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Original poster

Would you send a complaint to school about unfair whole class punishment?

56 replies

TittyNotSusan · 17/03/2014 21:40

I'm a regular but have NC.

DD is in Y7. She has never missed a homework all year, and not lost any behaviour points or got a detention.

She has a new science teacher who took over at Feb half term, and on the second week a piece of equipment got broken. No one knows who did it, but I am very confident it wasn't DD. She was sitting right at the front all lesson. Teacher has imposed a full class detention every lunchtime until someone owns up. There is no end date to this as far as the kids know. The first one was today.

According to DD, one girl had a note from her dad to say he refused for her to do the detention, and so she was excused it. Today lots of other kids were saying they will bring a note in tomorrow and DD wants me to write one for her.

I normally try to support teachers wherever possible, but I think in this case the teacher has made a poor decision and backed herself into a corner. I am very unhappy about DD having detention every single lunchtime for an indefinite period of time.

Do these whole class punishments ever result in a culprit owning up? I remember them from when I was at school and they always ended with the teacher having to back down and lose face.

OP posts:
Original poster
TittyNotSusan · 17/03/2014 22:19

I totally agree Milly. Even if this gets resolved, either by the HT stepping in, the majority of parents complaingin, or by a child being bullied into owning up, the damage is still done. DD is not mature enough to do her best work for a teacher she doesn't like, and I don't suppose she's the only 12yo who isn't.

I've just checked online and the school's "Climate for learning" (yuk) policy is very clear on the process which earns a detention. There is no mention of whole class detentions, and there is a clear elevation if more than one detention is given in a week, leading to the governors. I don't think they are going to elevate a whole science class to the governors somehow!

OP posts:
MillyMollyMama · 17/03/2014 22:10

I would guess this type of detention is not in the school's behaviour and sanction policy. You should check before you write. Get a copy from the school if you can't find it online or as part of your info from from the school. It is just plain wrong to punish the whole class and it is using the children to grass up the culprit. Unlikely to be productive and will quickly build resentment.

chicaguapa · 17/03/2014 22:07

I agree too. DH is a teacher and we did the same when DD was given a whole class punishment. Particularly as it's against school policy.

Original poster
TittyNotSusan · 17/03/2014 22:04

OK thanks I'm glad you both agree. I am happy to write a strongly worded letter but I'm really disappointed that a new teacher would get off on such a bad footing with a new class.

It's such a shame as science is DD's favourite subject and she has made amazing progress this year with her old teacher, who she adored. At this age a bit of crap discipline from a poor teacher is enough to put them off a subject for good. It doesn't take much to turn girls off science and it's bloody hard to get them to stick at it.

OP posts:
bigbuttons · 17/03/2014 21:56

It's lazy teaching, ineffective and unfair. Write a strongly worded letter.

pointythings · 17/03/2014 21:54

Write the note. Then complain to the Head. Collective punishment never brings any results and is morally unacceptable. You need to stand up for your DD here.