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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

Year 1 kept in at lunchtime

17 replies

queenqueenqueen · 01/02/2020 18:32

DD was kept in at lunchtime for not finishing her work. I'm not overly happy about this as I think she's a bit too little for this sort of punishment. But what has upset me is when I opened up her packed lunch bag to wash/sort she'd only eaten a yoghurt for dinner -- said she hadn't been able to have anything else due to running out of time!

Just interested to get other parents opinions on this but mainly teachers - does your school keep year 1s in during play/lunchtime as a punishment?

OP posts:

Report

DeeZastris · 01/02/2020 18:34

No, she’s only little and that’s ridiculous. I’d have a word with the teacher and get the full story.

Finfintytint · 01/02/2020 18:37

Yes, speak to the teacher. That is seriously shitty teaching if it’s true.

queenqueenqueen · 01/02/2020 18:43

That's what I'm thinking too, generally really happy with the school so think that's why I'm surprised by it 🙁

OP posts:

BubblesBuddy · 01/02/2020 18:53

It’s never acceptable for DC to be kept in for not completing work in y1.

I strongly suggest you look at the Behaviour Policy for your school which should be on their web site. It is unlikely to list detention (which is what it is) for anything other than unacceptable behaviour. I would then ask the teacher what has happened. If the loss of lunch break is due to poor behaviour it is still draconian and she should have had adequate time to eat lunch. It’s usually the play time that’s removed.

I think you need to get to the bottom of it and your DD might be being economical with the truth. Was she badly behaved? If she was deprived of her lunch break because she didn’t finish work, you need to get to the bottom of why the teacher is punishing that. I would suggest it’s not in their behaviour policy to punish for that and you need to complain. Establish the facts though.

CrocodileFrock · 01/02/2020 19:02

Ours gives children several warnings before a child reaches the point of missing any break or lunchtime. It usually happens when children have spent the lesson chatting to their friends, wandering around the classroom, sharpening their pencil for the 100th time, or generally wasting time.

Children would usually be sent to eat first and told to come back afterwards.

RedskyAtnight · 01/02/2020 19:22

If she didn't finish because she works slowly - not ok.

If she didn't finish because she spent the time she should have been working chatting and messing about - being asked to stay behind is fine.

I doubt she was kept in for so long that she didn't have time to eat her lunch (unless your school has an unusually short lunch break) - more likely she wanted to get out to play with her friends.

queenqueenqueen · 01/02/2020 19:43

No @redsky I did ask her if it was because she was being silly or talking and she said no and I do believe her. I also thought that about the lunch thing and wanting to rush out with friends - think I need to find out what happened a bit more definitely

OP posts:

elliejjtiny · 01/02/2020 19:46

My year 1 son is often kept in at morning break for not finishing work but not at lunchtime.

NarwhalsNarwhals · 01/02/2020 22:33

I've kept year 1s in for lunch time for behaviour but i send them to eat first so they only miss out on playing.

I have also occasionally got a child to stay back for a minute or two to explain something if they haven't finished work, children have no sense of time, could it be that's what DD's teacher was doing and then DD rushed lunch to go out and play?

BubblesBuddy · 02/02/2020 08:39

if DD did go out to play, then she didn’t lose her lunch break. OP, have a chat with the teacher.

Pud2 · 02/02/2020 17:43

Have a quick chat with the teacher - always best to get the whole story.

Oh, and ignore any Mumsnetters who say you should demand to see the head/take her out the school/report to OFSTED/phone the police......

theendoftheendoftheend · 02/02/2020 17:49

Maybe she was talking through lunch rather than eating? And ditto in the lesson rather than working!

LouReidDododo · 02/02/2020 17:53

Who ever was responsible for her either during her having to stay behind or eating lunch should have made sure she had eaten a significant part of her lunch.

She’s still very little and should be receiving appropriate care.

I’d be interested to know who was watching her when she only ate her yogurt and thought that was ok.

I wouldn’t be happy with this

LouReidDododo · 02/02/2020 17:58

Year one should still be a very relaxed environment. You can’t expect prolonged concentration with out loss of focus at this age. I’ve taught children sports and also TA and think keeping them in at this age to complete work is extreme.

WombatChocolate · 02/02/2020 17:59

I’d think you haven’t had quite the full story.
Yes have a chat with teacher - but not beginning from you being cross DD had detention, but you’re just keen to find out more what happened after DD talked about some things that happened on Friday ...or whenever.

Always best to check. Always best to keep an open mind and remember you might not have heard full story. Always best to go with a query not a complaint.

And I think it’s useful for MN if people report back after checking with school. Those reports back often confirm that the parent hadn’t quite heard the full story and everything is easily resolved. That doesn’t happen always, but it does a lot and reminds parents next time they might have something similar, to take a deep breath and decide to check rather than leap to anger or knee jerk reaction.

It would be surprising if a 5 year old was kept in for all of lunchtime for slow working and didn’t have time for lunch. That’s why there’s probably more to the story. 5 year olds often don’t even know the full story to be able to tell you.

Hope it all gets sorted out.

PanicAndRun · 02/02/2020 18:37

Just talk to the teacher , in a nice non confrontational fact finding way.

DD might have messed about she might not.
She might've not have enough time to each lunch or didn't want to.
She might've found the work hard, or refused to do it.

Once you know why she missed lunch, how long for and what happened with the food then you can make a decision whether the teacher was reasonable or not.

RaggieDolls · 05/02/2020 06:53

Mine too @elliejjtiny

He lost his whole morning break last week. I accept he was given warnings etc but he's only 5. It seems odd to me as he will just be even more distracted if he's not getting his break.

In all fairness the teacher did let him get his milk and toast and told him to bring that back to the classroom.

I'm going to speak to the teacher about it. He's too young to be given a detention, I'd rather the work was sent home if he doesn't finish it.

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