Is this likely to be true?

[kimorama]

A broadcaster on Radio 4 said that most primary schools in Richmond London
had compulsory rugby for boys. Does this really apply to state schools?

Do the girls not play?

It's not true.

We have compulsory rugby ( and football, netball, hockey, cricket, tennis, swimming, athletics, dance, gym, athletics etc) for boys and girls .Surely most primary schools play a range of sports?

We play tag rugby rather than "full contact" plus all the above as I would expect in most schools (mixed)

Same here - tag rugby (mixed) is played by all the children, along with lots of different sports they all try.

DD2 played tag rugby in year 6 and local inter schools thing was very strickt that teams had to be mixed.

She is now playing some sort of part contact rugby at senior school.

Unsporty DD1 has never touched a rugby ball in her life and I can't see that changing.

All PE is compulsory at our primary - unless the child has an injury that means they cant take part.

This term it's been cricket, tennis and volleyball. Next term it's tag rugby, athletics and hockey.

I don't think there is any rugby at all at DD's school (in Richmond). There is netball, basketball, athletics, dance, gym and football, though.

We are in south east London. Our primary has PE twice a week butno sports.

Does anybody play full contact rugby with wrap-around leg tackling and scrummages in primary school?

I don't think you are supposed to, are you? Even in club rugby, the little ones are taught through tag rugby to learn techniques and skills.

Under nines can play mini rugby which involves tackles and scums etc

At our school i think they move to contact at year 5. Not sure about the scrums though.

www.rfu.com/thegame/~/media/files/2010/thegame/regulations/rfu%20regulation%2015%20appendix%201-b.ashx

Strict scrum rules - makes sense.

Where i grew up - in rugby obsessed nz, pretty much everyone played but the grading was done on weight rather than age - not sure whether that's still the case but it seems very sensible to me.

Yes in the juniors they all do a half term of a different sport with no choices: netball, football, hockey, rugby etc.... So I guess you could say it is compulsory.

Ps tag rugby, obv.