Primary school pupils were told they could not take part in the traditional events because they might fall over and suffer bruising.

The decision has been slammed by critics, who say children should be allowed to take risks. Teachers at John F Kennedy Primary in Washington, Tyne and Wear, dropped the events after talks with Beamish Open Air Museum, where an Edwardian-themed sports day is being held today.

Children will dress in period costume and play old-fashioned games – like running, hopping and throwing ping-pong balls into buckets – as part of the school’s centenary celebrations.

Simon Woolley, head of education at Beamish in Co Durham, said: “We want to minimise the risk to the children. We had to assess which of the activities were liable to cause a risk.”

Teacher and organiser Gill Hanley said: “A lot of schools haven’t done these kind of activities for a long time, so I don’t see that it’s a problem.”

But Laura Midgely, founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness group, said: “It’s health and safety gone mad,
completely over the top.”