Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To believe the school over my dd?

131 replies

durdledoris · 23/04/2026 16:50

Dd is in year 9 - was always an angel at primary , smashed her sats etc but now in year 9 isn't quite the angel she used to be. Has a lovely friend group but we quite often get emails from school saying she has been sanctioned in class for low level disruption- never goes any further than that and when we speak to her about it, it's always the same "it wasn't my fault" response. Never her fault.
Today she got a detention - apparently a boy behind her kept throwing paper at her so when she did it back, she got in trouble. The email from school said it was because she was disruptive and kept turning around.
We have been talking to her lately about her upcoming GCSE's and we know she will be ditching a few subjects but it's not fair to ruin it for others who want to learn so basically, in those subjects, keep a low profile amd do what you have to do to get through til the end of the,year, which is only a few weeks.
She is crying in her room saying it wasn't her fault today - aibu to keep her phone and tv remote while she has a long hard think about her behaviour?

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 23/04/2026 18:31

Thatcannotberight · 23/04/2026 17:35

Usually, the teacher has already made up their mind, has only seen what they have seen and isn't interested in any mitigating circumstances.

The boy was also given a detention.

Sprungy · 23/04/2026 18:30

It’s reoccurring behaviour and if you are tough at home and ask school to update you in a week or so then she will miraculously find better form. Focus on work qualify and sets and hope the hormones settle quickly.

mumuseli · 23/04/2026 18:24

Almost 100% of the time that they're given detention, my DS (and all his friends) claim that it was unfair and they actually did nothing wrong!
I was the same when I was a teen, haha.
I don't think teens are really all being given warnings and sanctions for nothing - perhaps occasionally there's a miscarriage of justice, but I personally feel that most of the time parents just get told a very skewed version from their teens claiming innocence.

durdledoris · 23/04/2026 18:24

MyLittleNest · 23/04/2026 17:36

If it was just the situation with the paper, a one-off situation, I would absolutely believe your daughter over the school.

But there is recurring pattern here... Maybe it wasn't her fault today, but it's like the little boy that cried wolf by now.

This is my train of thought too and l have told her this!!

OP posts:
durdledoris · 23/04/2026 18:19

Tortephant · 23/04/2026 17:51

"it's always the same "it wasn't my fault" response. Never her fault."

DD has clearly used this on an occasion when something was her fault and you believed her so just uses this as a stock answer to avoid discussing further with you.
You state her response is always the same, so I wound't believe her at all. Have a chat with the school and take time to understand what is actually going on. By accepting her answer even if you do remove her phone, is allowing her to get away with poor behaviour and teaching her that lying is an easy way out.

No it's not an answer that gets her out of trouble - if she ever gets told off, we always say, let me guess - it wasn't your fault? So it absolutely isn't a get out of jail free card and never has been

OP posts:
durdledoris · 23/04/2026 18:17

BitterTits · 23/04/2026 17:50

I'm surprised by the number saying that being punished by school is enough and that parents shouldn't do any more. I think backing the school up shows that you take her behaviour seriously even if she doesn't learn from sanctions at school.

So do l!
I have emailed the school to ask exactly what happens so we can support their decision of issuing a punishment - will see what they say.

OP posts:
SunnyRedSnail · 23/04/2026 18:17

XelaM · 23/04/2026 17:50

So when your colleague in the office sitting behind you throws stuff at you - you would just ignore it and not turn around?!? Why would you expect a kid to accept having stuff thrown at them when no adult would accept that?!?

In an office you are not sitting in silence listening to someone speak. And I would like to think that most adults are mature enough not to throw stuff in a meeting.

In a classroom you have a teacher explaining things and pupils listening. If someone is throwing stuff at you, then you put your hand up and let the teacher know. "Miss, please could you ask Fred to stop throwing things at me?". Then the teacher keeps an eye on Fred, and Fred gets a detention if he is then caught throwing something. Or you ignore them, then when the class is doing independent work, you speak to the teacher.

