By Alan Richardson

RESEARCH AT a Perthshire nursery has suggested young boys may be better behaved if they are allowed to play with toy guns in class.

A new report after a study at Abernethy Primary Nursery seems to fly in the face of current practice and accepted standards among parents.

Researchers claim to have proved allowing youngsters to pretend they are cowboys, soldiers and super- heroes is actually beneficial and have called for unofficial bans to be lifted.

They said the type of play they studied promoted learning and inclusion, boosted imagination and prevented the playtime sport from being driven underground.

Cath Livingstone, who carried out the report in conjunction with Learning and Teaching Scotland, reversed the ban in her nursery amid fears that youngsters were being forced to play away from adults.

She said, “No matter what was said guns just went underground and the shooting and martial arts just continued when some of our boys believed they were away from adult supervision.

“By playing banned games they were breaking the rules and appeared to feel they needed to be deceitful in order to pursue an activity to which they felt drawn.”

The majority of early learning centres banned toy guns, but Ms Livingston said that when the toy guns were allowed back in class, there was no increase in bad behaviour.

Children were given guidelines to prevent fighting, were not allowed to touch and were only allowed to shoot other children involved in the game.

Ms Livingston said staff noticed huge changes in the children, especially the boys, with the biggest being that it opened the channels for learning and discussion between children and staff.

She added, “The children, and in particular the boys, have become more open with the adults and happier to discuss and so construct their knowledge about the world.

“They have also become more considerate of others. Aggression has not been an issue.”

Eleanor Coner, information officer for the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said boys were only playing an exciting game and did not understand the adult connotations.

“It is in a little boy’s make-up to want to do that sort of thing. Young boys don’t understand what guns can do—to them they are loud and noisy.

“We are looking at it from an adult perspective, not a child’s. A child gets things out of gun play and doing it in a different way to how we perceive it.

“We are thinking that they are shooting each other.

“They don’t know they are shooting each other. They are just making a noise and shouting ‘bang’ because that’s exciting.”

The findings echo guidance issued last year by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which suggested nursery-age boys should be allowed to play with toy guns.

However, unions said nurseries could face a parent backlash. Chris Keates, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said, “I do not think schools should be encouraging boys to play with toy weapons.

“Many parents take the decision that their children won’t have toy weapons. In addition to that, I think this is a clear example of gender stereotyping.”

Former teacher and Scottish Tory education spokesman, Elizabeth Smith said, “Boys will be boys. It’s important for our children to have a natural upbringing. Pretending to be cowboys, soldiers, superheroes with toy guns has not made past generations more violent and so I see no reason why young boys today should not be given the same opportunity.

“Any form of political correctness in our children’s play is unnecessary and I believe it is for parents and teachers to decide what is best for our children not politicians.”