25% of primary pupils risk injury over bags

One in four primary-school pupils are developing back problems, including spinal injuries, due to the weight of the school bags they must carry throughout term time.

Liam Moloney, a healthcare solicitor, made the claim on the back of a Spanish report which found more than half of the 1,400 children it surveyed carried backpacks which exceeded 10% of their body weight.

Mr Moloney said primary children here “routinely carry bags filled with books, equipment, sports kit and lunches which often weigh more than two stone,” and he said this placed them at risk of back pain and spinal injuries.

He said some schools had taken steps to try to reduce the possible risk of injury by providing lockers and, in the case of second-level schools, arranging the timetable into double-class periods and co-ordinating homework by subject teachers.

However, Mr Moloney said more needed to be done.

“It is recommended that school children do not carry more than 10% of their body weight.

“Children carrying 15% of their body weight are at risk of developing bad posture which can cause back problems later on in life.”

He said the Department of Education had recommended that schools should introduce uniform rules which allow children to keep their books in school lockers and desks to avoid the need to carry an entire day of schoolwork with them from class to class.

“Nobody wants children to suffer back pain or injury so this is something that the Department of Education and Skills should immediately address.”

Mr Moloney also warned that the State could face thousands of future compensation claims from school children who suffer back injuries if their school managers have not complied with the recommendations made by the department.