Primary school apologises after children come home covered in mud

A primary school that introduced a 'muddy play area' has apologised to parents after their children came home caked in mud.  

Holsworthy Primary School, in Devon, brought in the new feature for its students to engage with the great outdoors.

But the school has now said sorry to mothers and fathers saying 'this journey is new' after children were leaving school muddy.

The school has clarified they have adjusted the rules and spaces to make sure that the children don't bring the mud home with them.

It says 'plans are in place to limit the amount of exposure to the muddy areas'.

A spokesperson for Holsworthy Primary School said: 'We would like to apologise to any parents/carers who have had children come home muddy recently.

'This journey is new and evolving and therefore we are adjusting the rules and spaces to manage the children's love of the various areas.

'Please be reassured that plans are in place to limit the amount of exposure to the muddy areas until the (hopefully) drier seasons are upon us. 

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'We thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.'

The school had last month been showing off its revamped playground  with two new muddy play areas ahead of pupils returning from the summer holiday. 

It has been redesigned in conjunction with OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning CIC - a company which works with schools to 'transform the quality' of playtime.  

In September, a student said about the new playground: 'The best thing about playtimes now is the mud!'

The school had previously warned parents to make sure their kids pack waterproofs, wellies and spare clothes. 

Holsworthy Primary School showed off a picture of its new mud play area at the start of September with spades and toy diggers seen in mounds of dirt and tyres full of soil. 

They wrote: 'We noticed a lot of the children were looking to dig last year and now they have 2 spaces to do so: 1 pictured below and another for our Mud Cafe area.'

'We can't wait to see them get stuck in!,' they added before reminding parents that waterproofs and wellies 'must be worn in these areas'.  

Former teacher and school improvement adviser Michael Follett, OPAL's Founder and Director, told MailOnline: 'We live in a country with four weather conditions: it looks like it's going to rain, it is raining, it's just finished raining, or it's too hot to go out. 

'We work with schools to have more realistic expectations of what children need to grow up healthy and happy in the British climate. 

'Every child should have a waterproof coat and a pair of wellies and expect to get a bit dirty when they play. 

'There is a crisis in childhood with a chronic lack of outdoor play and exercise, and it's getting worse every year. 

'We support schools in addressing this problem. Each school will take its own approach and learn to manage the problems that go with it in their own way.'  

MailOnline has contacted Holsworthy Primary School for comment.