[güttsfükk]

Some schools fear nut allergies will be triggered by conker games, according to the survey

Teachers fear traditional playground games like British bulldog and conkers are disappearing from many of England's schools, a survey suggests.

More than a quarter (29%) of the 653 school staff surveyed by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said chasing game British bulldog had been banned from their school.

Some 14% said pupils were banned from playing conkers and 9% said leapfrog.

Most (57%) said they felt schools were becoming increasingly risk averse.

The research was published at the ATL teaching union's annual conference in Liverpool on Tuesday.

And overall 15% of teachers, lecturers, support staff and school leaders said that fewer playground games and sports activities were played at their school than three years ago.

'Broken bones'

The key reasons for the decline were fewer staff on hand to supervise activities, reduced funding and concerns over pupil safety.

One secondary school teacher said the game, bulldog, was banned at her school "because of the number of broken bones it generates!"

And a primary school teacher said: "Apparently the main problem with conkers is that nut allergy sufferers are increasingly allergic to them."

Teachers were also questioned about changes in attitude towards risk. Some 57% of staff said there was a growing trend towards risk aversion in schools.

And of the 383 staff who thought schools were more risk adverse, 90% said it constrained activities both in and out of school.

Some 84% think it limits the curriculum, while 83% believe risk aversion puts a brake on pupils' preparation for life.

A deputy head teacher at a primary school in Cleveland said: "All staff recognise the need to keep children safe, but not all recognise that children still need to take measured risks to develop real life skills."

A teacher at the Froebel Small School in East Sussex said it tried to help children learn to be safe.

"Children are allowed to explore their physical limits and learn to negotiate physical tasks at their own pace. Staff have clear guidelines and children have clear boundaries," the teacher added.

Another secondary school teacher, from Wales, said: "Pupils need to learn their own limitations, which they can't do if they don't encounter risk."

And there continues to be fears that school trips could end in teachers or schools being sued, should something go wrong.

'Mud and love'

The majority of staff think school trips and activities are very important, with 92% of those surveyed saying they enhanced learning and support the curriculum.

Some schools already have a relaxed attitude towards risk. A teacher at a primary school in England told how its children go on weekly nature walks and end up being taught how to make a campfire and cook on it.

"We also spend the day in the woods around a fire pretending to be Anglo-Saxons. Mud and love is our motto. I think we are unique!"

ATL general secretary, Mary Bousted, said: "Teachers, lecturers, support staff and school leaders all recognise that children need to be safe, however, without encountering risk it is difficult for them to learn their own limitations."

Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13117707

[candymosh]

what is bulldog and conkers?

leapfrog? really? fuck sake!!

[fredstones]

Where did all of these nut allergies come from? Growing up I didn't know one kid that had one. Now they have whole tables at school lunch for them.

[candymosh]

I knew a few people that had nut allergy when I was in elementary. Very few though.

I also remember running wild in the neighborhood, drinking water from the hose, and when it flooded....we were out playing in it.

I encourage my chits to get out and get dirty. I won't help with the pussification of their generation.

[güttsfükk]

From Wiki

British bulldogs (often the singular British bulldog, also Bulldog, Bulldogs, Bullies or Bullrush) is a tag-based game, of which Red Rover and Cocky Laura are descendants, played mainly in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other Commonwealth countries by children at school. It was originated in Great Britain. The game is also known to have been played, often on asphalt recess yards, by schoolchildren in Rhode Island in the 1960s, under the name "Cock-a-Rooster." The game is characterised by its physicality often being regarded as violent leading it to be banned from many schools, although this trend is now being reversed.

The play area is usually a large hall or large area of a playing field, though there are no definition of the size of the pitch nor the number of players as long as there is enough space for the players to manoeuvre and enough players to have fun.

Most commonly one or two players —though this number may be higher in large spaces— are selected to play the parts of the "bulldogs" (after whom the game is named). The bulldogs stand in the middle of the play area. All remaining players stand at one end of the area (home). The aim of the game is to run from one end of the field of play to the other, without being caught by the bulldogs. When a player is caught, they become a bulldog themselves. The winner is the last player or players 'free'.

Conkers is a game traditionally played mostly by children in Britain, Ireland and some former British colonies using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees – the name conker is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself. The game is played by two players, each with a conker threaded onto a piece of string: they take turns striking each other's conker until one breaks.

[candymosh]

Ahhhh.....Thanks Gutts. Never crossed my mind to google it.

[güttsfükk]

when i lived in hong kong we played british bulldog all the time and i have never known anyone to get hurt playing it other than a few cuts n grazes, the thing about it being violent is just bullshit unless it gets played differently frm how we used to play it

[Blewvane]

We were banned from playing British Bulldog in my first year of high school so we changed the name to Tackle Runno, or tackle run across. Then that game was banned and the school rules changed so we played mobile brandings. When that was banned because certain sooks couldn't hack being tagged we had to switch to playing hybrid rugby, they couldn't ban that even though it was just tackle runno with a ball.....but you didn't have to have the ball to become a target, sometimes we tried to play it without the ball. Goddamn fun police.

[ChockFullOfChock]

Administrators with nothing better to do. The devil finds 'em some fun to destroy!

[warsuron]

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