I AM writing about the article that appeared in the Harrow Observer on December 2 'Parents protest against school ban on earrings'.

I read the article amazed at some of the comments made.

Ms Falcon mentions that there were no policies against earrings for the children when they started the school and not even in PE.

I am a physical education teacher from Hatch End High School and, as part of my school sport co-ordinator's role, I support and work with Cedars Manor, Grimsdyke, Weald First, Weald Middle, Marlborough and Shaftesbury High. I have been working with Cedars Manor School for the past eight years. The borough has a no jewellery policy, which we have been enforcing at insets/training sessions for staff and I have taught many lessons myself at Cedars and enforced this.

Children are not allowed to compete in competitions in the borough for the school with jewellery on.

I have taught in many lessons where young pupils from nursery upwards want to take part in lessons but cannot take out their own earrings. We are not allowed to take them out for the child. Therefore, the child would miss out on a lesson.

The reasons for wanting children to remove the earrings, necklaces and body piecing is for their safety in the first instance, and for others in case they injure someone else.

We have even started asking that religious threads around the wrist be covered with a sweat band and that necklaces be taken off and placed somewhere, because if someone was jumping for a ball their hands could get caught on the thread and a possible strangulation might occur.

Every PE teacher and SSCo in Harrow borough has been following these rules for many years. The SSCo's have enforced this at every competition or event that we have held for the primary schools.

SANDRA MACLEOD-CULLINANE Hatch End High School

PE teacher and school sport co-ordinator