No running in the playground

[NaughtyNigel]

Is it only me or does anyone else think this is rediculous?
The children can skip and play certain ball games (football/basketball) on certain days.
I feel the whole school day is so structured a bit of running around and screaming like banshees to let off steam would be a good thing at playtime.

Welcome Nigel and others. Let kids be kids.

Where did the no running rule come from? Before you go in mob handed, I would check your sources!

This is Nigels rule. My ds is not allowed to talk at lunch time or laugh during choir practice.

I did think it was just DD after being told off for being boistrous, which wouldn't have made sense anyway, but after a few conversations with other parents their DCs have said the same. Won't go in with knuckledusters on - will be reasonable.

Ahh, but does reason work with those in charge? I thought kids were naturally boistrous?

Our school is fab - every lunch half the kids play 'stuck in the mud', there is decent playground equipment which they can use, a huge field that they can go on if they've got trainers on and its not wet. Skipping ropes, cup and ball games, balls. I help once a week and I love seeing the kids coming in all rosy cheeked and breathless.

How do we sign up avenanap?

todays update.

I've talked to the behaviour support people at school (says it all really).
The children are allowed to run in designated areas. Not through the middle of basketball or football games. They said these areas aren't big enough as the children can't go on the grass if it's wet because of the mud(!).There are lots of choices of games and equipment the children can choose from.
I made my point i think. i questioned the structured element of playtimes and why they can't get muddy (although i can see other parents queueing up to moan about mud). They said there was an issue with boys being boistrous and crashing into each other. (they're boys - thats what boys do).
I also said there was lots of chuntering from parents about this too. Will be following it closely and having a word in the right places.

So girls just have to get knocked over because that's what boys do?

All these things only become 'issues' when there are complaints. Schools can't win!

With you on that 'wheresthehamster'. Mud being trailed into school is not just a cleaning issue for the school but for parents too; children have 'carpet time' and are likely to get muddy clothes. I appreciate that boys might like getting muddy but many girls do not. I don't think it is unreasonable to restrict use of grassed areas in wet weather as the grass gets worn away very quickly.
However, I do agree that blanket banning of running is madness.

Girls can get muddy too - I spent most of my lunchtimes at primary school up a tree (literally!)

There are ways and means - as I said further down the thread, at DS's school they all (girls and boys) have to have wellies and overtrousers in school, have to wear them for lunch break except in proper summer, and yes their wellies, overtrousers and coats are permanently muddy, but their uniform and the school aren't.

So its a bit of mud, not the end of the world!! Kids should be allowed to get muddy n messy thats what they do!! Did you never make mud pie, its great fun? And yes its a good idea to take wellys for winter and wet times so they can remove them before going into class, the children can then make the most of their playtime! Childhood is about learning whilst having fun, if we cant allow them to explore without being worried about a little mud, then there is clearly something wrong with the way things are going!! Children are being forced to grow up much too quickly. I remember having a food fight at my 16th birthday, great fun, cake n cream in my hair and all over the floor but it was all cleaned up following day..for goodness sake let them have fun, in my experience girls enjoy running around and can be boistrous too, so they might get knocked over, and have the odd graze now and again, thats part of childhood..my dd1 always coming home with bumped head slips.

What, at playtime? FGS! Utter utter nonsense.

If necessary segregate a section of the playground for quite, non-running, play, but let the rest be freeform.

My LOs' school is far too physically protective IMO. We used to play in the rain, snow, frost, etc. It had to be really bad before we had indoor break. And climbing frames were free-for-all, not one class at a time, on their allotted day only, in PE kit, under supervision. Pah!

Too frightened of claims i guess! But why should the children suffer? Schools make me so mad nowadays..like i said too many rules can be as bad as none at all. I'm with avenanap on this 1! Let the kids just be kids! They are curious little souls..the more curious the better this is how they learn..let them explore..let them be free at break times! They have enough structure in class and in my opinion are tested far too much..we never had that many tests and my education was fine.

