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Original poster

After school detention every time they're late...

136 replies

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 08:21

Is that usual for secondary schools? If you're 2 mins or 2 hours late it's an after school detention every time.

Is that the usual? If

OP posts:
MaverickGooseGoose · 09/01/2023 14:35

Its that standard here. Only mitigating circumstances are public transport issues that need to be proved, or they sometimes suspend the detentions if there are roadworks near the school.

FunnysInLaJardin · 09/01/2023 14:35

Jimboscott0115 · 09/01/2023 13:38

Exactly this OP, detention used to be a big thing when I was as at school (left in '99 so not that long ago) but nowadays schools have confused instilling values and respect with discipline.

It's becoming very common for detentions to be dished out for everything you could think of nowadays and I think schools have it horribly wrong. I challenged it and received a patronising response around preparing kids for the world of work, cue me laughing when I told them most of their rules are irrelevant in most workplaces.

Unfortunately, this likely ties into the teaching issues where we've lost thousands upon thousands of good strong teaching staff due to incompetent government and have ended up with a lot less good, strong, experienced teachers.

Show quote history

Agree with this.

DH is a secondary teacher with 25 years experience and desperate to get out.

Petty rules are the order of the day and not much care about the kids welfare. Just what looks good on the stats.

DS2 is in year 8 and one day the school bus was late and he got a detention. No compassion or understanding,

Honestly I cant wait for my family to have done with schools altogether.

Testina · 09/01/2023 14:33

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:33

All of them.

Im not exaggerating.

That includes non-teaching staff as well. SENCO, deputy head, house heads.

All of them. It's an absolute shit show.

The SENCO told me that the English teacher is on sabbatical, the English teacher is one of the originals and apparently that's the only way she would return is if they agreed for her to have a sabbatical.

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My kids’ school has 1600 pupils, 170 staff, 100 of whom are teachers. It’s a larger than average school, but even half the size you’re talking about 50+ quitting en masse. That would have been all over your local papers, if not nationals.

Was there an Ofsted with an Inadequate, forcing a leadership change and possibly academy “takeover” where they used the change to sack people?

Even the people who wanted to leave, surely some would have the perfect part time hours that they wanted to keep, or were close to retirement and couldn’t be arsed to go…

All of them going (except one on sabbatical) - that’s a huge deal! If it wasn’t related to Ofsted report, wouldn’t that trigger some kind of intervention from Ofsted?

Duchess379 · 09/01/2023 14:23

This was standard practice when I was at secondary school 30yrs ago!! Don't be late every day.

ilovesooty · 09/01/2023 14:18

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:33

All of them.

Im not exaggerating.

That includes non-teaching staff as well. SENCO, deputy head, house heads.

All of them. It's an absolute shit show.

The SENCO told me that the English teacher is on sabbatical, the English teacher is one of the originals and apparently that's the only way she would return is if they agreed for her to have a sabbatical.

Show quote history

I think in your situation I'd be more interested in the staff retention than the late detentions.

PinkyU · 09/01/2023 14:17

We don’t have detention in Scotland, at my dc school you’re recorded as late, persistent lateness without a good reason (health, young carer, school transport) may result in a demerit. Every school I know really works with children and families to address and support persistent lateness rather than immediately punishing the child.

How do after school detentions work? Surely there’s not a legal recourse to detain children at school against their will?

Phos · 09/01/2023 14:08

I think it depends on the school. I think a detention for being 2 minutes late is a bit unfair especially if it's not on a regular basis. I'd expect a warning before a detention but perhaps I'm too lenient.

Notjusta · 09/01/2023 13:51

At our school it's 3 'strikes' on your strike card = after school detention. Strikes issued for various reasons - incorrect uniform, not having right equipment/kit, and being late. This includes being late for individual lessons as well as for registration.

Agree with PP that it sounds like the new head is, understandably, trying to instil some order to the shit show. Not nice for the kids to get used to but pretty common in the circumstances you describe.

I also, agree with the PP who said that schools have gone completely OTT with detentions/exclusion rooms etc.

neverendinglauaundry · 09/01/2023 13:43

At DSs school it's a 30 Mon after school detention if they're any amount of late for any reason.
DDs school they don't seem to care

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 09/01/2023 13:43

I don’t even know what dd’s school does as she is never late - she’s very keen on punctuality and we live round the corner so unlikely anything could make her late beyond her control!

