Four-on-the-floor chair ain't got no swing

It's a habit practised by students around the world and drives teachers to distraction – chair swinging.

But a former British school teacher has come up with a revolutionary new design in the hope of stopping pupils who like to rock on the rear legs of their chair.

Tom Wates, who quit his job as a maths and physical education teacher in London last year, has designed a classroom chair with curved legs which prevent rocking.

He claims the Max chair's design makes it impossible for any child to rock more than five centimetres off the ground.

"For me this started out as a way of combating the irritation of the children rocking," he told Britain's The Times newspaper.

"But at nearly every school I've been to, teachers relate a story about an injury. It's a danger issue."

Orders for the chair have already been flooding in from across Britain.

"It seems that it's a problem that touches everyone," Mr Wates said.

- AAP