I'm not saying the kid has to accept having stuff thrown at them. I'm saying constantly turning round is NOT the way to deal with it.

Hallamule · 23/04/2026 18:16

XelaM · 23/04/2026 17:50

So when your colleague in the office sitting behind you throws stuff at you - you would just ignore it and not turn around?!? Why would you expect a kid to accept having stuff thrown at them when no adult would accept that?!?

Lol does that happen a lot where you work? If I have a problem with a colleague I either discuss it with them at an appropriate time or use the correct channels.

In this case the correct channel was to report it to the teacher.

Mischance · 23/04/2026 18:10

Difficult. It sort of sounds as though the school's version tallies with hers to some degree. They say she kept turning round and she says it was because a boy behind her was throwing paper at her. Difficult to know if you weren't there. Let her take the school punishment and leave it at that.

Messy room? - I had 3 DDs, now all adults. I used to say that their room was their room and if they wanted to live in a tip that was their problem - I never went in and just closed the door. The rule was though that if the mess caused any damage - e.g. yoghurt leaking onto the carpet, then their money would mend it. They could clean it - they knew where the vacuum was - and sometimes they did. I never did once they were secondary age. They knew that no mess was to encroach on the rest of the house. And they were responsible if they failed to put stuff in the wash - they had to go out in dirty clothes and face the embarrassment.

There is little you can do to make school less tedious for her, but she does need to know that you value having consideration for others and she needs to be mindful of their needs.

Does she have an interest? - music, an instrument, a sport? These often help girls to get through these teenage years. They certainly did for mine.

I do think that schools are seriously weird environments for young people, some of whom love it and thrive, some are bored and indifferent, some hate it and most just grin and bear it till it's over. Bit of a waste of youth for many really.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 23/04/2026 18:10

XelaM · 23/04/2026 17:50

So when your colleague in the office sitting behind you throws stuff at you - you would just ignore it and not turn around?!? Why would you expect a kid to accept having stuff thrown at them when no adult would accept that?!?

You probably wouldn’t throw stuff back though.

You’d either call them out verbally or tell someone in authority, a line manager or HR.

Owly11 · 23/04/2026 18:04

Why don't you believe your daughter? Why are you punishing her for having a messy room? And why are you muddling up different punishments?

Conkersinautumn · 23/04/2026 18:00

Year 9 do piss about (girls and boys)
The tears sound intense - but how does she usually react when she is caught out?
How good is she at knowing the school expectations? Chucking around paper is a bit too obviously out of line for a y9 to respond 'but they were doing it' (don't get me wrong I still deal with it in y10 but only with the hard core cheeky so and sos, i wouldnt expect it much from more 'settled' children).
Also, Angel at primary, pushing boundaries now - is this simply her teen rebellion? OR (and I will get a million eye rolls) masked ND? It gets harder to 'fit in' girls do start to stand out from their neurotypical peers as the complexity of interactions increases. It can be overwhelming and hard. (But so is being a teenager).

Metromayhem · 23/04/2026 18:00

Hannaseed · 23/04/2026 17:56

No it's not. If someone was chucking paper at me I'd turn round and tell them to pack it in. Not sit there and take it. What exactly is that teaching her?

Edited

She didn’t have to sit there and take it she could have told the teacher.
i hate people comparing school and teenage situations to adult/work life, it’s ridiculous. Teenagers are children. If Nigel from accounts was throwing bits of paper at you then it’s a completely different fucking issue isn’t it??
No wonder we’ve got a generation of kids who are entitled, rude and think the world owes them a living. We could do with more parents like the OP!

Hannaseed · 23/04/2026 17:56

Metromayhem · 23/04/2026 17:53

The boy was punished too. She’s being punished for her reaction and handling of the situation which I think is fair enough!

No it's not. If someone was chucking paper at me I'd turn round and tell them to pack it in. Not sit there and take it. What exactly is that teaching her?

