Class punishments
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
I always volunteer time with the lonely teacher for those who are finding it difficult to get on with the work.
This is the "right" time in year 7 for this behaviour. The joy of the new, wonderful school has worn off and children feel the need to push the boundaries.
It is a grotty time of year and particularly this year with Spring being so late. We all get tired, both children and teachers.
Tired teachers are less able to control a class and less tolerant of poor behaviour. Tired children are less inhibited by the social norms and more prone to silliness.
Roll on summer and sunshine.
This is the "right" time in year 7 for this behaviour. The joy of the new, wonderful school has worn off and children feel the need to push the boundaries.
It is a grotty time of year and particularly this year with Spring being so late. We all get tired, both children and teachers.
Tired teachers are less able to control a class and less tolerant of poor behaviour. Tired children are less inhibited by the social norms and more prone to silliness.
Roll on summer and sunshine.
While I don't suppose everyone in the Class is misbehaving you do get Classes which are generally noisy & with a low level of poor behaviour but that is ongoing.
If it is more than one teacher involved then it sounds like there has been management discussion about the problem & a co-ordinated approach is being implemented.
Being kept in for 5 minutes isn't really 'detention' - just sending a message that messing about isn't going to be tolerated.
Hopefully the boys 'on the fringes' will take more care to pay attention in lessons & any 'hard core' trouble makers will be isolated so staff can deal with them appropriately.
It may not be the best approach bit I would be pleased that the school is taking the matter seriously & unless it is a school that has behaviour problems higher up, be reassured that they probably know what they are doing.
Agree with others though in so far as if they lost all of both playtime & lunch time on the same day I would raise concerns with the school.
If it is more than one teacher involved then it sounds like there has been management discussion about the problem & a co-ordinated approach is being implemented.
Being kept in for 5 minutes isn't really 'detention' - just sending a message that messing about isn't going to be tolerated.
Hopefully the boys 'on the fringes' will take more care to pay attention in lessons & any 'hard core' trouble makers will be isolated so staff can deal with them appropriately.
It may not be the best approach bit I would be pleased that the school is taking the matter seriously & unless it is a school that has behaviour problems higher up, be reassured that they probably know what they are doing.
Agree with others though in so far as if they lost all of both playtime & lunch time on the same day I would raise concerns with the school.
As a teacher and a parent, I am very opposed to class detentions except for in certain very specific circumstances. These would arise when a pupil or pupils had done something bad but specific - a one-off, which the teacher couldn't get to the bottom of, possibly because children were closing ranks around the perpetrator/s. In very general terms, this would not arise until about Year 9 (notoriously the hardest year to teach). The detention of the entire group then puts pressure on those withholding information to release it, though of course they are unlikely to do so during the detention itself. It is more effective to say something like 'you will all be kept in tomorrow after school unless someone tells me before then who has done this despicable deed'.
One of my children was taught by a teacher in KS2 who did this until I went in and complained. The hugest majority of children were totally innocent and it was being used as a punishment for talking. My DC was very stressed and upset. I had to complain to the head before it stopped, but stop it did. If my year 7 DC were being kept in like this, I would contact the head of key stage and moan.
One of my children was taught by a teacher in KS2 who did this until I went in and complained. The hugest majority of children were totally innocent and it was being used as a punishment for talking. My DC was very stressed and upset. I had to complain to the head before it stopped, but stop it did. If my year 7 DC were being kept in like this, I would contact the head of key stage and moan.
-
watfordmum66
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:45 pm
My Ds form have a similar problem and the whole form was " on report " for 3 weeks due to rowdy behaviour from some individuals.
There was a reward system in place but IMO a very ineffective one cream egg at the end of the week for those that had behaved. The children who were disruptive did not change their behaviour and were not in the least bit bothered about a cream egg or lack of it.
I am sure I was not alone in voicing my opinions to Head of Year and the class did not receive a detention which would have been after school.
According to my Ds nothing has changed they are told they are the worst year 7 Form group for a long time, seems like a bit of a self fufilling prophecy to me .
They are now removing some children from the group and placing them in Isolation for the day
My concern is that he will be with these children for the rest of his school career and have asked that they mix up the forms to be advised they are unable to do this !!!
Hopefully form time will become less and less as he progress's through the school.
Sorry rant over but my belief is you should mange the child that is difficult not hope that peer pressure will.
There was a reward system in place but IMO a very ineffective one cream egg at the end of the week for those that had behaved. The children who were disruptive did not change their behaviour and were not in the least bit bothered about a cream egg or lack of it.
I am sure I was not alone in voicing my opinions to Head of Year and the class did not receive a detention which would have been after school.
According to my Ds nothing has changed they are told they are the worst year 7 Form group for a long time, seems like a bit of a self fufilling prophecy to me .
They are now removing some children from the group and placing them in Isolation for the day
My concern is that he will be with these children for the rest of his school career and have asked that they mix up the forms to be advised they are unable to do this !!!
Hopefully form time will become less and less as he progress's through the school.
Sorry rant over but my belief is you should mange the child that is difficult not hope that peer pressure will.
I'm with Magwitch! 
They've been doing this in DS's class for the past 3 years and it still hasn't worked! There is just continual low (and not so low) levels of disruption. Every year I've mentioned it to his current teacher and they say they use this method of disipline at the beginning of the year to set boundaries but they are still doing it in the summer term! His year 6 teacher told me that the kids just don't care if they are kept in at break or lunchtime and their parents don't seem too bothered either. She said that they won't get away with it at high school though as they will be given after school detentions - I hope she's right.
DS is the only one from his school going to a GS and had to fill out some information about himself for his new school - under the heading "what are you looking forward to" DS wrote being in a clase where everyone wants to learn - breaks my heart!
