Secondary school hierarchy; how widespread?

Not the case in our co-ed independent school. In fact the Yrs 7 & 8 have lunch 5 mins before the older kids to give them time to get in first! The Year 9s complain about the Yr 7/8s hoovering up all the best food before they get there. Think it is more prevalent in all boys schools...

When my dd started high school she complained that the older children were fairly oblivious and just expected the younger ones to get out of her way. ds (started the same school a year before) didn't think it was an issue. I suspect that's because he is completely oblivious himself, whereas dd is a people watcher. Also dd was I think very used to being the biggest at primary (she's very tall) and so it came as a surprise to have a whole bunch of almost adults dominating the corridors. It's a good school, relaxed and with good mentoring arrangements, just very different from their smaller primary and I think a bit overwhelming at times. Plus there are way more students than it was built for.

Well in my DD's mixed Comp, my year 10 DD complains about the year 7s pushing the older ones out of their way too, and the older ones have always tried to get to the front of queues etc. if they can.
It is really just normal push and shove from a large crowd trying to get through corridors, and into lunch in a limited amount of time.

Year 10 and 11 tend to be quite a bit larger, and also have more time pressures (using breaks for getting extra help and extra-curricula stuff or even going to the library to catch up with course work), so just as anyone with stress can be a bit more single minded.

On the other hand to someone with ASD it can be quite an overwhelming, and actually the school is probably pretty calm if he hasn't complained loudly before now.

In my opinion this is something that persists in boys grammar schools more than other schools. It isn't really challenged by teachers who experienced it themselves and think it is the way it should be. Some teachers take pride in it and think it prepares you for real life. I suspect if we stopped it in schools it would also become unacceptable in the workplace.

Throwing their weight around with the younger ones isn't the kind of behaviour I would expect from my DCs.

When I was at school (mixed sex comp) the sixth form were allowed to jump queues in the canteen on the grounds that in theory we were expected to do some study during lunch and break. We were also supposed to try and independently see teachers during this time if we had issues e.g. with homework. Staff were also allowed to jump queues.

Each year group also had their own "area"- different play grounds for year 7 and 8, and year 9, 10 and 11 all had places where they could go and sit indoors and outside. Usually each clique claimed their own little spot at the start of the year! In sixth form we had the common room and various other study areas.

There was no heirarchy about who got to go through doors first or shoving in the coridoors though- the main school building was too small for the number of students and this sort of behaviour would have caused chaos!

We're the same as TimetoThink. We're into the first year of vertical tutoring, which many were opposed to, but it's working well and gives a real family feel to the school. It's a large, mixed comprehensive with children from a variety of backgrounds. A member of the management team attends every PTA meeting to give a presentation on some aspect of the school and the school also holds a Parents' Forum. If I were aware of such behaviour in our school, I'd be asking the Head what the school was doing to change this attitude.

This behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and unseen at my school- mixed comprehensive in a deprived area. Not even the principal queue jumps, no one is pushed in corridors, older students take pride in modelling behaviour to younger ones. It horrifies me that this is accepted behaviour in schools! We have worked incredibly hard to eradicate it and vertical tutoring has made an enormous difference.

The prefects are allowed to jump queue at dc school because the need to have lunch before prefect duty not because they are older. Although dd pretty disgusted at how mouthy and disrespectful current yr7s are.

Just asked my son who is at an all boys day school which starts in year 9. He said there are no issues with older boys pushing them around & seemed rather surprised.

Posted On Wrong Thread SORRY>>>>>>>

I don't think it's a big deal, just the usual ' I've been here longer than you' stuff.
They did have some problems with Y8s giving the new Y7s the wrong directions to classes at the beginning of the year but it got sorted pretty quickly...

It's the same in the sister school too- maybe not so in your face, but the Y7s make space for the older pupils. DD1 says it's the Y8's that are most into it!

Ds1's school has vertical tutoring-I think it makes a difference. They get to know children in all years including 6th form. They help each other out at tutor with homework etc.

I think it is sad that schools like this continue to allow an environment where all individuals are not respected. It is akin to covert bullying. It will be fine for most but some will feel very uncomfortable and will not enjoy their early secondary school days. That insidious low level work place bullying that we so often hear about is probably rooted in upbringings like this

And some of those teenage boys are BIG! I feel a bit overwhelmed with so many in one place!

Possibly more common in boys schools? My ds is at a (state) single sex school. It's s very good school but some of the things that go on! Favourite game of older boys is to see how many Y7 boys they can shove into the corridor walls. Ds says its all very good natured and almost like a bowling game ( though teachers come down hard if its seen).

Similar other hierarchical behaviours!