Headmaster: Dr Tim Cook defended the ban but said it would be reviewed in the future

Children have been banned from running in the playground by a primary school, in an intervention labelled 'ridiculous' by parents.

Teachers at Hillfort Primary School in Liskeard, Cornwall, brought in the ban after children kept on 'ending up in first aid' - and instead put on activities such as sand play, a choir and Lego.

But parents have condemned the school for using health and safety as an excuse to 'remove the liberty to spontaneously run in the playground'.

Parent Caroline Wills, who has a six-year-old daughter in Year Two, told MailOnline today: 'Kids will be kids. How far is the school going to take this?

'In this day and age kids are stopped from being kids in so many ways. They have got to be allowed to be children.'

But Lee Jackson, who has an eight-year-old son in Year Four at the school, said: 'My son is always falling over and banging his head and hurting himself.

'Having one area for quiet play is a good idea, then they've got the choice.'

Children have been dancing to the YMCA instead and the school reported a '30 per cent drop in first aid incidents and an 80 per cent drop in behavioural incidents'.

A petition, which has more than 150 signatures, was started by Leah Browning, 32, whose son Jago attends the school.

Viewpoints; Parent Caroline Wills (left), who has a six-year-old daughter in Year Two at the school, said 'kids are stopped from being kids in so many ways', while Lee Jackson (right) said his eight-year-old son is 'always falling over and banging his head and hurting himself'

She said she was delighted with the support she had from other parents and members of the local community.

She told MailOnline: 'I started the petition because I want my son and others to be able to run during imaginative play in the playground.

'It's a big thing for a child of five to be cooped up all day. Running releases endorphins. In the newsletter the school originally sent out, the issue seemed to be about bad behaviour.

'I felt this should be addressed with the individual children – the majority shouldn't be penalised for the behaviour of the minority.'

But Ms Browning said the headmaster has now come back to parents explaining that the new arrangements do not actually mean a total ban on running.

She added: 'The school has come back and said the worry was over kids bumping into each other. I'm ecstatic if it means the children can run.

'As long as my little boy can carry on being a superhero and running in the playground, as he ought to be able to, I'm happy.'

In the petition, the parents say: 'Please lift the ban on running in the playground at Hillfort Primary School at lunch time break.

'Ensure that there is adequate funding and provision of suitable staff to safely supervise lunch break.

'Enable and empower children's right and freedom to run freely through spontaneous, child led play, in the playground during lunch time break.

New rules: Hillfort Primary School in Liskeard, Cornwall, brought in the ban after children kept on 'ending up in first aid' - and instead put on activities such as sand play and a choir

'Stopping children running during free play due to bumping into each other is health and safety gone mad.

'Do not allow 'health and safety' to remove the liberty to spontaneously run in the playground during imaginative and child-led play.'

The parents added that the school should consider 'alternative options to reduce risk, as required without removing liberty to move freely during play'.

They suggested staggered lunch break times, making the playground bigger, 'or other creative alternatives to removing the right to play freely in the playground'.

The school's headmaster Dr Tim Cook, who has been in his position since last November, defended the ban but said it would be reviewed in the future.

Dr Cook said the school has had one complaint about the ban, which was revealed in the school newsletter on September 23 and implemented last Tuesday.

He added: 'I sat down with some of my senior colleagues to assess the problem with children running across the playground and ending up in first aid.

Criticised: Parents have condemned Hillfort Primary School (pictured) for using health and safety as an excuse to 'remove the liberty to spontaneously run in the playground'

'We've tried to be a little more reactive and proactive and put in place eight to 10 lunch time activities for the children including a choir, sand play, and Lego.

'I left our Year Five class dancing to YMCA just last week. Children can still run in the early years' playground and we have two football courts which the children can run in.

'This is just a ban on running from one side of the playground to the other.

'This has only been in place for three days, but we have already noticed a 30 per cent drop in first aid incidents and an 80 per cent drop in behavioural incidents.

'I'm on the gate every single morning and not one parent has approached me about this.'

Dr Cook has admitted that communication on the issue could have been better.

He added: 'If I have any admission of guilt it's that I could have been clearer in my communication originally - I do accept that.

'I will hold my hands up and say that communication was an issue and something seems to have been lost in translation.

'Some of the points on the petition aren't factually accurate and I have flagged them up for review.

Row: The school has admitted that communication on the issue could have been better

'I do take exception to the claim that we're not putting enough staff in place or that we're using this as a means of cutting back lunch staff.

'We have the same amount of staff who try their very best to do what is best for the children.'

The school said it would be reviewing the new policy over the next couple of weeks and will retract it if staff feel it is not having a positive effect.

The school also clarified in a newsletter last week that it had only stopped running where it takes place directly across the playground, after some children had been hurt by others running into one another.

Despite many parents opposing the move, one mother of two children at the school, said she thought that having different sorts of structured play at lunchtimes was 'brilliant', particularly to help children who might be shy or at risk of being bullied.

'I can't understand why parents would complain about it, it's crackers,' she said.

'Not all kids are into running or boisterous. Some prefer to sit and be quiet. Now my daughter can sit in the sunshine and read a book without feeling like she's a wally.'

'There's karaoke, there's sand pits, and it's all interactive, so if your child finds it difficult to mix or join in with others sometimes, there's something there for them. It gives them a chance to join in and be social.'

It comes a year after Old Priory Junior Academy in Plympton, Devon, banned children from doing cartwheels and handstands at break times over safety fears.

Pupils at that school were told in June 2015 that they couldn't perform 'gymnastic movements' in the playground after some children had been left with injuries.