Say goodbye to traditional playground games

A survey carried out by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers education union (ATL) found that 29 per cent of the 653 school staff members they asked said that the game British Bulldog - where kids run up and down the yard avoiding being tagged by the person selected as the ‘bulldog’ - has been banned from their school.

Reasons given for the disappearance of such traditional games were staff numbers for supervision of the activities, concerns over kids’ safety and reduced funding.

"the main problem with conkers is that nut allergy sufferers are increasingly allergic to them."

One teacher said the game, bulldog, was banned at her school "because of the number of broken bones it generates" and another claimed "the main problem with conkers is that nut allergy sufferers are increasingly allergic to them."

57 per cent of staff questioned said there was a growing trend towards risk aversion in schools. 83 per cent reckoned that this over cautious behaviour puts a brake on school children’s preparation for life.

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

There is also a fear that school trips could end in teachers or schools being sued, should something go wrong.

Many of the members of staff think school trips and activities are very important, with 92 per cent of those surveyed saying they enhanced learning and support the curriculum.