UNITED KINGDOM
Teachers told to let kids play
TEACHERS have been told to defy the
compensation culture by encouraging children to brave cuts and bruises
and get stuck into traditional playground games.
The Local Government Association has issued councils with a top 10 list
of break-time games they should support including British bulldog, tag,
stuck in the mud, hopscotch, skipping, hide and seek, French elastic and
marbles.
The advice - intended to tackle the obesity crisis - comes as thousands
of children across Greater Manchester start the new school year. And it
has won the backing of both councils and parents.
Gill Sharples, of Manchester town hall's play team, said children were
being stifled by health and safety fears in the playground. "I have
spoken to lunchtime supervisors about all the things that children
weren't allowed to do in the playground in case they fall over, from
running to playing ball," she said. "Schools often don't want children
playing in the grass because it will get the school muddy. In fact, it's
better for teachers if children have a good run-around to burn off
energy rather than stay cooped up in a small yard. The focus is on
adventure. We want to encourage children to negotiate the rules and do
their own risk assessments. Lots of children might break an arm or cut
their knee but the majority survive it."
Les Lawrence, chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People Board,
said: "Children benefit from physical activity and even some rough and
tumble. We do our youngsters no favours by wrapping them up in cotton
wool, which can prevent them from developing a whole range of skills
that they'll need in adult life.
Part of growing up
"It's time to take a stand against many aspects of the compensation
culture and accept there are going to be a few scratches and grazed
knees because that's part of growing up. While children used to play
regularly on their bikes or kick a ball, they're now more likely to
spend their free time in front of a TV or around a computer console.
That makes it even more important they do some running around during the
school day."
The association says children should be physically active for at least
an hour a day, in efforts to defy predictions that nearly 60 per cent of
the population will be overweight by 2050.
Parents in Manchester's Heaton Park said the government has finally
latched on to what they have been saying all along. Jean Dawson, 61,
from Atherton, said grandson Jack, six, was always running around. She
said: "He always gets cuts and bruises and he picks himself up. I
think schools have gone soft. They take the fun out of playtime because
they're afraid of the suing culture. Let kids climb trees and play
games. And mark out a hopscotch in every playground."
Chantal Spencer, 28, of Westhoughton, said: "Kids aren't kids unless
they're dirty from playing out. All these school rules are health and
safety gone mad. It's more important that children don't get obese."
Her daughter Kobi, eight, said: "I play tag and British Bulldog but I've
never heard of Oranges and Lemons. I've got some marbles but I don't
know how to play them properly."
Father-of-two Chris Bertenshaw, from Worsley, said: "All you see these
days is fat kids playing their computer games. "When I was younger I was
always on my bike and playing out. I'm not bothered about my kids
getting grazes. It's just the compensation culture that's made everyone
worry."
Grandad Terence Lucas, of Blackley, said: "The government seems to have
stopped the playing of sport since the 60s and 70s, on so-called health
and safety grounds. It was a bad move because it destroyed the spirit of
adventure and the competitive nature." His grandson Jacob, nine, said:
"I play tag, British Bulldog and football at school. We're not allowed
to play conkers or marbles because they said it might be dangerous.
That's not fair."
Fay Schlesinger
2 September 2008
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1064988_teachers_told_to_let_kids_play