They've been doing this in DS's class for the past 3 years and it still hasn't worked! There is just continual low (and not so low) levels of disruption. Every year I've mentioned it to his current teacher and they say they use this method of disipline at the beginning of the year to set boundaries but they are still doing it in the summer term! His year 6 teacher told me that the kids just don't care if they are kept in at break or lunchtime and their parents don't seem too bothered either. She said that they won't get away with it at high school though as they will be given after school detentions - I hope she's right.
DS is the only one from his school going to a GS and had to fill out some information about himself for his new school - under the heading "what are you looking forward to" DS wrote being in a clase where everyone wants to learn - breaks my heart!
-
familyinthevalley
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:43 pm
My 18 yr old had a teacher at his school who used the 'whole class' detention - but with exceptions! He came home and told meabout a whole class detention after school, but I hadn't received a notification of it. I asked DS what the detention was for - and it was the regular group of disruptive kids (not high level disruption, just annoying) who refused to settle in that particular class. I did call the teacher to confirm the detention and was told, 'oh no, your DS and his group of friends do not have to attend, they have never caused me a problem, they have never been disruptive - but once a student is disruptive and causes a problem, they are included in the class detention'. I thought it strange at the time. This was about four years ago - needless to say, the 'disruptive group' have filtered away from the school over the years and are no longer there in the sixth form.
I did mention this to the HT in a discussion we were having a few months ago - and he was quite surprised at a 'class detention' with or without any exclusions, as he says he doesn't condone them.
I know they were kept in at lunch time one time when someone was heard swearing in the locker room after PE (about year 7 or
and the teacher wasn't sure who it was......again, my son got to leave as he knew it wasn't a Canadian accent! lol Apparently it took no more than five minutes of peer pressure to get the culprits to own up to it and all others were able to go. That never happened again....
I did mention this to the HT in a discussion we were having a few months ago - and he was quite surprised at a 'class detention' with or without any exclusions, as he says he doesn't condone them.
I know they were kept in at lunch time one time when someone was heard swearing in the locker room after PE (about year 7 or
and the teacher wasn't sure who it was......again, my son got to leave as he knew it wasn't a Canadian accent! lol Apparently it took no more than five minutes of peer pressure to get the culprits to own up to it and all others were able to go. That never happened again....-
wonderwoman
- Posts: 511
- Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:07 pm
Class punishments are outrageous - they are unfair to most pupils and if I were well behaved throughout the lesson and then got detention I might not bother being polite and working hard next time.
As stated by others, a teacher / school might say short, sharp shock but how can it be if they are still doing class punishments for terms or years?
This method is only used by poor teachers (IMO) - and I think it encourages alienation and bullying, which is not acceptable even to disruptive pupils.
I have no problem with a school punishing my child if they have been disruptive and will back them. I do have a problem with them punishing my child for being polite and hardworking.
As stated by others, a teacher / school might say short, sharp shock but how can it be if they are still doing class punishments for terms or years?
This method is only used by poor teachers (IMO) - and I think it encourages alienation and bullying, which is not acceptable even to disruptive pupils.
I have no problem with a school punishing my child if they have been disruptive and will back them. I do have a problem with them punishing my child for being polite and hardworking.
Totally agree Wonderwoman
DS has often come home upset and frustrated, saying what's the point of behaving as he just gets punished with the rest. I'm sure he's no angel but whenever we ask about his behaviour at PE, all his teachers have said he is well behaved and a positive influence on those around!
DS has often come home upset and frustrated, saying what's the point of behaving as he just gets punished with the rest. I'm sure he's no angel but whenever we ask about his behaviour at PE, all his teachers have said he is well behaved and a positive influence on those around!
Thanks for all your replies
I instinctively felt it wasn’t a great tool for discipline and from the responses it seems that it can work as a short, sharp shock but shouldn’t be a long term strategy.
The actual detentions weren’t 5 mins apiece. Break was 10 mins leaving 10 mins to eat lunch. (My DC eats lunch at break so she can go to clubs). The lunchtime detention couldn’t start till everyone turned up, which took some time, and then lasted 15 mins.
I’ve decided to see how it goes next term. I will be moved to “ask for clarificationâ€
I instinctively felt it wasn’t a great tool for discipline and from the responses it seems that it can work as a short, sharp shock but shouldn’t be a long term strategy.
The actual detentions weren’t 5 mins apiece. Break was 10 mins leaving 10 mins to eat lunch. (My DC eats lunch at break so she can go to clubs). The lunchtime detention couldn’t start till everyone turned up, which took some time, and then lasted 15 mins.
I’ve decided to see how it goes next term. I will be moved to “ask for clarificationâ€
This class detention thing happened quite often in Year 7 at a boys' grammar school I know of. There were five or six boys who were a problem disrupting a lot of lessons in a silly way. Ultimately they split the boys across several classes (having said they could not in the first place). This has done the trick and was good all round, including for the boys themselves.
I think the idea was that the other boys would put pressure on the culprits, but it didn't work in this instance. I think it was the weight of parents' complaints at a Spring-time parents' evening that finally won the day and resulted in the little group being split up.
The little group formed and misbehaved from very early in year 7 - a fluke really when they probably all came from different schools but just seemd to "gel" in that particular class. All the other classes were fine, and so were these boys once their critical mass had been reduced!
I think the idea was that the other boys would put pressure on the culprits, but it didn't work in this instance. I think it was the weight of parents' complaints at a Spring-time parents' evening that finally won the day and resulted in the little group being split up.
The little group formed and misbehaved from very early in year 7 - a fluke really when they probably all came from different schools but just seemd to "gel" in that particular class. All the other classes were fine, and so were these boys once their critical mass had been reduced!
