Detention with no notice

[Kensingtonia]

DD in year 7 given detention this afternoon after being late at school this morning. Bit annoyed as she had to miss an after school activity. Aren't schools meant to give 24 hours written notice or has this changed?

[LynetteScavo]

I think the government were thinking of changing it, but haven't yet.

DS gets at least a weeks notice of an after school detention (and has usually forgotten what it's for by the time he attends. )

Same day detentions are unreasonable IMO, as it can be difficult to arrange collection (if they usually get the school bus) with only a few hours notice. I think atm, 24 hours notice is still standard.

[roisin]

We can keep students for 10 mins at the end of the day, or at morning/lunch break. But for a longer detention we have to give 24 hrs notice.

[complexnumber]

www.education.gov.uk/f0076803/advice-for-headteachers-and-school-staff-on-behaviour-and-discipline/detention

I hope the link works. Read the 'small print' at the bottom of the page. I have now idea if this has come into action.

[Kensingtonia]

Thank you all for your comments; and for your useful link complexnumber. It appears that the Education Bill 2011 which proposes removing the 24 hour notice is currently at the Lords committee stage and won't be law for a while yet.

[maypole1]

The answer is he needs to make sure he's not late simple really


The issue is not wether they can keep you or not its your child was late its right he was punished in later life lateness can result in a sacking from a job Berger he learns the lesson now

[twinklypearls]

Rather than spending time checking if your dd's school is performing a highly illegal act why not just give her a lecture on the importance of punctuality?

[Kensingtonia]

Actually what makes it worse was that a senior member of staff had cancelled the detention as it was given in error as DD had never been late before. Unfortunately nobody bothered to tell DD who dutifully trotted off to detention. The school have promised a full investigation!

[noblegiraffe]

Some schools have it in their home-school agreement that they can keep kids for 15 minutes or whatever after school without notice.

[jade80]

Right- so your child was late. Therefore they miss out on an activity. Powerful incentive to be on time in future, no?

IMO this has a lot to do with the lack of respect for schools and teachers. Your child broke a rule and rather than support the school you are whining and looking for a get out clause? Do you actually want to set your child up for being sacked in future when they can't be bothered to turn up for work on time? They won't have you to whine to then, as I doubt their employers would be too moved by a phonecall from mummy.

[jade80]

Just seen the latest post- a full investigation... you what?! What a waste of time and resources.

If I were you, I would be calling on Monday to say never mind, please drop the investigation, it is a waste of time and money, hopefully my child has learnt something from this (i.e. don't be late). Even if this was the first instance, and would not normally have had this punishment straight off.

[sillybillies]

In all the schools I've worked we give at least 24 hours for any detention longer than 10 mins.
If its her first late, a full detention is a bit harsh. I put kids in a 30 minute detention for 3 lates.
As she's in year 7 I would have been a bit annoyed as the lack of notice as a parent particularly if its her first offence. I've had more than one year 7 in tears in their first detention. It can be quite scary for the good kids. Even the best kids can be late once in a while.
A full investigation probably doesn't mean much to be honest. They'll probably find out who forgot to tell your dd and have a quick word.

[mrswoodentop]

Actually normally I would be in the "give her a lecture on punctuality" camp but this does seem harsh,if she has never been late before my immediate assumption would be that there had been a transport problem or some other reason for the lateness ,the first lateness offence in late June after being at the school since September would hardly indicate that she was a serial offender ,also the fact that she went to the detention rather than argue or even speak to a teacher probably indicates that she is a generally good and reliable pupil so this does seem harsh especially for an 11 to 12 year old .What if she had had no other way to get home.

This happened to me in year 7 .It was before mobile phones and the office did not contact my parents who were frantic with worry when i was not on the bus.I don't think my mother will ever forget it,no one other than the teacher involved knew where i was ,my mother was on the point of calling the police as the school office denied that i was in school ,when i called from a call box having just been let out of school.My parents removed me the following term

[bossboggle]

Child should not have been put in detention without notice. Just as the same goes that perhaps the child should not have been late either. Perhaps a lunchtime detention but not after school. What about transport arrangements - my DS has to be on the school bus, mind you he has never had a detention that I know of but I would not allow an after school detention as his school is 6 miles away from where we live and he has no other way of getting home other than walking. No one has the right to detain your child without your permission for any reason, by all means arrange a lunchtime detention with parental authority but not an after school detention.

