Children banned from doing handstands and cartwheels during school breaktime following a number of injuries

Parents have called the decision "silly"

A girl does a cartwheel (RelaxImages)

A primary school in Devon has banned children from doing handstands and cartwheels at breaktimes, over fears students will injure themselves.

The new rule stopping all “gymnastic activities” at Old Priory Junior Academy, Plympton, came into force a fortnight ago, after a number of children suffered minor wrist and back injuries and one parent contacted the school, BBC News reported.

However, other parents have criticised the decision, with mother Alison Russell calling it "ridiculous" and "silly".

Interim head teacher Emma Hermon-Wright told the broadcaster said that while children are supported by a teacher when learning gymnastics in PE lessons, the manoeuvres were “causing [...] a problem at school” after children fell an hurt themselves.

"[At break times] we've got a lot of children in one go and you can't be supporting every child for a backward roll, forward roll, cartwheel, handstand or whatever they're doing at play time," she said.

The ban comes after a primary school in Colchester introduced a new policy in which teachers inspect pupils’ lunchboxes and replace items deemed to be junk food. Banned items included Peperami sausages and scotch eggs.

Parents at the Cherry Tree Primary School in Colchester complained to the assistant head, arguing that the move is intrusive, The Telegraph reported. A meeting has since been arranged with the school’s governors.

A spokesman for Cherry Tree Primary School said most parents were supportive of the policy that “has been in place for some time."