Football, basketball and bulldog banned in playground.

[Spidermama]

I think this is ridiculous.

Does anyone else's school ban these things?

Aparently someone broke his wrist playing bulldog but kids break their wrists for all sorts of reasons don't they? It's part of childhood.

In my day bulldog involved catching and holding on to the people who are running across. These days it's just tagging them aparently.

Don't complain my dd's school have just banned playtime altogether. Apparently causes too many problems as a few kids are misbehaving (out of 300) and the heads had enough. The kids who want play time(ie all of them) have wrote to her but she win't budge. Anyone know if it's a right fif the kids to have playtime, googled but can't find anything.

How do the kids get rid of their excess energy. Kids concentrate better when they have had a run around outside. What do they do in their breaks? The actual teaching time is only about 4.5 hours of a 6 hour day (depends on school) so what do they do for the rest of the time?

You are kidding. Banning play time. I'd check it was true first with the teachers and if it was then I'd find out who you could complain to next above the head. That is completely out of order!

talulubell What on earth do the kids do instead of playtime? Do you mean there is no break in lessons?

So do the teachers not get a break either?

TaluluBelle and .

Where are you based? I would be contacting news organisations about this personally. Also Play UK (Or Play England) would be good to talk to. They've done research and are doing on going projects which recognise how vital free play is in the school enviroment.

If that's true it sure puts my ishoos into perspective.

Banning playtime I would imagine to be bordering on illegal and even if it's not then it is terrible for kids, especially the boys. How on earth are they supposed to sit and concentrate in class if they have had no chance to let off steam? Its shocking [shocked].

Yeah its true, I know from speaking to teachers that their horrified too..we're in York, its bloody ridiculous. Surely the answer is to work on the few kids that are causing problems rather than the rest who haven't. Thing I find shocking is the kids have had to write to the head begging to keep their playtimes!!!!

I thought it might be illegal but can't find any info online, gonna take your advice though spidermama and contact play england/UK & everyone else who will listen!!

some schools really lack the value of playtimes, it's so grim, yet lots of TAs have playwork knowledge.

\link{http://www.commonthreads.org.uk/index.html\common threads} advocate playwork training in schools, we seem to be fighting a losing battle at the moment with all the cuts unfortunately though

There must be some sort of legality involved surely?
As the school my DD goes to is mixed infants and juniors and I know that the infants have a longer lunch break and an extra play in the afternoon. I'm pretty sure this is because the infants have to have less learning time in the day. So it would follow that there must be some sort of guideline/law for all children. But then I don't know how that would work with some of the private schools where even infants have a school day of 8.30am til about 5.
What are they doing instead?

i would als contact the play development officer at your local council

\link{http://www.playinschools.org.uk/home.htm\common threads playtime project} may also be worth contacting them for advice in the first instance

British Bulldog was banned at my school - must be about 35 years ago! My daughter was in a game at her school a couple of years ago and had an accident, I was rather surprised it wasn't banned...

And I don't much like football before school in the mornings - I (used to) have to walk across the playground with my small children to get them to the door, and had to avoid any of us getting whacked on the head with a ball.