

Apparently none of the school's pupils are obese, and it has positive effects on their learning too.

They run a mile every school day, that is.

Ha - brilliant idea! Maybe I'll suggest that to our head then they'll all be too tired to run at break time anyway!

We live in a very build up area. There is a small playground but accidents are frequent, and largely result from lots of people charging about.

I still don't think they should ban running though. Just maybe train them to look and run.

They might have been told not to chase each other, which they've translated as no running. We sometimes have to react to instances of over- boisterous play by saying no play fighting or no chasing just to stop children from getting accidentally hurt. Some children don't realise that playing games where you are pushing,pulling or
catching people results in injuries so they get stopped for a while.At lunchtimes there is more supervision...they can go on the wooden climbing trail then, but not at morning break as there are just enough staff to supervise for 15 mins.
Or maybe the playground has become a bit uneven for running about on and needs some repair, so they've been told not to run so there are less tripping accidents?

Did you get to the bottom of this OP?

If anybody still interested... got to the bottom of this as saw head this week. There is no new 'policy' to stop them running around. It seems it just some teachers at lunchtime making some rowdy kids stop running around if they are being too boisterous (which obviously includes my DC!) . DS had misinterpreted it when he described it to me. Phew! Glad the school not gone bonkers! (Just me)