to think it's quite concerning how 19 year olds have such easy access of 11 year olds in a school setting?

[Zootopials]

Most schools in this area have a sixth form and there is no separate building. These sixth formers often do 1-1 reading etc with the Year 7s. AIBU to think it's a bit concerning??

[ShanghaiDiva]

Yes yabu. What are your concerns?

[Shakey15000]

What are you concerned about exactly? There's many an older teacher/ classroom assistants/ catering assistants with access to 11yr olds and under in a school setting

[user1477282676]

YANBU. I've always thought that such young children shouldn't be thrown in with such older kids.

I like the Aussie way and the American way of having a middle school.
When I was 12 and in my first year of secondary back in the 80s, a sixth former targeted me and once, he slammed me against a wall and kissed me.

[user1477282676]

Shakey of course there are but the teaching assistants and staff have been police checked.

[Zootopials]

My concern is that my child will be having 1-1 reading (alone) with an adult who hasn't been police checked and could potentially have a criminal record, etc.

[MiscellaneousAssortment]

Isn't there something rather concerning that as a society we seem to want children completely isolating from any other age group or lifestage?

[Oblomov16]

I am shocked at your concern.

[SpeakNoWords]

YABU. I don't really know what else to say!

[Zootopials]

Why do staff need to be police checked then?

Fair enough though, clearly I'm Abu.

[SpeakNoWords]

What do you think happens between a student being 17 and the day they turn 18 that means they warrant a criminal record check?

Are you genuinely suggesting that as soon as a sixth form student turns 18 they need to be police checked?

[Trifleorbust]

God, we really are becoming a nation of paranoids, aren't we?

[NinjaLeprechaun]

"I like the Aussie way and the American way of having a middle school."
Having attended an American middle school, I still suspect that the idea is to isolate the 12-14 year olds in order to protect everybody else from them - not the other way around.

[IfartInYourGeneralDirection]

Your kids statistically more likey to be abused by family. So before you hysterically label all random 18/19 tear olds have your entire family checked.

And a dbr/police check isnt a shining becon, it just shows the ones who have been caught. Tlots if abuser and paedos would pass the checks

[user1477282676]

OP mumsnet has always been a place where if anyone shows any concern whatsoever about strangers having access to their children, they are shot down, accused of being DM readers, accused of having "peedo fear" and being generally unreasonable.

OP makes a good point.

19 is an adult. Why are teachers subject to police checks before being given one to one time with children and fellow students over 18 are not?

[SpeakNoWords]

Because teachers are frequently in sole charge of students, in a position of authority, and they've chosen to work with young people.

There are not that many 19 year olds in sixth forms, why the interest in that particular age? What about 18/17/16/15/14/13 year olds? At what point do you consider any of the other students to be a risk?

[user1477282676]

Speak well if the older students are doing one to one reading with the younger children, then they too are in charge of them and I asume, alone with them and have also chosen to work with them.

I suppose OP mentioned 19 because that's the oldest a young person in school would be. I myself mentioned anyone over 18.

Under that age...well OP doesn't mention them doing one to one reading does she.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Surely this is peer mentoring. The sixth formers are still at school. We cannot protect children from everything. I was a 6th former in such a school. I don't think any of us actually thought much about the younger kids. Yes things happen but they are much less likely to happen at school. This energy would be much better spent ensuring you send your child to a school, which you trust and where the pupils are well behaved because of the teaching practices.

[SpeakNoWords]

I'm sure there's be plenty of opportunity for students to be alone with each other under the age of 19. Break time and lunch time for example. Or perhaps other clubs and activities. What do you think should be done to safe guard the students in those situations?

If a sixth former is doing 1 to 1 reading, they are not in charge of the student in the same way as a teacher would be. They're not a member of staff, they're not responsible for the students behaviour or safety. 1 to 1 reading is likely to be done in the school library or perhaps in the school corridor outside a classroom when other students are in lessons, not alone in a room with them.

[Pluto30]

I like the Aussie way and the American way of having a middle school.

Australia doesn't have middle school...

Primary school = K-6 (age 4/5 to 11/12)
High school = 7-12 (age 11/12 to 17/18)

[KoalaDownUnder]

I was all ready to say YABU but actually, you may have a point.

11 to 19 is a huge age gap. Kids here (Australia) are at highschool together aged 12-17.

I'm not sure why it matters, or if it does, but 19 does seem very 'old' in this context.

[SpeakNoWords]

Students will only be 19 in sixth form if they have re-sat a year eg they've redone year 12 or redoing year 13. It's not usual for 19 year olds to be still at secondary school.

In general, the sixth formers will have separate areas to the younger students and not particularly mix with them. Students chosen to do 1 to 1 reading would have to be students who had shown they were responsible and suitable in the past. What is the risk that you feel the younger students are exposed to?

[user1477282676]

Pluto I live in Austraia and we have middle schools. My child is currently attending one.

[user1477282676]

I just think there are some blind spots. MummyofDragon

In my DDs old school in England, it was quite rurual and when the children were booked into a forest school for a week, the head sent a letter home saying that as a bus could not be provided, children would be expected to travel in a variety of cars with random parents who were able to pick them up at school and then ferry them home in the afternoon back to school.

I was quite new to the school and knew nobody...yet I was expected to stick my 6 year old in with some parent I'd never even met!

Weird.

[SpeakNoWords]

Presumably you said no? It sounds to me like the school were trying to avoid cancelling the forest school day, and looking to organise transport as long as parents were ok with it.

[Pluto30]

I live in Austraia and we have middle schools. My child is currently attending one.

Whereabouts is that then? First I've heard of middle schools here.