Staff at Adlington Primary School, near Macclesfield, handed out protective glasses in case bits of smashed conkers hit children in the eyes.
Headteacher Polly Broadhurst said: "I suppose it does really show that health and safety has gone over the top."
Fun
Children at the 87-pupil school were invited to bring conkers into school for a special contest. Ms Broadhurst said: "We are quite an academic school and were determined the kids should have some fun - and be safe. Conkers are generally frowned on now because a child somewhere in the country, at some point, has been hurt playing a game. So we decided it was a case of better safe than sorry." And children who took part in the game said they were happy to wear the protective goggles.
Calum Kendal, 10, said: "It was only my second time playing conkers and it was fun. I think the goggles made it safer because they can fly off the string and it could get you in the eye."
And Jake Gilfillan, 11, said: "It was great. The goggles made it safe and I'll wear them again next time I play."
Playing conkers at school has been at the centre of controversy before after some schools banned them on health and safety grounds.
But the M.E.N. has discovered that there are NO rules over playing conkers in schools.
Myth
And the Health and Safety Executive says it says it has even produced a poster to try to end the `myth'. The agency said: "This is one of the oldest chestnuts around, a truly classic myth. A well-meaning head teacher decided children should wear safety goggles to play conkers. Subsequently some schools appear to have banned conkers on `health and safety' grounds or made children wear goggles, or even padded gloves!
"Realistically the risk from playing conkers is incredibly low and just not worth bothering about. If kids deliberately hit each other over the head with conkers, that's a discipline issue, not health and safety."
And Keith Flett, of the Campaign for Real Conkers, said:
"There is a very small chance that a piece of conker might fly into your eye but you could get a piece of grit in your eye walking down the street - and you wouldn't wear goggles for that.
"It's been a good year for conkers this autumn but I have seen a lot of them lying around uncollected and this health and safety obsession may be part of the reason."
Cheshire East council said it did not have a policy on conkers. A spokesman said: "We are keen for children to look back on their schooldays with fondness and the games they play at break times will form happy memories. While the safety of schoolchildren is our first priority, it is a matter for individual schools to decide on their policy over conkers."
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Not so much Health and Safety to protect the children, more a policy to protect the schools from some parents seeing pound signs, aided and abetted by lawers on the make, from what would have been shugged off as, 'Just one of those things,' a few years ago.
I wouldn't make pupils wear safety goggles playing conkers in school!
Children are to be prevented from playing conkers to protect them. The government intends to have the most horrific sex education compulsory for all children from the age of four. Will they issue goggles to protect children against this political indoctrination?
Horatio is right in my opinion. Nobody really cares about the kids - the main worry is the compensation payout should the slightest incident occur. Britain has gone to the dogs.
"Will they issue goggles to protect children against this political indoctrination"
..probably! And they'll be rose-tinted after the next general election :)
"The government intends to have the most horrific sex education compulsory for all children from the age of four. Will they issue goggles to protect children against this political indoctrination?"
Educating people is different from indoctrinating them. I suggest your post was more about wanting to indoctrinate people with your own insecurities and sexual adequacy or otherwise than anything else.
After all, someone who suggests that sex is "most horrific" might be someone who wants to force their distorted views on others and thus indoctrinate them!
This seems like a lot of fuss about very little.
So the school hands out these things. So what?
"PATHETIC " what next all children to wear slip on shoes , just in case they trip over there laces , from the size of the goggles in the picture watch they do not fall of and break there toes ,
BETTY SWOLLOCKS CLIMBING TREES WITHOUT A HARNESS , AGED 45 ????FOR CONKERS
Can anyone in Health And Safety quangos provide me with the number of recorded incidents involing conkers and children. IF not why not?
I'm just glad that I was a kid when I was. Those were the days when we had the freedom to explore and experience life without being wrapped in cotton wool and pampered. No wonder so many kids nowdays grow up the way they do.
read the article, not just the headline, the HSE said there are no rules to justify this..........Don't just jump in with usual ranting nonsense, read the story !
http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/september.htm
Not THE Keith Flett ?
tiggerluc: "Can anyone in Health And Safety quangos provide me with the number of recorded incidents involing conkers and children. IF not why not?"
I suspect they don't record them because it would be excessively burdensome and a waste of money to try to collate every incident involving a conker. As the comment from the HSE says:
"Realistically the risk from playing conkers is incredibly low and just not worth bothering about. If kids deliberately hit each other over the head with conkers, that's a discipline issue, not health and safety."
Conkers can be dangerous. Back in the early eighties I once watched a highly contested conker match where one of the participants lost an arm. I have also witnessed crowd trouble flare up over accusations of woodseal being used.
However, this sport is nowhere near as dangerous as tiddlywinks.
The Man, Sat on a chair
I did once suffer a conker injury when I burnt my hands getting the conkers out of the oven where I had put them to harden them.
Nowt to do with protecting children.
An over reaction by teachers who consigned common sense to the rubbish bin years ago.
This is a rehash of a story ran in the Daily Mail last year to which the HSE responded to clarify the matter, that they have no concerns regard children wearing protective clothing whilst playing games.
Shame the editor hasn’t bothered to run the story concerning the 50% reduction in construction related fatalities that have been achieved this year!!
Why not ask the wife and kids of the next employee to die at work about the overzealous implementation of safety rules!!!!
I like the HSE comment..
"This is one of the oldest chestnuts around..."
Horatio,spot on! It's all about the afternoon TV ads,y'know,where there is blame,there's a claim.Can't really blame the school,what they should do is to get the parents to sign a disclaimer to absolve the school of any liability. Obviously there are some things they are liable for such as accidents in science lessons,blackboards falling on children,etc but conkers,sliding in the playground,sports injuries are just things that happen.Nobody hurts anyone on purpose and that is where the line should be drawn--on purpose,preventable bullying for example!One of the problems is that schools and councils can't be bothered to fight claims,it is not their own money,after all. Makes me wonder how I survived all these years!
In my opinion, the school needs its "Head" examining..... by the way, are there any actual examples of lawyers on a no win no fee taking schools to court for allowing conkers and actually winning? Somehow I doubt it...
Dave
Has the 50% figure for construction injuries been adjusted to account for the fall in construction work?
god what are they going to think of next.. full body protection when playing in school grounds at break time
dave...
nobody has died as a result of playing conkers, ever.
Really safety glasses why not welders mask and gloves. I feel the health and safety board are missing a trick here. Surely the people or children watching should be issued with safety gear as well. As every good conker smacker knows there a greater chance of flying debris. While were at it how come the school did not issue a written consent form for parents and pupils who might be involve in this destructive type of game. Not forgetting the issue of yellow bibs for the players.