A HEADMASTER has bought his pupils safety goggles in a bid to stop a council banning games of conkers.
The defiant teacher vowed to find a way to keep up the traditional playground pastime after concerns were raised about safety.
Shaun Halfpenny, head of Cummersdale Primary School, in Cumbria, feared the game would be axed after he read a council memo warning schools about dangerous breaktime activities.
It had been thought youngsters could suffer eye injuries if struck by flying pieces of horse chestnut.
Pupils are now queuing up try out the two sets of safety glasses, more commonly used in science lessons.
Custom
"The children asked to play conkers in school and I thought it would be really mean said no," Mr Halfpenny told the Carlisle News & Star.
"This is a rural custom that should not die. You can't wrap children up in cotton wool all the time, you have to let kids be kids."
He said he took action after children found a crop of conkers on a school outing.
Cumbria County Council and the Department of Education said individual schools should decide if they believe it is safe for kids to play the game.
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It amazes me how if you are over 25 you ever made it through school and weren't maimed or killed in the playground my kids weren't allowed to play out in the yard last year when it snowed just in case one of the kids slipped!This sueing culture has to stop now its getting out of hand what next ban football at breaks just in case someone gets hit by the ball???
Good on that headteacher
One of the most important parts of a child's education must surely be to learn how to live and to play safely. That can not happen if everything with even the slightest potential for an accident is taken away from them.
In my children's primary school they are not allowed lollipops because there had been one tragic accident a few years ago; they can't play out if there is even the slightest bit of slush after snow; or puddles in the yard as parents have in the past been in to complain about dirty socks! They can't play marbles, play with the skipping ropes, the football is only out on a Friday and each class is on a rota.
Back to the conker issue though, conker tornaments between children have a structure to them which is carefully managed by the children themselves; they are putting into practice skills which are needed by adults.
The hunt for the best conkers is a natural part of human developement. The timing of the expedition is of prime importance; too early and the conker is not ready for harvesting; too late and the opposition has beaten you to it. Shoule one collect the fallen conkers from the ground, throw up sticks to knock them off the trees, or climb up with the team work of your mates and fellow hunters for the prize at the top? It's all stratagy.
The preparation of the conker is an art form in itself. Soak in vinegar, bake, varnish? String? Bootlace? Wrap the excess around your finger? the palm of your hand?
I never got any flying conker shell in my eyes. No, it was the bruised knuckles. But when big Jonny Bates was your opponant, then you knew to wear your gloves for a bit more protection.
These are basic life skills, and we didn't need to take Citizenship to learn them. If the children today can't play these games, how will they cope if we go to war, God forbid?