UK schools commonly employ a behavioral discipline method comprising rules, rewards awarded when children follow the rules and sanctions when children break them. To date, this approach has had only limited success in halting classroom disruption (Render, Padilla and Krank, 1989; Riley & Rustique-Forrester, 2002; Gutherson & Pickard,…

Many schools experience playtime and lunchtime disputes in the playground. Some schools employ games or activities in an attempt to improve discipline. This article gives consideration to the extent that a playground ethos can be improved, and the number of less-severe disputes reduced, through the introduction of playground games.