Boys in state-funded secondary schools are being compelled to play contact rugby as part of their curriculum, despite the increasing evidence around the long-term impact of head injury and concussion.
Research has established that contact rugby is compulsory in more than 75 per cent of state secondary schools for boys.
The study also revealed that:
- Contact rugby is delivered in 81 per cent of state-funded secondary school physical education curricula.
- Contact rugby is compulsory for 91 per cent of boys and 54 cent of girls when it is part of physical education.
The study, led by researchers at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Winchester, also found that 67 per cent of subject leaders believed contact rugby had the highest risk of harm in the physical education curriculum.
The findings come as evidence continues to grow around the harm head injuries and concussions can cause when sustained at a young age, with Dr Chris Nowinski of the Concussion Legacy Foundation previously telling NR Times it is “insane” to continue to expose children to head impact in sport.
The latest issue of NR Times also highlights the work of the Drake Foundation in assessing the damaging impact of these risks in grassroots participation. Research from the Foundation found that that 65 per cent of parents wanted to see tackling prohibited from Under-14 rugby and over half of parents shared concerns that rugby could have a long-term impact on their child’s brain health.
“We know that full contact rugby carries a high risk of injury, and particularly concussion, that has a potential for long-term health problems,” says Dr Adam J. White, senior lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and executive director at head injury charity, the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
“There are many non-contact versions of rugby that provide the same benefits for children but without the same harms.
“We encourage school leaders to take a hard look at whether they need contact sport in their PE curriculum and if they could justify the associated risks to parents when it goes wrong.”
Speaking last week on BBC’s HARDtalk programme, 2003 World Cup winner Steve Thompson MBE said: “Do I think it’s safe for kids to do tackle rugby? No, I don’t.”
Experts say that removing compulsory contact rugby from school sport will still allow Government targets on physical literacy and competitive sport to be met, but will protect children and ensure that they are not exposed to unnecessary risks.
Rugby can be played without tackling and other forms of contact and still provide the same benefits that help children achieve physical literacy standards, stay physically active, and improve mental wellbeing.
Professor Allyson Pollock, Clinical Professor of Public Health at Newcastle University, said: “School leaders need to put the welfare of children first in physical education.
“They know that contact rugby has the highest risk of harm, and the benefits can be delivered without the risks of injury and concussion in non-contact games.
“They need to act now in the best interests of children health and well-being.”
The study was based on data obtained from 288 state-funded secondary schools, with 293,414 pupils equating to nine per cent of state-funded secondary school pupils in England.
Schools surveyed were drawn from Cheshire, Cornwall, Dorset, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Merseyside, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Staffordshire and Suffolk.
