Keeping a child after school

Your child should have texted to explain lateness.

School is perfectly within its rights to keep them back up to 15 minutes without notice. Any longer there's normally 24hrs notice.

If I were you I'd focus more on why your son was kept back ie the fact he hadn't done the work in lesson.

...and our school office is not open very long after school finishes, that wouldn't work here either.

The child is entirely at fault for not letting you know that he would be late, and not answering his phone when you rang him. Freedom comes with responsibility. My DC both have "answering the phone when parents ring" as a condition of having one. They also both have "telling parents where they are" as a condition of their independence.

Bekabeech That's a good point, you are likely to be kept on hold while the office staff try to find out where the child is. If the teacher just called the office and asked them to contact the parent then that could be avoided.

By the time my DC would be "late home" the school switchboard wouldn't be answering. Anyway in a school of 2000, reception staff would have no idea if a single pupil was kept late (it also stretches almost 1K in length).
What might be possible in Junior school is ridiculous in senior school.

My point was that rather than panicking and going out to look for him, a call to the school when he was late would have established where he was alot quicker and saved some upset. Given that was the last place he was known to be, it seems the obvious place to start.

The rights and wrongs of keeping him back in the first place is a slightly separate issue IMO.

KnopeforAmerica I wouldn't assume my child was at school if they hadn't started staying back for clubs yet. I would have expected a phone call if they were kept back.

He was late coming home from school. When he didn't arrive at the expected time, why wasn't your first move to call the school? Surely the logical thing would be to assume he might be there?

It's up to your son you text you that he'll be late because of a detention.

At my DCs school if you inform the school that your child needs to collect younger siblings then they get a card which they can show to make sure they leave promptly (eg if the class is being kept a couple of minutes to tidy up).

My DC had a 40/45 minute walk. And it was scared on day one but you quickly got used to it, and they learnt to phone/text if delayed.

I do baby him a bit as I love him to pieces.

And parent who treat their kids age-appropriately don't love them? 

A lot of people have Find my Phone on the iphone or the Life360 app. You can then see where they are and it cuts out the panicking.

1. Your child had a phone - he should have texted you to say he'd been kept after school.

1. Your child will not appreciate being "babied" for much longer

1. Meeting him on the way home means he has zero flexibility -what if he'd stopped to talk to friends, or needed to see a teacher, or wanted to do some work on the school computers, or decided there was an after school club he fancied going to...? You do need to be a bit less rigid!

Many children walk home from much younger ages than Year 7 - the school will expect that children can still make their way home without any issues if kept after school for 15 minutes.

Harsh replies - I'd be worried too if my 11 didn't appear when he was supposed to!

He wasn't missing he was kept in, why didn't your partner go in the school and ask about the childs wheresbouts and why didn't he finish his work was he messing about in the lesson

“Schools don’t have to give parents notice of after-school detentions or tell them why a detention has been given.”

www.gov.uk/school-discipline-exclusions

The school is correct that they didn’t need to tell you, however usually parents are informed as a courtesy.

I wouldn't like my child to be kept back without a phone call in the first half term of year 7.

If they had a younger sibling at primary who was picked up by a parent, then they may be walking a new route alone for the first time. Parents may still want to know where they are and when to expect them home. Later in year 7 they may start staying at clubs or stopping on the way home, but some parents would still expect the child to text them even then.

Yes, why is he needing to be kept back - it’s him you should be cross with. Why is anyone meeting him still?

I'd be worried too OP. My eldest starts high school next year and it's going to be a big transition. This early in year 7 you're all still finding your feet and I know I'm going to be worried about DD1 coming home on her own. It's just one of those things you have to learn to get used to I guess. You know exactly where they are at all times in primary, you lose that control in secondary.

"Snotty message:
Oh dear.

I'd be asking why he didn't finish his work off during class time.
Teachers don't tend to keep kids after school just for being slow, I suspect there is some bad behaviour/lack of attention involved here.

Where did the other 15 minutes go? Could he not have messaged when he left school? Does he really need meeting en route. Saying he was "missing" is somewhat melodramatic!

Correct. Have a look at the school’s policy.

Why is he being met on the way home?

So he was only 15 minutes late? I think your reaction is a bit of an overreaction. At 11 he should be able to chat to his friends, go to the library or go and talk to a teacher after school for a few minutes

If his Mum is over anxious then maybe she should ask the child to text him.

Personally I would be very annoyed with my child in year 7!messing around and the only note I would be sending to the school is one from my child apologising to the teacher. I would also be contacting the head of year to ask them to find out how he is behaving in other lessons.