Should child be refused GCSE revision session because of detention?

stuckin90s:

I agree and I think when teachers know things are going on that present genuine difficulty to a student they tend to cut as much slack as possible.

90s "give him a chance".

Sounds fair. Let's look at the practicalities. So that would be one chance in every subject for each child then? So each child gets 13 free passes. Across a year group of, say, 150, you then need to track 150x3 "chances" so 450 pieces of homework can be handed in without consequence.

Not workable.

oh dear, this does make me sad, because we can never 100 percent remember things all the time. It just seems unfair not to give someone a break sometimes. You never know what's going on in someone's life.

The two are separate issues and should be separated

They are not separate issues. He is missing one thing because he can't do two things at the same time (as was suggested in the OP). The detention takes priority. He misses the thing he would prefer to do.

I tend to think that an honest explanation in exceptional circumstances should be given consideration by the school and the detention should be moved . One would assume missing the revision session is not the punishment that was intended but it has meant a double punishment. I would speak to the school about this personally. The two are separate issues and should be separated. There should be one punishment and that is detention for a missed homework deadline, not a second one. Some schools are unreasonable and not happy places. Is he going to another 6th form?

stuckin90s:

It makes no difference whether you allow a warning or not, really. Someone will always complain and say you should have allowed another warning or that it was an exceptional case for whatever reason. In this case, no homework equals detention.

he he!, not even the mostly good bright ones!, I think the teachers know whose not going to mouth off about having got away with something; so maybe sometimes they do let them get away with a bit longer for a genuine mistake, and not someone whose just trying to get out of stuff all the time.

I wouldn't actually complain in this situation, probably show sympathy , as being a mum for almost 18 years has taught me never to dare complain to a secondary school; my kids would be mortified, as they see it as their territory not mine. There must be a lot of mum's out there zipping their mouths shut though😀.

Why does a child need to be punished for a one off, why not a warning then a punishment; we all forget things sometimes, that's just being human.

Because if that's the rule it has to be applied consistently. There's no better way to lose the respect if your class than to let your "nice" kids get away with things the more challenging ones end up in detention for.

Darth Vader!

Why does a child need to be punished for a one off, why not a warning then a punishment; we all forget things sometimes, that's just being human. I understand there are life and death situations, but this is a one off homework miss. Kids have so much pressure now, and we shouldn't all go around being as unforgiving as earth vader.

I do get that you have a very difficult job, but being overly draconian is just going to alienate some of the more liberal children.

Rules still apply to "liberal children". It isn't overly draconian to follow through on a detention that they had every chance to avoid by doing their work on time.

Missing one revision session will make no difference to their gcse grade. It's absolutely right that the detention stands.

It might come as a shock but children are able to revise outside school without a teacher...

No, the detention needs to come first. Revision sessions being offered by unpaid staff after hours are a privilege, and privileges don't take precedence over scheduled punishments.

What you see as fair though, isn't necessarily what someone else would see as fair. I do get that you have a very difficult job, but being overly draconian is just going to alienate some of the more liberal children.

Being consistent & fair is obviously the enemy of inspirational & enthusiastic, right?

I find my enthusiasm & ability to be inspiring are sapped when I spend unnecessary time on chasing up detention chancers.

I think the teachers my kids find the most inspiring are the enthusiastic ones , who sometimes let them get away with things.

Well,quite! Which is why now I just say 'nope, I don't think I want to be your Get Out Of Jail Free card for maths detention'.

If it were a crucial session that the student desperately needed to attend (unlikely,we do that stuff in timetabled lessons) I'd be the one emailing begging to move their detention.

It's a missed homework though, is it really necessary to put a child in detention, when mostly they work hard and mostly hand in stuff on time. Children do need to be taught about kindness too. I worry that this follow the rules by the letter, all the time, is just teaching kids to be anxious and that they won't be listened to. I know detention doesn't matter to a lot of kids, but to one child who is perhaps sensitive and good most of the time; it might be a big deal.

My revision sessions are always super popular with kids who have an unrelated detention.

The usual scenario is that if I am daft enough to send an email to a colleague requesting that student be permitted to attend my revision session instead, they don't turn up, hoping I won't care enough to take it further.

Then they get terribly butt hurt when I email colleague to inform & detention is recorded as missed, leading to a Saturday detention instead.

I'm in full agreement that dc should take the consequences, do the detention, & sort out their revision needs separately.

Being present at one revision session isn't in itself going to make a crucial difference. The pupil needs to accept that he'll have to revise under his own steam this time. He's been given a detention and needs to serve it. It's not unfair, it's the consequence of his actions.

They are teenagers though, they have plenty of time to meet deadlines for the rest of their lives, they are just learning this thing, and coming down on them hard all the time is just mean.