I am not really disagreeing with you 'Bitcat' but just saying that some girls don't like boistrous or muddy play so their needs should be taken into account too. I think the situation described by 'stealthsquiggle' sounds ideal, but I know our school would struggle to find the space for storage of wellies etc - they have a very narrow corridor for coat pegs and dd can barely get her coat and pe bag on hers.

Ladies. You can sign up here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/43/503335?stamp=080328183816

Just remember that no one is forcing you. Your children might go to a school where they are as free as a bird and can get as mucky as possible. This is for the poor souls that are stopped from doing this and are losing their childhood to tests and stupid rules. Many thanks.

the needs of boys and girls are totally different (there are exceptions though). Boys at the age of around 7 have a testosterone surge which makes them want to run around and bash into each other. this is normal behaviour and acts as a release for their behaviour so they can focus in class. There is a secondary school that only has classes lasting half an hour, then the children run around and exercise, then get back to work. They have fantastic results and the children are all able to focus and concentrate. Girls don't behave like this though. Which is fine but the schools that we are discussing are not acommodating the needs of each child. In my experience the vast majority of children that disrupt lessons through poor behaviour are boys. If they were given more opportunities to run around and climb trees do you think that this will still apply?

Schools don't let children play on muddy fields because parents complain about the dirty clothes.

They don't let them play outside in the rain because parents complain about them getting wet (especially those who bring them in a car without a coat)

They don't let them run around because parents complain about bumped heads and grazed knees.

I know, becuase I work in a school office & have to field the complaints....

I just laugh when I collect ds from school after he has had PE and he's changed colour. It's nothing a washing machine and a bath can't fix. I don't think it's just about letting them run around, the discipline some children have at school is far too excessive. My ds gets kept in at lunchtime for talking whilst having his lunch, another mother has told me of a child that was told off for collecting a ball that had gone out of a designated area. With the rise in mental health problems in children this is not how things should be handled. We are raising a generation of children that will grow up to be anxious adults, frightned of putting a foot wrong. Children learn through trial and error, not over discipline.

(some)Parents also expect too much of their children, in the Victorian ages children were seen and not heard, times have moved on and so should attitudes.

Interesting, this! I thought the general consensus in the ocuntry was that today's children are undisciplined, running riot and generally out of control.Or are they "frigtened of putting a foot wrong?" Or just maybe are they somewhere between the two extremes?

I actually think it's a good idea to have areas in the playground where there is no football or charging about. Not all children like boisterous behaviour - and too many playgrounds are taken over by boys playing football, pushing non-footballing boys and girls to the margins.

Am I the onl one who thinks naughtynigel's school's got it about right?

We had no problems in my day, in the playground! I dont see why it needs changing, parents expect bumps and grazes, thats what kids do! Some parents are a little too OTT also, i mean as avenanap said bit of dirt aint nothing a bath and a washing machine cant sort out and i have 4 children to worry about, 3 at school and they all clean clothes to go to school in everyday. And a bath everynight! And shes also right in that some parents do expect too much from their kids. I think there is a lack of respect and disapline within the homes of some children, but i do think some schools going too far! Especially when we are talking about play times. Some children are out of control seeker but it seems to me that the children that are being punished are not usually the ones that need it.

My kids school has a code, which the children are encouraged to follow at all times! I agree with it basically just to be kind to each other, think about other peoples feelings, work hard in class etc.. They are also not allowed on the grass at playtime and ds1 always in trouble because he likes to go up on grass. There playground isn't all that big and they have lots of children out there..i dont ever remember not being allowed on the grass when i was at school.

If parents are that worried about grazes and bumps, then why dont we ban bikes, roller blades, skate boards, swings or anything else they can fall and get hurt on...i mean kids will have accidents..its part of life. Banning running around, whatever next?

stealthsquiggle - would love to know what school you speak of. I am Warks.

Well, our school playground is so much better now it's zoned. It means that the footballers don't have non-footballers getting in their way and the non footballers don't get trampled underfoot.

we have a lot of grass - the children are allowed to play there so long as it's not so wet that the grass would be trashed - and so long as they've changed old clothes and trainers. That way they can change back into their school uniform after playing. That way they don't track mud into the school, they don't have to sit all afternoon in wet clothes and they don't trash expensive school clothes and shoes.