Detentions as a punishment

I'd also sit up and listen (genuinely) if you can find solid evidence of detention-free mainstream comprehensive secondary schools in areas of social deprivation that have good behaviour and results for their pupils.

Doesn't sound very likely to me. Russia is quite a conservative society that puts a certain amount of emphasis on being stoic, based on what my Russian friends have said to me. Institutions like the army and hospitals in Russia have a reputation for being on the unsympathetic side, and not treating the members like delicate flowers, to put it mildly. If they don't have detentions, they are probably doing stuff that's harsher instead, would be my guess.

special schools have:
-more funding
-smaller class sizes
-better staff to student ratios
-tend to be more nurturing
-no government progress targets for the children

In no way comparable to a mainstream state school.

@SweatyLama I love the fact you ignored my comment.

I'm not disagreeing that a different system couldn't work. Looking at private schools, I think you'll find detentions are hardly used. I think what this shows though is that you need a high buy into education by parents (I don't mean finical I mean actual belief in a good education for their children) and then a massive investment in education by the government. If you could also change the circulum to make it more inclusive. Or different streaming for academic and non-academic students while we're at it. We may make students more engaged in learning and fix the problems. But good luck with that as it will take massive investment in education.

I would be more convinced if
a) you have taught in schools in areas of social deprivation in the UK
b) you have teaching qualifications

What are you going to do then?
Home school?
Move near a school that has a behaviour policy you approve of?
Set up your own school?
Hope your son's school will agree to change their behaviour policy on your say so as you know better than them?
What's the plan?

I looked it up just, apparently Redditers say no detentions in Russian schools... children are disciplined by calling parents or telling them off in front of the other children.

This would be absolutely wonderful in an ideal society where everyone cared about their own education and was invested in learning.

But unfortunately that is not what we have in most western countries. Children and parents take education for granted, they don't respect teachers like they used to and don't seem to feel that education is important (well a certain section of society doesn't). Students would rather disrupt the class, don't care if they miss part of a lesson and parents aren't bothered if their child misbehaves as they are to busy with their own lives doing whatever so as long as they are in school and out of their hair they don't care.

I think you find detentions are few and fare between in private schools, even if schools use these sanctions because the parents are heavily invested in their child's education and care about how well they behave in school. I've had one child go through high school and one currently there and neither have had detentions, they aren't actually that hard to avoid. Neither me or DH had them at school either.

I think if your child is struggling you need to engage with the school more to help support them.

Russia. she claims Russian schools don't have detentions.

You can’t compare a Grammar school in a leafy middle-class area to an inner city comp!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Not sure I can bring myself to read through the OP's 131 responses thus far, but has she mentioned which country she comes from?

Bet it's Sweden.

I'm intrigued as to how you personally know that it is more effective.

well OP, as you know better than all of the educational professionals on this thread... perhaps you can go and train to be a teacher, become one and at that time, influence the school's behaviour policy...

Or, perhaps more realistically, apply to be a governor at your child's school.

I think you're somewhat deluded to be honest, but plenty of parents agree with you and opt to home ed their children. Another option for you.

Ok, well take your son out of his school and move near an academically selective school with a behaviour policy you like and make a late application. Then hope your ds passes the test and they have a space.
Or if not set up your own free school with a behaviour policy you like.
What you shouldn't do is expect your son's school to adopt the same policy as a school with a completely different cohort because you say so and you think you know more about running a school than they do.
As I said, if you think you know more about it than them, set up your own school.

That's the staff code of conduct. The managing student behaviour policy is offline at present (probably being rewritten - and might be slightly less fluffy-wuffy that you seem to think).

Kendrick is a very academically selective girls school. And even they - since I’ve looked at it - still gives detention, albeit rarely, for poor behaviour or poor quality work. Do you not think that what works in a highly sought after girls grammar might not work in a massive mixed comprehensive that isn’t allowed to select and thus has to take all comers? Do you really not see that?