In addition to banning Heelys, many girls' schools around the country have banned their young students from wearing high heels, while school bags with wheels are also frowned upon within the school environment.

They may be good for a child's posture but, according to John Boyle, principal of St Colmcille's national school in Knocklyon, "When there are large numbers of children going up and down stairwells, these bags can be very dangerous for other students who often can't see them and may trip over them. Instead, we would have a policy whereby children don't have to carry heavy textbooks home and would use light workbooks or print-outs instead."

More and more children now own a mobile phone and, in recent years, primary schools have had contrasting ideas on whether they should be allowed. This year, the Catholic Primary School Management Association has put an end to the debate by issuing a directive that mobiles should be banned from all schools.

"There are two reasons why anything would be banned from a school, " said Boyle. "That would be if it is not safe for the children or if it is counter-productive educationally."

iPods, other forms of MP3 players and handheld computer devices, such as the new Playstation DS, fall under the latter category and most schools have made moves to ban them. "We want the children to be making the most of their break-time by exercising and getting fresh air whenever possible, " said Boyle. "These are also expensive toys that can cause jealousy amongst other children and even lead to theft in some cases."

"After Christmas, we'll really see what new trends have emerged amongst students, " said Boyle. "Then we'll have to revise our policies all over again."