IT would be oh so easy to skewer those schools “banning” youngsters from going outside to look at the solar eclipse on the barbs of ‘health and safety gone mad’.

But the schools are showing admirable common sense.

Increasingly they have legal and moral responsibilities for the children in their care and coming up with other solutions for the wee ones to watch the eclipse in a more controlled environment is the right move.

If being a little over-cautious means every child in their care walks out of the school gates at 3.15pm without tapping a white cane then who can criticise?