Conkers: have we gone nuts? John Cattermole, a head teacher in Cambridgeshire, has written to parents asking permission to teach their children to play conkers because hardly any know how. What have these parents been doing? It is one thing for schools to ban conkers from the playground - though, as the Health and Safety Executive constantly reminds us, not because of any legal prohibition. But why have so many parents failed to induct their children into the autumn's time-honoured ritual? Even Mr Cattermole felt unable to let his charges loose with a conker and string without carrying out a risk assessment and checking that it was safe for nut allergy sufferers. But mum and dad need not be so legalistic, and should consider that conkers are not only fun for children but just as good for hand-eye coordination as any computer game. It also gets them out of the house.