Trouble on cards as school bans Valentine's

Children at Ashcombe Primary School in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, were banned from celebrating Valentine's Day or exchanging cards because the headteacher said they are not emotionally mature enough to cope.

Peter Turner wrote to parents of the 430 pupils, aged between five and 11, warning that cards will be confiscated.

He said that children get upset when they are "dumped" which interrupts their learning.

Children should wait until they are mature enough emotionally and socially to understand the commitment in having a boyfriend or girlfriend, he said.

But parents condemned the ban as heavy-handed. An eight-year-old boy's father said: "Valentine's Day helps them to learn about love in a simple way."