School bans tag

Playground game too rough, head tells shocked parents

CHILDREN have been stopped from playing tag at a primary school after the head teacher claimed it was too rough.

Joanne Smith told stunned parents she was enforcing a ‘gentle hands’ policy because youngsters had been getting upset during traditional games like ‘it’ and British Bulldog.

Pupils are now being encouraged to hold hands or clap with each other instead. But parents at Rudyard Kipling Primary School in Brighton have ridiculed the bizarre new rules.

In a letter Mrs Smith said that games such as ‘it’ and ‘team it’ had ‘escalated’ before half term. But she insisted the new rule doesn’t mean pupils cannot touch each other.

‘Children are of course allowed to hold hands or play clapping games with a friend should they wish to,’ she wrote. ‘“Gentle hands” simply means playing games that do not need to be physical.

‘This will ensure the playground is a happy, safe and calm place where everyone can enjoy their lunchtime running around and getting the exercise we know is important to them.’

Now Mrs Smith has been branded ‘Britain’s biggest snowflake’ over the new rules. One mother, who has a ten-yearold boy at the school, said: ‘The school have got it completely backwards. Sometimes, I don’t even know what planet Brighton is on. Why on earth would anyone think tag is a bad thing?

‘I’m going to teach my son about another game instead, that’ll really scare the snowflake head teacher – kiss chase.’

Another mother wrote: ‘ Rudyard Kipling would be turning in his grave knowing that Britain’s biggest snowflake is running his school. Can’t play conkers, can’t play tag... no wonder children are turning to crime – there’s nothing else for them to do.’

A third parent added: ‘Children need opportunities to get upset with each other and work it out.

‘These are essential life skills for individuals, societies, businesses and governments. Imagine living in a world where we can protect people from getting upset about the little things so they’re unprepared to cope with the big things. Getting upset is a normal part of being human. If a person doesn’t learn to deal with it as a child, they’ll become an unstable adult.’

Miriam Binder, who lives nearby, said: ‘Classrooms are calm places. Playgrounds are where children go to run off steam.

‘A playground is anything but calm and shouldn’t be. If there are children who cannot, for a variety of reasons, deal with the “madness” that a normal, well-functioning playground is, then give them an alternative playground to go to.’

The school said the ‘gentle hands’ rule had ‘the full support of our staff and our Parents Teachers and Friends Association’ and was introduced after ‘incidents involving rough play and play fighting that were causing children to get upset’.

The school, which describes itself as ‘fully inclusive’, was rated ‘ good’ at its latest Ofsted inspection.

It hit the headlines in April after announcing plans for new gender-neutral toilets. The scheme was abandoned after opposition from parents.

‘Hold hands or play clapping games’