No touch rules

There are so many items in the news that I would like to write about but one blog per day is probably enough, and it is not difficult to find one subject to feel strongly about. Today I'll support Michael Gove with his abolition of the "no touch" rule in schools. You don't abolish crime by legislation (in fact you create crime by legislation) but you can use the law to stop a child who has been bullied from being comforted. You can stop pupils from comforting each other too but it doesn't make life better by creating these laws.

Similarly, life is not better for teachers if they know that pupils know that they can't touch the pupils. Controlled restraint must be a reasonable response in many situations. I saw the film Kes over the weekend and the main character Billy is bullied at home and at school. It is truly gratifying to see Colin Welland physically challenge one of the school bullies. A remake wouldn't strike the same chord.

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