TakeALookAtTheseSwatches · 23/04/2026 17:56

My 3 daughters go to the same secondary school as some of their cousins and a few of my friends kids, there are a couple of parents who are constantly moaning that their kids are getting behaviour points/detentions for "no reason" and will blindly believe what their kid is saying. I know for a fine fact that they don't give out points/detentions for "no reason" because all of my daughters have got a total of 0, 1 and 2 points respectively for this entire school year. They also do a reward trip for kids who have got 5 or less behaviour points throughout the year and there's usually about a quarter of the kids on the trip.

I think you're doing the right thing op, even if she didn't start it this time she will unfortunately have a reputation for disrupting lessons so any form of disruption will be getting noticed by the teacher.

Metromayhem · 23/04/2026 17:53

Hannaseed · 23/04/2026 17:53

What was she supposed to do, let the boy just chuck paper at her?

I wouldn't punish her at home for standing up to a boy being a dick.

The boy was punished too. She’s being punished for her reaction and handling of the situation which I think is fair enough!

Hannaseed · 23/04/2026 17:53

What was she supposed to do, let the boy just chuck paper at her?

I wouldn't punish her at home for standing up to a boy being a dick.

Endofyear · 23/04/2026 17:52

I wouldn't punish her again, the detention IS the punishment! I would tell her to suck it up and ignore the crying and the protestations of innocence. Also tell her if she doesn't pull her socks up behaviour wise, she's going to find herself in more trouble and that could well compromise her future choices. I'm sure the school will be telling her the same thing.

Billyvoo2 · 23/04/2026 17:52

i was always being blamed for things I didn’t do at school. I wasn’t perfect but it was undeserved. Parents were not supportive. It had the adverse effect and I just started to be a pain… if they were going to blame me anyway…

LattePatty · 23/04/2026 17:52

lanthanum · 23/04/2026 17:00

Throwing paper is not something that needs to be reciprocated. If she was turning round because something was thrown at her, that's understandable, but if she was also throwing paper, that's on her.

This. Basically. It’s annoying and the boy is wrong. But she shouldn’t have retaliated (and I say that as someone who might have done the same at that age)

edit: to clarify i think YANBU to believe the school. But I don’t think she needs an extra punishment at home, the school detention is enough. But I would probably tell her I’m disappointed - I don’t know if that would be helpful or not though

Metromayhem · 23/04/2026 17:52

Well done OP. So refreshing to see a parent supporting the school! Sounds like the teachers been really fair, the boy’s been punished too. Good for you. She will learn!

Tortephant · 23/04/2026 17:51

"it's always the same "it wasn't my fault" response. Never her fault."

DD has clearly used this on an occasion when something was her fault and you believed her so just uses this as a stock answer to avoid discussing further with you.
You state her response is always the same, so I wound't believe her at all. Have a chat with the school and take time to understand what is actually going on. By accepting her answer even if you do remove her phone, is allowing her to get away with poor behaviour and teaching her that lying is an easy way out.

BitterTits · 23/04/2026 17:50

I'm surprised by the number saying that being punished by school is enough and that parents shouldn't do any more. I think backing the school up shows that you take her behaviour seriously even if she doesn't learn from sanctions at school.

XelaM · 23/04/2026 17:50

SunnyRedSnail · 23/04/2026 16:58

Go and work in a school and you will come back saying lots of sanctions are not hard enough.

@durdledoris I would believe the school. If it was someone behind her annoying her then that needs to be dealt with separately. She still chose to keep turning round which is so annoying when you're trying to teach. She needs to learn not to react to annoying kids.

So when your colleague in the office sitting behind you throws stuff at you - you would just ignore it and not turn around?!? Why would you expect a kid to accept having stuff thrown at them when no adult would accept that?!?

Metromayhem · 23/04/2026 17:49

TwinklyRoseTurtle · 23/04/2026 16:51

Listen to your daughter, some of these schools sanctions are rediculous and they honestly punish them for anything. I would commend your daughter for sticking up for herself and give her things back

Fucking hell, we are doomed.