All work and no play is making dull Jacks and Jills of our children, so says a new study of children's school breaktimes.

Many schools under pressure to find more teaching time have shortened play time. That puts children's social development at risk, says the study, as playtime encourages a range of skills.

But do children need play to work well as adults? Or is more time out of harm's way and stuck in a book the real key to their success?

The author of the research, Dr Peter Blatchford, says the playground can equal the classroom in the range of skills it teaches:

"How to get on with people, how to avoid conflicts...a sense of commitment to other people and how to take another person's point of view. These are very important things and we rather easily underestimate them," he says.

But under the strain of the national curriculum and inter-school competition, teachers say something has got to give.

And though it may not be ideal, putting the squeeze on breaktime not only allows more study - it cuts down on unruly behaviour and bullying too.

Breaktime is for many children an important part of the day. It allows chat, exercise and a relief from stress.

And how many of us remember with fondness time spent playing hop scotch or British bulldogs?

Even so, the demand for well-educated children and quality schools is high. Teachers therefore say to sacrifice fun to work is tough but in the long run only fair.

What do you think?

Is playtime quality time?

The sad truth is that these days children use breaktime to cause trouble...
Matthew Clarke, US

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