An Essex school has sparked a furious backlash after a pupil was allegedly handed a detention for high-fiving his friend under strict new “no-contact” rules.
Philip Morant School and College in Colchester has told its roughly 1,900 pupils to avoid physical contact on the school site following concerns about increasingly physical behaviour.
The new rules extend beyond the classroom, with running, ball games and other physical behaviour prohibited on school fields during break times.
Football can still be played on the school’s astro pitch, while physical contact during lessons is permitted when directed by a teacher, including during PE and drama.
Pupils are also allowed to make physical contact when helping somebody who is injured or unwell.
Students who fail to follow the expectations can receive a “C3” sanction, which means a detention.
But the measures have prompted anger among some families after one mother claimed her son was punished simply for high-fiving a classmate.
She raged on social media: “My son goes to Philip Morant, he came home the other day and said I have detention for high five with his friend.
A pupil was allegedly handed a detention for high-fiving his friend under strict new ‘no-contact’ rules
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“Men meet with a hand shake and women generally hug, this is absolutely absurd and my son will not be going to the detention.”
Headteacher Stephanie Neill said the restrictions were introduced following problems with pupils becoming overly physical during the previous term.
She said: “Following an increase in overly physical behaviour last term that disrupted learning and raised safety concerns, we set a clear expectation of no physical contact to maintain a calm and welcoming environment.
“Students have responded brilliantly to this, resulting in a noticeable improvement in site safety and school atmosphere with very few reminders or sanctions needed.”
However, other parents have questioned whether banning everyday physical interactions goes too far.
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Philip Morant School and College in Colchester has told its roughly 1,900 pupils to avoid physical contact on the school site
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One fumed: “Children need to know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate contact. Linking arms, high fives and hugs are part of normal human behaviour, it sounds like Philip Morant have totally lost the plot.”
Families have also questioned how the restrictions will work for contact sports and pupils with hearing impairments.
Another mother said she had already moved her son to another school, claiming the rules risked making children “act like robots”.
She added: “Let kids be kids, rather than suck the personality out of them, literally want them to act like robots, since moving schools, my son is so much happier and teachers are so much more down to earth.”
Ms Neill acknowledged that pupils still wanted ways of greeting and interacting physically with their friends.
One mother said she had moved her son to another school, claiming the rules risked making children ‘act like robots’
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GETTYShe said: “But we do understand pupils want positive ways to greet and engage with their friends.
“We are currently working with our student leaders to define appropriate, consensual guidelines that reflect a focused learning environment and student wellbeing.”
The row follows controversy over discipline at Frome Community College in Somerset, where parents compared the school to a “military base” following a crackdown on pupil behaviour.
Interim principal Dan Jeffries suspended 25 pupils, with alleged infractions including zipping a bag “too loudly” and “staring out of a classroom window.”
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