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 09/01/2023 13:42

Sounds like something most schools do - although I think lunchtime detention is a better idea and that one warning would also be a good idea.

whattodo1975 · 09/01/2023 13:40

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

In fairness is sounds like the new head teacher is trying to install a bit of discipline after a shit show. Which is fair.

Jimboscott0115 · 09/01/2023 13:38

PollyEsther · 09/01/2023 09:09

Absolutely the norm. The days of detention being a punishment with actual meaning are long gone. They're dished out for every transgression these days, not like when we were younger and if you got detention you knew you'd pushed too far and gone over the line.

Exactly this OP, detention used to be a big thing when I was as at school (left in '99 so not that long ago) but nowadays schools have confused instilling values and respect with discipline.

It's becoming very common for detentions to be dished out for everything you could think of nowadays and I think schools have it horribly wrong. I challenged it and received a patronising response around preparing kids for the world of work, cue me laughing when I told them most of their rules are irrelevant in most workplaces.

Unfortunately, this likely ties into the teaching issues where we've lost thousands upon thousands of good strong teaching staff due to incompetent government and have ended up with a lot less good, strong, experienced teachers.

Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:33

Testina · 09/01/2023 13:17

“Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.”

The entire teaching staff in a secondary sized school all quit?

Re the detention: I think that’s heavy handed and I don’t think it’s the norm - but it’s a large minority.

All of them.

Im not exaggerating.

That includes non-teaching staff as well. SENCO, deputy head, house heads.

All of them. It's an absolute shit show.

The SENCO told me that the English teacher is on sabbatical, the English teacher is one of the originals and apparently that's the only way she would return is if they agreed for her to have a sabbatical.

OP posts:
MrsR87 · 09/01/2023 13:29

OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

In my school, and what seems to be the norm in my area, it’s 3 lates = 1 after school detention.

However, the you’ve just had a new head teacher, they will want to be seen to be putting their stamp on things, especially anything that Ofsted would classify as a problem for the school. So if they were having problems with habitual lateness, it would be an unsurprising move.

Testina · 09/01/2023 13:17

“Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.”

The entire teaching staff in a secondary sized school all quit?

Re the detention: I think that’s heavy handed and I don’t think it’s the norm - but it’s a large minority.

PinkButtercups · 09/01/2023 13:16

I think when I was at school it was 3 lates then a detention but no one ever went to their dentitions. Not much they can do really.

PAFMO · 09/01/2023 13:11

Yes. If ours have 5 lates/detentions, a parent gets summoned for a meeting with the HT. And if the lateness is more than 15 minutes, they have to wait for the start of the next lesson.

Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:09

Thanks for your help everyone!

I have one in year 11 and one in year 7.

It used to be 3 lates = detention.

Then all the staff left, last year was a year of supply teachers and general chaos.

Now there's a new head, new everyone, there's not one teacher who didn't quit.

Now it's detention after all lateness so it's gone from one extreme to another and I wondered what the norm actually was.

OP posts:
Original poster
OhBitchPeas · 09/01/2023 13:06

Pixiedust1234 · 09/01/2023 09:43

its normal and has been for decades.

What isn't normal is to be consistently late for school, or work, or concerts, or cinema. Is there a specific problem?

Rather judgemental tone there.
Happy Monday to you too!

OP posts:
Pterrydactyl · 09/01/2023 09:57

It’s usual unless there’s a good reason for it.

For instance DC1 gets the school bus, and if he’s late because there’s a problem with that, he doesn’t get a detention.

Pixiedust1234 · 09/01/2023 09:43

its normal and has been for decades.

What isn't normal is to be consistently late for school, or work, or concerts, or cinema. Is there a specific problem?

LlynTegid · 09/01/2023 09:43

Pity it could not be the parents. We all know people who are habitually late for everything, perhaps it would install a sense of timekeeping in them.

The use of detention as with the rigid rules on school uniform have become the norm for many schools as the only things they can enforce. In part this has come about because of parents who somehow think any standards or rules don't apply to their children.

Nogbreaks · 09/01/2023 09:39

Twice in one week gets an afterschool detention at our school. Pretty standard.

RudsyFarmer · 09/01/2023 09:34

We used to be out on the late register but I never got a detention ( it also wasn’t my fault as my mother was always late and the traffic was HORRENDOUS£.