Detentions as a punishment

What would be your suggestions? Teachers have to deal with huge amounts of low level disruptions, students refusing to follow the rules, swearing at them and each other, deliberately breaking things, violence etc. a simple "please don't do it again" is not really going to work ...

We used to get lines which was worse than a detention!

Personally I would remove disruptive kids from the class to an inclusion centre, removed twice in a month is a weeks exclusion. I would not enforce a uniform (at all) and would extend the school day (even if you charge the parents) to include prep time so they don't have homework.

DS will be going to the same comp as my husband. We went for the visit and the focus on uniform is unreal yet it was and still is constantly top of the local league table. All DH's school friends have been really successful so the babying about uniform isn't needed.

You say that if you were late coming to school you would quietly go into class and the natural consequence was having missed the teacher’s instructions and information. If someone comes late to my class I am still expected to go over things again to support them and I am judged on that student’s results. Therefore, coming in late takes time away from other students and reduces the chance of good grades. This means that we do need sanctions that will stop students being late. It’s selfish and disruptive.

You seem utterly clueless as to what a lot of kids are actually like in schools. When I am pushed when pregnant by a year 10 lad twice my size I am not going to wait until I can calmly discuss it with a parent: I’m going to get him out of the classroom. When I have set aside 2 hours of my Saturday to mark a class’s homework only to find that only half have come in I’m not going to say, oh well, that’s fine, I’ll allocate another hour next Saturday to mark the work that we will have moved past by then anyway in addition to the new homework. No, I’ll give them detention and make them do it. I’m also not particularly partial to being sworn at and don’t find it particularly helpful when a parent says, ‘Well school was shit when I went, it’s still shit now so I can see why he told you to fuck off when you asked him to write’. Before anyone says anything, no, not all kids are like this and no, not all schools are like this. Many are absolutely delightful BUT there are some shockers out there too and staff have to be able to do SOMETHING to keep a calm, productive environment and encourage children to grow into decent human beings.

How many years of experience do you have teaching secondary-level maths or beyond?

@SweatyLama the school system has to manage significant numbers of children. To do that they need discipline. Every school publishes their rules. Taking the place means you agreed to them.

You are entitled to your opinion and methods outside school. But if you don't get on board with the school the only person impacted will be your son.

So either support him following the rules and obtaining an appropriate attitude or home school because the school isn't changing.

There are behavioural expectations and consequences for breaking those. As there are on most countries education systems, both state and private.

Consequences help to deter poor behaviour which does not just impact the education of the child carrying out the behaviour, but all the other students too.

If you don't want your child in a setting with punishments, you'll have to find a way to home educate.

In answer to your question about why showing working is important, there are several reasons such as; showing you haven't just googled the answer or copied it from someone else and showing how you came to your answer so the teacher can check understanding and know where any mistakes are being made. Exam marks will be lost if working is not shown, so children need to have it as second nature to show it. It's also beneficial in an exam setting as if you get the answer wrong due to a call took error, but your working method is correct, you still get some marks .

See what you're up against?!
It's horrendous how British teenagers are raised. No wonder they disengage from society.

We had worse detentions in the 90s and 00s in the UK.

I also lived in Luxembourg for a year and our school there had a “sin bin” so an actual room (large cupboard!) where you’d sit in silence, alone for 45 mins or so. Sometimes without windows.

The UK is much more lenient than that!

So kindly OP, you are being a bit silly :) plus, detentions can be a great time to talk candidly to a teacher about why the child forgot something/ behaved badly.

Thats my experience anyway!

In all seriousness ask to volunteer in a secondary school. You may change your mind

Perhaps you sould try teaching in a secondary school, then you might decide you want to send your child to the lovely no-punishment school you attended. By the way I also come from and attended school outside the UK and there were also consequences for not complying. I wouldn't go as far as calling "detention" a punishment. Where was that school were children felt that missing the lesson was a punishment? Sounds like a very different culture where the whole of society values education more than here.

DS1’s school had a punishment of if the kids turned up late for anything they had to report to the school office in full uniform at 0730 for the next 3 days. By the end of his first half term he’d stopped being late.

When I was in school I had lots of detentions, I just didn't go. The moment I learned their power over me was nothing but words and they couldn't physically stop me that was it for me. I'm now a mother of three with a respectable career and respect the law.

It's not about treating them like criminals it's about catching up missed learning. We set detentions for students who are more than 5 mins later after the Bell with no acceptable reason e.g the spent 10 mins doing their make up in the loos rather than coming to my lesson. Or for those kids who repeatedly don't do homework. Or if they truant the whole lesson. How else will they catch up on that missed learning? Primary aged kids on the whole are much more cooperative and keen to please their teachers, they don't piss off to vape behind the swimming pool when they should be doing maths therefore they don't need the sanctions. Teenagers are a very different kettle of fish. If you've done a good job as a parent your child won't be getting detentions because they will follow the rules. If they are a bit characterful and rebellious then they will learn some important lessons about consequences which will prepare them for the workplace. And if they are neurodiverse which means the expectations are unattainable for them school should be making the right adjustments to support them e.g no sanctions for missed h/w or permission to be 5 mins late card for kids who need a movement break etc.

Nope - schools with clear and consistently applied discipline policies keep the kids safe and have more time for teaching.

also, detentions are optional, in that you can choose to do your homework and not mess around in class. DS2 is in Y13 and has managed not to get a single SIMS point since starting secondary. DS1 had plenty of interactions with the discipline system but it was well deserved. He was at a private school so the punishments had more exotic names and were things that state schools wouldn’t get away with.

You are massively out of touch op

Kindly, OP, I think you should spend 5 minutes in your local comp at lesson changeover. I don’t know whether to roll my jaw from the ground or split my sides laughing at the thought that students would be horrified at the prospect of missing the start of a lesson or slipping in quietly

At my child's school they do their homework. Then as they leave, they hand it in, the teacher rips it up and they go home and re do it!

Please spend a week doing supply in a secondary and then report back OP

Hyperbole much?!

It is disrespectful for students to be late for school.

Your example isn't relevant, if you're late for the plane you won't get on.

Part of school is learning how to follow the rules.

It is up to parents you to ensure they get there on time.

Well, the kid misses out on their club/activities too ... and have to deal with the annoyed parents.