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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

cartwheels and handstands banned

64 replies

oldandgreynow · 03/06/2010 23:31

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?

OP posts:

edam · 04/06/2010 12:00

Butterbur - that's still wrong. It's giving girls a very negative message about their bodies. The whole point of knickers is to cover your bum, you don't need anything else as well!

2blessed2bstressed · 04/06/2010 12:00

I sometimes wonder how we survived at all when I think about how cavalier previous generations have been regarding childrens safety. Why don't we just wrap the entire country in bubble wrap and be done with it? All these restrictions and bannings are just ridiculous!

southeastastra · 04/06/2010 12:01

all the restrictions are going! (hopefully unless new government cut that initiative)

ZZZenAgain · 04/06/2010 12:06

since other schools do it, why not ask whether part of the play area (you say it is big) can be reserved for this kind of thing? Surely the school also sees the value in girls being physically active in the breaks rather than hanging about in little clusters chatting?

worldgonemad72 · 04/06/2010 18:32

My name is very apt here i think...

TottWriter · 04/06/2010 18:42

I'd check the accuracy of your DD's statement, but if it's true, I think her school is being more than a little excessive, and inconsistent to boot.

Perhaps you should get in touch with the PTA and/or governors and try and get them to knock some sense into whoever has gotten so carried away.

SE13Mummy · 04/06/2010 18:54

This reminds me of an accident form I had to complete after a 9-year-old smashed his tooth on the bottom of a swimming pool (we had private, lifeguarded use whilst on school journey). He'd smashed his tooth because he forgot to put his hands down whilst attempting his handstand.

In the 'what will you do in future risk assessments to prevent a similar accident'I put, "I will remind children to use their hands when doing handstands".

I was given a severe telling off by the LA for not taking it seriously. Apparently I should have written, "I will ban handstands". I didn't amend it.

Snobear4000 · 04/06/2010 19:52

I had to fill out and sign three separate incident reports when DS had a mildly bleeding nose as a result of him picking it himself, whilst undertaking a gymnastics class.

DS's nursery school had to do a risk assessment before allowing him back with a cast on a broken arm.

DS's swimming pool would not allow him to use snorkeling gear in the teaching pool because as he was face down, the attendants would not be able to ascertain if he had or had not recently drowned.

...goes and has another diazepam....

Original poster

oldandgreynow · 06/06/2010 13:30

thanks for your eplies ,I have been away for the weekend so only just picked them up.

Yes,I will suggest that there is a designated gymnastic area and the children are told to make sure they have a clear area.It is always better to come up with a solution rather than just moan!!

OP posts:

comeonpick1 · 11/06/2010 00:37

my daughter told me today that handstands and cartwheels were banned at school. i went straight to the school and questioned a teacher as to the reasoning and truth behind the ban.....apparently, it's because the children do handstands on concrete and hard dry smooth oval areas causing a risk of injury to themselves. they do it against walls and fences which they can get tangled in and risk injury. they do it in a mass group and come down on each others heads and risk injury. they haven't been educated on the correct way to do them hence they lock their elbows in and risk a break. if they get injured doing a handstand or cartwheel it is the supervising teachers responsibility to administer first aid when she/he should be supervising a 100 or more children, etc......i say, so what! let them take a knock in the head - they'll learn to not stand so close next time. let them take a break to their fragile bodies, it's all part of growing up. preventing them from doing fun enjoyable outdoor activities is, in my opinion, contributing to "CHILDHOOD OBESITY". Get over it, let children be children

pammy31 · 15/06/2011 23:29

our school has just banned it and i am so upset as my kids are upset about it. it is such a great pastime at school and this is such a shame but what can i do about it? has anyone got anywhere with reversing their schools decision? i think everyone on here has the same view so surely people power could make the teachers see sense. the chances of my child getting a serious injury whilst doing them is so very very slight and i hate the thought that they have had that "risk" taken away from them.

sausagesandmarmelade · 16/06/2011 07:47

It's ridiculous....

Have a word with the school about that ...get a petition going

Animation · 16/06/2011 07:49

Bloody stupid!

emptyshell · 16/06/2011 08:03

I've stopped it before during a breaktime - so shoot me now and jump to conclusions.

