Posted By Penfold
My kids primary school has just banned the kids from doing handstands for health & safety reasons??? Apparently they could break their necks.

I remenber when I was in infant school in the 70's, most of the girls spent most of playtime on their hands. I'm not sure if anyone died doing this.

Does anyone here agree with this ban?

Posted By MP Grayson
Just tried it.

Did me back in.

Cant move my neck.

Came over all funny with a hot flush.

Scuffed off the only two hairs left on me baldy patch.

Lost all me loose change.

Put me foot through the wall dry lining.

Squished the dog.

Knocked the telly over.

Made the current Mrs Grayson laugh.

Yep. Its unsafe. Ban it.

Crack on.

Posted By MP
We really are all doomed aren't we?

Posted By Adam Worth
My favortite hobby = headstands. This used to be in dangersous locations! Now I just go for locations as I'm approiaching 30 and feeling old :)
When I get time I will make photos available on a blog.

You could argue that handstands teach risk management and balance?

Is running in the play ground going to banned soon too? it would be much safer if we all walked or better still just drove around in big 4x4s? hmmm but then we'd all join the fat brigade and increase the NHS bill?

What happened to good old risk assessment?

How many kids have broken their necks doing this? I'm sure some simple safeguards are all that is required? Soft mats, teacher who appreciates the hazards? Exercises that build up to the more advanced stuff?

Posted By w.j. jones
Is not the best way to teach children at a young age what risk is all about?...sometime's the best way to learn is to fail [riding a bike comes to mind] and what is the actual likelihood that these children would break their necks by doing a simple handstand?. If they are taught properly in the first place, there is absoultely no reason why children cannot be doing these things....or do we foresee a future where Gymnastics is banned from the Olympic games because it is deemed to be unsafe [not much hope then for archery, shooting, javelin or shot putt to name a few]

I can understand the safety concerns for teachers etc, but cases like this tend to wind me up a little bit, because I firmly believe that children are mollycoddled too much these days and they need to be allowed to be children...exposing them to some controlled risk is surely better than not exposing them to any risk at all, and this particular case smacks of over protection to me

Posted By Eddie
I,m not sure if volentia non fit injuria could be applicable with primary school age children!

Posted By med
I know i injured myself a few times at school trying to do handstands and other acrobatic feats (broken arm falling off a wall etc.)
The major difference then was nobody tried to sue anyone over it, it seems a lot of parents these days are only too happy to blame others.

med

Posted By I. M. Twining
Med has the right of it me thinks. People are all too ready to sue for what is in effect part of everyday life.

Given the high profile cases and the "where there blame theres a claim" brigade of accident chasers we are becoming a nation of mollycoddled wimps.

If Nelson, Wellington et-al had been brought up in this day and age they would never have had their exploits and we would not have the rich history we have as a country.

Awareness of risk and the consequences of your own actions should surely be a part of our kids educations. Nobody wants kids hurt but neither do we want a nation afraid of its own shadow.

Posted By Jeffrey Watt
Folks

Musn't grumble but working in the public sector really grinds a safety bod down.

Handstands, trampolines, slides, rope bridges, bouncy castles, pavements that are out by a micron all add up to your council tax walking out the door into solicitors pockets.

Is it H&S in the strictest sense? Answer, no.

Is it loss control and insurance driven? Most definitely, yes.

Is overt protectionism good for kids in general? No. Studies by Playboard have found that children are now exhibiting mental health problems mostly related to "stranger danger" fears as the adults they interact with load them with anxiety about the outside world.

When me and my mates got bored in the summer we would brew napalm, help gather in bales for farmers, start up car wash businesses and then do some other things after lunch.

If any stranger came near us we could feed his horse, wash his car and then incinerate the lot if he looked sideways at us.

And to think we were the sensible ones.

Philip Larkin saw the heart of the problem a long time before any of us http://www.artofeurope.com/larkin/lar2.htm

Kind regards

Jeff

Posted By boffa 27
The sooner handstands are banned in all schools across the country the safer our children will be. Skipping ropes, footballs, rugby balls should all be excluded from the playgrounds of Britain to safeguard our future generations. By the way, I manage a large Cotton Wool factory which produces specially made suits for children of all ages. If anyone wants a brochure please get in touch.

Posted By Eliza Flutterby
Maybe not the Local Authority, Gerry. Perhaps EPA? :-)

PS - as a kid, I handstanded and cartwheeled all over the place. (We even had a neighbourhood olympics - just don't ask about the Glasgow version of the javelin lol) Only time I injured myself badly was while rollerskating, bumped into a kerb and received a broken nose, two black eyes, a massive big bump on my forehead and a gash on my leg.... I even survived my mum pressing a penny onto the bump (!). And I was back out rollerskating the next day. But I steered clear of kerbs!!!

Posted By Glen Coe
Is the issue not that kids are significantly heavier these days, and therefore, injury is more probable :0)!

I would not like to see the devistation created by an inverted Billy Bunter out of control....