[cricketballs]

boosboogle your attitude of even a parental authority of a lunchtime detention is the main reason that teachers have no respect or authority any more. What message are you sending to your DS?

'No one can punish you even if you are in the wrong unless mummy says so?'

when you send your DC to a school you are asked to sign a home-school agreement which clearly states the rules and consequences if these are broken. The only school I have worked in that doesn't allow a 10 min after school detention without notice is one that had the majority of children on school busses and therefore not practical. I can however keep the child in at break/lunch without parental permission (thank god!) in order to punish low level disruption/punctuality/lack of work etc

[noblegiraffe]

" No one has the right to detain your child without your permission for any reason"

That's not correct. Schools only have to inform parents of an after school detention for disciplinary reasons, they do not have to ask permission. That's enshrined in law, so they do have the right.

[bigTillyMint]

DD's school give detentions on the same day. But they are usually only 10mins or so (well, that's DD's experience!), so wouldn't affect after-school activities.

[redglow]

The OP was only asking a question. Did she really need all the extra views on whether it was right or wrong?

Jade80 a full investigation will not take much time or money. Do you have any respect for other people ?
?

[Kez100]

School staff are human and will make mistakes. However if you are told to go to detention as a result of breaking a rule, then you go. If there is a transport issue, they should ask to be able to contact parents.

The 24 hours thing is just a technicality and using such excuses to avoid inconvenient things in life is part of the reason we are where we are in terms of respect.

[prh47bridge]

The law requires schools to give 24 hours notice of any detention which takes place outside normal school hours. The school therefore broke the law. The current government is in the process of removing this requirement, mainly because some parents (often the parents of the worst offendors) automatically write to the school explaining why their child can't possibly attend the detention, resulting in the child going unpunished.

[Riveninside]

Harsh comments on ebing late. I take it none of you are reliant on buses. My boys get a 7.30 bus, the first one to go the 6 miles into town for school. They have to be there at 8.45. Its often late due to the ridiculous congestion.
And the bastard thing costs nearly 5 quid eAch, each day.

[purepurple]

cricketballs Did you actually read boosboogle's post?
An after school detention will mean that her DS misses the school bus and will have to walk 6 miles.

[twinklypearls]

Most schools would bear in mind a bus before setting late detentions in the morning. Contrary to popular belief detentions are not set because teachers enjoy them.

[mummytime]

At my DCs school they don't give after school detentions o more than 5 min, without warning, but most detentions are at lunch or break time. This is because an after school detention means that any pupils who use the special scheduled school buses will miss them, so parents need warning that they will need to arrange alternative transport home. The school is also very good about lateness dues to public transport (and we're even okay when my car failed to start on the first cold day of winter).

[sillybillies]

The 24 hour notice is important for lots of children. Many children have quite a way to travel so get a school bus or have parents pick them up. In giving 24 hours it allows the parents to make alternative arrangements. We also have a set detention day for such things as lateness which is always on a monday. The child is being punished why does it have to be the same day. There are safety issues in keeping the children on the same day. Some parents expect their children home and would worry when they are late. Some of the criticisms on this thread are harsh and just plain silly.

They are thinking of relaxing the 24 hours law, but this isn't so we can get the children like the one in the OP to stay on the same day but to get the little buggers kids who you set a detention for and they either bunk the whole day (so aren't there for the detention) or even worse the parents ring up and say my little Jonny can't do the detention for blah blah blah and so on.

Being late once is not a major crime. If this is a first offence and the child is in year 7, then they've gone nearly a year with perfect punctuality.

[twinklypearls]

I agree with much of that silly, I would be very surprised if a school set after school for a first time offence.

I always try and give at least 48 hours notice for an after school detention. Although there are some children with which I have an arrangement that if they misbehave they stay in after school that day and I phone home. That of course would not apply to any MN child as these are children with a history of poor behaviour.