Parents are being warned about the dangers of a new playground craze than involves 'sweeping' children off their feet using school ties.
In recent years we've heard of the 'eraser challenge,' the 'salt and ice challenge' and, shockingly, even the 'paracetamol challenge' wreaking serious havoc in schools.
Now this summer has reportedly seen a new playground craze putting our kids in danger: the 'sweep them down' or 'sweep them off their feet' game, which involves youngsters looping their school ties around the ankles of other pupils and yanking them, so the victim falls flat on their face.
Unsurprisingly, it's already caused some serious injuries in UK primary schools and now those involved are warning others of the potential consequences.
One school in Coulsdon, Croydon, has made headlines after the game left a pupil hospitalised with a broken arm.
13-year-old Ellanneh Smith was taken to hospital from the Oasis Academy Coulsdon after falling victim to the cruel trick.
Her mother Rebecca explained to local newspaper The Croydon Advertiser: 'Ellanneh went to school and I received a phone call around lunchtime saying Ellanneh had hurt herself. I didn't go down there in the first place because they didn't say she had broken her arm.'
'My son Danny, who was with me at the time, said he would go down there,' she continued. 'When he was there he rang up and said "she needs to go to hospital, Mum." He said straight away that it was broken.'
After emergency surgery in hospital the next day, Ellanneh has been resting at home, but says she's worried about going back to class in case it happens again.
In a statement to the newspaper, a spokesperson for the school has said that they have 'no higher priority than the safety and personal wellbeing of all our young people,' and 'if ever there is an incident in which any of our students' wellbeing might be at risk we always act immediately to make the situation safe.'
The student in question has 'apologised unreservedly' and the school has now issued a serious warning to its student body.