I've stopped it when the timetable's meant that the infants and juniors have had to be out together (at a time football's also stopped), and when the field's out of use because it's wet. I don't care how much a part of childhood it is - with the way they tend to collapse out of handstands - I wasn't having them doing it and landing on their head on concrete.

On the field - flash yer pants as much as you want to ladies - but shoot me for stopping them repeatedly landing on their head and neck on concrete (which is what happens when the less gymnastic girls tend to join in and don't exit handstands gracefully).

emsies · 16/06/2011 08:19

I managed to break my wrist as a child doing cartwheels. wouldn't like it banned though!

janetsplanet · 16/06/2011 08:59

my sister broke her elbow at school about 20yrs ago doing gymnastics (twice)
my youngest has to wear shorts under her dress or they arnt allowed to do handstands. but heres the best yet.

cookery classes at senior school - the kids arnt allowed to turn the ovens on. they are not allowed to open the oven to check the food, or to put the food in or lift it out. they may get burnt.
my son made a chicken curry - chicken cooked at home, curry powder mixed with water
DD1 made a fruit crumble - fruit to be cooked at home.

so what are these kids doing for 2 hours whilst the teacher sorts the ovens out for them etc. we had to cook everything from scratch and I burnt my hands almost weekly

Animation · 16/06/2011 09:20

When I was a kid I used to compulsively cartwheel - I couldn't stop myself... in the playground, or on the pavement...everywhere.

I was a freak la chic kind of kid.

Pagwatch · 16/06/2011 09:26

It is ridiculous but I know who is partly responsible...

DD was at gym club at school. Not a lesson but a very well run holiday club. As she was getting off the trampoline she fell and broke her wrist. I cannot tell you how many people asked if I was going to sue - a couple were very determined about it and attempted to criticise my reply that I would do no such thing.

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 16/06/2011 09:29

We used to put our cardigans or coats on the floor against the wall to save our heads against hand and head stand errors. You all had to go up together to see who could last longest!

Never quite perfected the carefree cartwheel ....

I would swing constantly over bars though.

Bit sad teachers can't bring a coffee out at playtime. I used to love the Mellow Birds smell and the relaxed demeanour of the teacher. Surely they just get one of those thermal mugs with a cap, no?

emptyshell · 16/06/2011 09:34

We had "tea buckets" - you weren't even allowed to take a cup of tea to your classroom before school without balancing it in a washing up bowl in case of spillages.

Yeah - making it into the hot cuppa egg and spoon race grown up edition really helped - especially when our staffroom kettle had to be begged, cajoled and persuaded into anything near hot water.

Lancelottie · 16/06/2011 09:36

Actually, as the owner of the least athletic girl ever, does anyone have any tips on how to help a solid and timid 8-yr-old start learning to do handstands and cartwheels?

(My kids always seem to need instruction on 'how to be a child' -- the difference is that this one has worked out that she's not very like the others, and would like to fit in more.)

Binfullofmaggotsonthe45 · 16/06/2011 09:43

I was a tea/coffee monitor with my best friend in primary! Our job was to lay out the cups and spoon in the coffee and sugar/ Lemon Lift for the deputy head etc...fill the milk jug and then fill and boil the kettle in the staff room before the school bell went off!

We wore it like a badge of pride i tell you..the other girls we soooo jealous. We were 9 i think!

janetsplanet · 16/06/2011 09:45

Lance, both my girls have dyspraxia so are pretty useless at handstands etc, but they attend a SN gym club. DD1 needed to practice for a routine and DD2 just kinda followed, even tho she isnt doin the routine. DD2 now begs to be allowed to go on the grass to do her handstands

Animation · 16/06/2011 09:45

Oooh Mellow Birds. Those were the days!

cloudpuff · 16/06/2011 09:49

my dd(6) came home this week with a scraped face and half a field in her hair from where she fell out of a cartwheel. She's always hurting herself trying to do "The Crab" too. Its part of being a child.

Lancelottie, are you the athletic sort yourself, could you take her out to a park or field or something and have everyone do cartwheels. My cartwheeling days are over and I almost broke the tv when I last tried.

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