British Bulldog, tag game banned in Melbourne high school
A Melbourne school has doubled down on banning traditional tag games British Bulldog and Scarecrow in a delicate balance between getting kids moving and keeping them safe.
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A school has doubled down on banning traditional tag game British Bulldog in a delicate balance between getting kids moving and keeping them safe.
Northcote High School also has cracked down on tagging game Scarecrow.
School principal Sue Harrap told families “direct physical impact games such as British Bulldogs or Scarecrow where the aim of the game is to tackle someone (usually head on) are prohibited”.
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The school told families in its end of term newsletter that in the final weeks of term there had been some instances where students “have not been looking after themselves or others in the yard and on the park”.
Ms Harrap told the Herald Sun that the game had been prohibited at the northern suburbs school for a “long time”.
“We regularly remind our students of the school’s expectations to behave in a manner that respects the safety and wellbeing of their peers, while also encouraging physical activity,” she said.
A Northcote High parent, who did not want to be named, said while she was not aware of the ban before last week’s newsletter she supported it.
“I know people might say students are being given mixed messages to get off their phones and get moving, but some of those kids are big and I would not want them barrelling into younger, smaller students,” she said.
“I played it when I was growing up but that doesn’t mean I think it is acceptable today when parents are far more vexatious.”
In 2013 an eight-year-old British schoolgirl died from a liver injury when a boy playing British Bulldog ran into her to avoid a collision with another child.
The victim, who was not involved in the game, fell on a wooden railway sleeper in the playground, dying three hours later.
Kidsafe Victoria said the school was best placed to make an assessment and judgment on the safety of its students.
It said while injuries caused by falls from swings and monkey bars may be specifically documented in official statistics, sometimes injuries from falls or collisions in the schoolyard might not refer to the circumstances.
In the newsletter to parents, Northcote High asked for “support from families in reinforcing these points”.
“Teachers are on yard duty for the safety of all students. They are doing their job by making sure all students are safe. Any request from a teacher in the yard must be treated the same way as it would in the classroom.” it said.
“If a student sees something potentially dangerous happening they should inform the teacher on duty immediately.
“In some situations students may feel as though the game or behaviour in the yard is “OK” but it is the teacher’s responsibility to determine if the behaviour is appropriate, just as they do in a classroom. It is important that students respect their decisions.”
The Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, at Monash University, found that in the 2016/17 year there were 14,372 children admitted to Victorian hospitals and at least 96,417 presented to Victorian emergency departments for unintentional injury in the newborn to 14 year old age bracket.
Of those injuries, schools and public buildings accounted for 13 per cent of hospital admissions and 14 per cent of emergency department admissions.
However, injuries at home accounted for 25 per cent of hospital admissions and 48 per cent of emergency department presentations. Sport and athletics accounted for 9 per cent of admissions and emergency department presentations.
Upper limb fractures were the most common injury while falls were the most common reason for admissions.
For adolescents aged 15 to 24, school was not a major setting for injuries.
A Department of Education spokesman said school “can develop their own policy on the suitability of schoolyard games, consistent with their duty of care for the safety of students on school grounds”.
SCARECROW TAG
A player is nominated as the tagger. Although in big groups there may be more than one tagger.
The players run around the designated play area. When tagged by the tagger they must freeze standing with arms and legs wide like a scarecrow.
They can get a second life if a free player crawls through their legs. A player crawling under a player’s legs cannot be tagged and is deemed as “safe”.
The game continues until the time is called or a new tagger is chosen.
BRITISH BULLDOG
The bulldog stands in the middle of the designated play area. All players stand at one end of the area. The aim of the game is to run from one end of the field to the other without being caught by the bulldog. When a player is caught they become the bulldog.