Detention in yr 7 - harsh?

Not harsh at all. Happened to dd in year 7....she never did it again.

Are they allowed to catch-up the forgotten homework in detention? If so, it seems like a good way to get kids into the habit of sitting down and doing homework after school - more 'trying to help them get into good habits' than simply a punishment....

As a teacher I would day that is harsh - not necessarily the detention, but an after school one seems pretty heavy. I guve students until before school the next day, then it's a lunchtime detention if they fail to do that.

My Ds who has only just started year 7 got one for forgetting his school jumper.

I think it's too harsh.

I'm afraid I don't comply with most after school detentions. My DS had a few while he was at school. Sometimes he missed the homework being handed out due to being with his TA (he has SEN) and if that was the case I would simply inform the school that he would not be doing it. I've got too much to juggle after school. At the end of the day he obtained excellent GCSE results and A Levels. It didn't go on his personal statement for Uni and he has held down a well paid job to date.

My dd has just started in yr7 - the first time they forget homework it's a 20 minute same day detention, the second time they get a 50 minute detention, and a third time means 100 minutes. They have very strict rules - even a minute late for school, or for an individual lesson results in a detention. I think the well behaved kids can feel a bit anxious as a result but on the plus side apparently there is minimal disruption in class.

I think that is unnecessarily harsh. At dd's school it's three strikes and you get a detention. A strike is for anything really forgetting homework, being late, uniform infringements etc. Parents can see any strikes against their child on the parent app.

At ds' school they get an after school detention for not doing homework as well, however the detention is always an after school one two days later and of they hand the homework in during that time they don't have to do the detention. The dentention is still logged to prevent children from getting into the habit of doing it late and i think they get further consequences for being repeat offenders.

DC once got a detention at the start of Y7 for doing the homework! Teacher had set the homework, even gave out a sheet of paper showing the exact layout she wanted. DC followed the instructions to the letter. When they handed the work in, one child had decided to present it in a different, more 'showy' way. Teacher decided they preferred that to the requested layout and gave every child in the class, except the showy homework one, a detention. When I queried it, I was told that Y7 teachers often did something similar in order to make a point. I complained and said it was unfair, especially as detentions are listed on the school reports. After I said I would refer it to Governors, they said they would ensure these detentions did not appear on reports and would speak to teachers concerned to ensure this sort of 'point making'did not occur again. That was the only detention DC had during their time at school. As a teacher, including Y7s, DC has never handed out detention except when there is a clear infringement of school rules.
I think your dd has been unfortunate, however, the rules were clearly stated beforehand so she knew what the consequences would be. She'll probably be more organised in future.

they have been at school for 4 weeks - long enough to realise the penalty for not turning in homework. Its a good lesson - she won't forget again.

A lot of schools go for a zero tolerance approach. They don't both with little lunchtime detentions but go straight to after school ones and have a clear line of sanctions which are rigidly enforced. They do this because experience suggests it works best and is the best detterant to either poor behaviour or disorganisation.
Yes, it isn't pleasant to have the extent ion, but it certainly focuses the mind for most in a way that other punishments might not. I think the key is that the system is clear. It should be enforced the same by all teachers too, but the reality is that this never quite happens. All kids need to behave as if it will be.

Lots of other schools are not quite so rigid. It's often the independents and the grammars which are not quite so draconian. Perhaps it's because they don't need to be, because behaviour or organisation or whatever is a better standard to start with and they feel the kids can cope with more of a 'shades of grey' approach without chaos descending.

I would agree that an after school detention for 1 forgotten homework is on the harsh side, but I wouldn't dwell on it. It's done now. They probably give out loads and loads and it's not considered as especially big deal. I do think it's important to support the school and not look to wheedle your kid out of a punishment which has been given unless there is a total misunderstanding.

I got a detention at a similar age for forgetting my lab coat for science. It seemed a bit harsh to me as we were not doing any lab work that lesson but were coping from books. But it was a rule so I did the detention and moved on

I think its harsh. In my DS first week kids got detention for forgetting PE socks! No two week grace.

My other son's grammar nowhere near as strict as comp.

Detention should be for bigger 'offences' like repeatedly failing to do homework or fighting. Surely it devalues its worth if they're handed out for minor/first time matters?

Very harsh.

It does depend on the school. One local one is miss homework for any reason= automatic detention.
The advantage is that they know exactly what it comes. Of course this does advantage any child whose parent is close enough to the school to drop it off if they realise in time.

My dc's school is less automatic. Most teachers say 2 missed homeworks and the third is a detention. But some are lighter and some it's only one.
I do prefer that because it does allow for the genuine mistake, but I suspect ds when he goes will make most of this and be on 2 missed homeworks before he remembers to do it.

Mine did this in the first week. He had completed it just left it at home.
Now, he does his homework and organises himself the night before for the following day.
THere's no discretion, the teacher has to tick online if it's handed in. Not tick, automatic detention.
I don't have a problem. Since the new head took over a few years ago it's gone from a failing school, with a very bad reputation and parents actively avoiding to one of the best in the country.

Maybe they don’t do a lunch time detentions. like others have said it’s just following the rules set out to the kids. It doesn’t matter if it was an innocent mistake or a child who intentionally didn’t do it, and the teachers don’t know the children that well yet to make and informed decision as to which category you child fits into. They are setting the boundaries I guess, and she won’t forget again so the punishment has worked. It may feel harsh but they are at high school and have to quickly learn that they need to be responsible for themselves.

I think an after school detention is very harsh for a first offence - she should have at least been allowed to bring it in the next day and then maybe given lunchtime detention if she forgot again. I think of after school detention as being for something very bad. I also just think after school detentions are unfair - it's such a big difference between the child who lives 5 minutes away and walks and the child who lives an hour away and would miss the bus. I'm pretty much on my own on that opinion though.

I fully support clear rules on this but starting secondary is so full on and there is so much for them to learn and organise.

Which is why she had a grace period at the start of the year.

I'm a very conscientious adult and I forgot to bring a bra to change into after I cycled in to work today. People forget things, especially when they're feeling under stress.

But how did a conscientious child "forget" her homework

ummm maybe because she is human?

But how did a conscientious child "forget" her homework. I am assuming they have a specific homework timetable for each subject, either in a jotter or on line so she should be capable of checking that for herself. It's not as though homework is a new thing for Y7 , most primaries set homework from Y2 . The" new school, new rules" excuse doesn't work since she was the only Y7 who forgot. by all means tell her to move on from it , but don't be too sympathetic, she has learned a lesson the hard way, don't mess with the Maths department!