Fidget spinners: Must-have toy falls foul of school headteachers

Fidget spinners, the latest must-have toy, are being banned from schools as teachers brand them a disruptive distraction.

Sales have recently rocketed as parents are pestered for the popular toy.

They were originally designed for people who struggle to concentrate, and some claim they have helped children with conditions like autism or ADHD.

But while fidget spinners are often advertised as relaxing and stress-relieving, they have become a nuisance in classrooms.

Hertfordshire Year 6 teacher Mark Creasy said his school quickly banned them from lessons.

"They were being thrown around like Frisbees.

"They're being passed around the class, they're out in the in the playground, and actually it just becomes a distraction.

"They're not something to occupy you, to actually keep you focused and engaged which is what they should be, but they're actually being used as something to disrupt."

Children who have special educational needs are still allowed the toys.

But clinical psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer said that, while she understands the ban, it is a shame because the toys have helped classroom attitudes to children with special needs.

"It was great to see a toy like this in the mainstream.

"Children with additional needs often struggle to fit in and be the cool kids, and it was really nice to see a toy that they have that everybody else wants.

"But if they get banned except for children who are on a list, then that stigma gets reintroduced."

The simple gadget which fits in your hand, has three rounded blades and spins on central bearings.

Sounds fairly ordinary, but to kids they are the best toy around at the moment.

Mika, aged 10, told Sky News: "They're really cool because you can do lots of tricks when you get bored."

A YouTube video showing fidget spinner tricks has been viewed by more than five million people.

And the gadget occupies every spot of Amazon UK's top 20 best-selling toys.

Rob Ellard, who has autism, set up fidgetspinner.co.uk, one of the UK's first online shops last October.

He said: "A friend asked me to make some for a relative having issues at school.

"I made it and instantly noticed something quite calming and magical about them."

The company is currently swamped with orders.

"We are pushed to our production capabilities," Mr Ellard said. "We can't make enough."

Some experts predict the toys will remain a craze until at least the summer.