'Bumps and bruises are good for children', says head of top girls' school

Many children grow up with little understanding of everyday risks, said Robert McKenzie Johnston, head of the independent all-girls Queen Mary's School in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

He said he let girls "toboggan" down staircases and walk in the woods at night without a torch.

Speaking at the Girls' Schools Association conference in Leeds, Mr McKenzie Johnston said children should not grow up thinking "if it's allowed it must be safe".

"They have got to use their judgment and grow up to learn what is sensible and what is not," he said.

"If they learn themselves what is sensible they will make mistakes and they will get grazed knees and bruised noses.

"But it doesn't matter because they will learn what they can and cannot do.

"There are no instructors necessary for tobogganing down staircases. It is common sense and judgment."

The school is set in 10 acres of parkland and pupils regularly engage in outdoor activities, such as canoeing, camping, abseiling, caving, gorge walking and rafting.

Mr McKenzie Johnston said some people used "health and safety" as an excuse for not taking part in such activities.

But the national mood is changing, with a growing appreciation of risk as "essential in a child's education". He said it was the job of schools to expose pupils to risk in a sensible way.

"If you remove all risk you remove the soul," he said.

Earlier this year, Schools Secretary Ed Balls said children should not be wrapped in cotton wool.

He said he expected youngsters to spend their time playing conkers and having snowball fights.

Some headteachers have banned conkers on health and safety grounds. Others have insisted that children wear protective goggles if they want to play the traditional playground game.