Do you agree?

The Principal of Malcolm Arnold Academy in Northampton, England has angered parents after he brought in a new rule which banned the pupils from giving each other hugs. The rule also extends as far as holding hands and was brought in to make the children respect each other's 'personal space', with pupils who break the rule getting punished. One parent spoke with The Daily Mail and said it was "draconian". She said, "When I was at school I relied on my friends to put a supportive arm around me at times. I can understand no shoving or pushing but just banning touching outright is absolutely unbelievable and verging on draconian.

"It is going to prevent children developing social skills during their most formative years."

Another parent added, "The school should crack down on bullying first before introducing absurd rules like this. It doesn't prepare them for the real world and how to interact with people. It sends all sorts of damaging messages and almost dehumanises children."

In response to the criticism the Principal released this statement:

"Our behavioural standards are a very important part of life at Malcolm Arnold Academy, and something that we are always reviewing.

"After working closely with the student council last spring, we wrote to all parents in June outlining a new set of behaviour expectations for this academic year.

"This included a new expectation that students should respect each other's personal space, something that is particularly important as the school is growing due to the increased numbers of parents selecting us as their first preference.

"The reality is that not being allowed to poke, push or be affectionate to another pupil in public has always been an unwritten rule at the academy, but through the work with students, it is something that we wanted to formalise.

"It is generally felt that the behaviour and sense of community has, in fact, strengthened further.

"Rules and expectations like this are not uncommon in schools."