Outcry over school ban on British Bulldogs

IT HAS been a popular playground game for generations, but children in one Scottish school have been banned from playing British Bulldogs on "health and safety grounds".

Pupils at Firrhill High School in Edinburgh have been told not to play the game, along with other "physical" pastimes, such as wrestling. The game, which involves kids running across a field and trying to break through a human chain formed by the other team, has had a revival in recent years, as schoolchildren have been encouraged to be more physically active.

But a series of minor injuries caused by playing the game at Firrhill has led to the acting senior depute, Nick McClellan, banning it during school hours.

Last night, there were calls for the school to lift the ban. Green city councillor Alison Johnstone said: "This is a game that I played when I was at school, and the fact it's still going strong shows it does have a real appeal.

"Clearly we have to take health and safety considerations into account, but we have to be a lot more imaginative and can't simply ban anything that has a bit of risk attached to it, as that's part of growing up."

A note in the daily bulletin message on the school's website told pupils that "physical games, such as wrestling or British Bulldogs", were no longer acceptable.