THE world of Jennings, the prep school boy portrayed in Anthony Buckeridge’s books, where pupils climbed trees, fished in ponds and hared around the countryside on bicycles, is dead - killed by litigious parents.

And while Jennings was foolhardy and feared nothing, except, perhaps, the wrath of teacher Mr Wilkins, today’s pupils are too sheltered from the dangers of life, say prep school heads.

Boarding schools have called a halt to many of the activities that they say made their education distinctive, because parents are more prepared to sue if things go wrong.

One head, who did not want to be named but is being threatened with litigation, said: “In the prep school world, one of the selling points is that we offer more than the school down the road.

“But there are so many things that are not now happening because of the fear of the consequences.”

His school grounds contain woods where children have played for decades. But they are now out of bounds. Sports such as squash and golf, once unsupervised, must now be overseen by a teacher, meaning the times when they can be played are limited.

And even that most traditional of summer pastimes, practising cricket in the nets, can now take place only with an adult present.

Because supervision levels for all activities are higher than ever, the range offered has had to shrink.

The head says that the increasingly sanitised prep school world is not doing pupils any favours. “Children need some adventure play so they can tackle more dangerous things when they are older.”

Most parents do not approve of the shift, he added. “About 90 per cent of my parents do not want it to happen. But one claim is more than most schools can handle.”

Sophie Marsh of the Boarding Schools’ Association said: “There are situations where litigation has limited activities. But most schools are so well staffed that the number of activities is still extremely large.”

Another Voice, 20