That school episode in Adolescence

Sorry I don't quite understand?

@ Madameweb
a leafy area?
bloody hell 🤦‍♀️

I thought the ineffective teacher from the lower school was an unlikely character. Sure if there has been a murder of one of the pupils plus an arrest of another, one of the SLT would be anxious to keep tabs on the police and their investigation.

My son said it isn't like that for him, but it's a school in a leafy area and he's in a top set. I'm not sure what the other sets are like.

I’m a secondary teacher
it’s accurate sadly

I think it's true of a lot of schools. Even my ds who is at a small independent school recognised some of the behaviours and attitudes.

If that’s a true representation it’s frightening.

No... i would say not.

Grammar schools would create aa hierarchy with a bigger divide. We have a selective grammar near us... house rents, tutoring etc all cost money and create a divide of those who can afford to throw everything at their chold and those who can't. It is an insanely competitive area, most children attending are well.out of area as only 25% of soacrs are for a local radius.

There are good children who want to gdo well who are not high achievers and not grammar school entry material, and there are hufh achieveds that are very disruptive.

All high schools should be a well equipped, adequately funded and staffed place to help every child attain their full potential.

PRUs should be remodelled to adequately cater for the increasing number of pupils that need them to be positive places of education.

Dd (y10) said mixed ability lessons can be like that, quite disrupted, but phone use has been restricted for so long in the school that its not much of an issue within class. Certain teachers get absolutely roasted. Her GCSE option choices and the lessons they have in sets are better, but she is top set and those kids don’t behave in the aggressive, disruptive way. So I can well believe that grammar schools will have better behaviour. In areas where the bright kids are selected out, the local comprehensive schools may well see a lot more disruption as the student population is probably less motivated by school.

The simpering teacher said she was usually y5, I think? So it must be an all-through school. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a y5 teacher to have experience with Andrew Tate and the like if I’m honest.

No. I would like the curriculum adjusted to be relevant to the full spectrum of ability and relevant to all.

Would you say that this is a good reason to bring back grammar schools?

I am a secondary maths teacher and I would say pretty much all of the schools I teach in are like that. Only ones that aren’t are in leafy wealthy areas (e.g. where all the MP’s children go) or are grammar schools. Some in the really rough areas are even worse. Most parents have no idea how bad secondary schools are - if they did, there would me more of an outcry for the government to fund them properly. I am usually parachuted in to try and help students pass their GSCE maths when they haven’t had a proper maths teacher ever! Hence why mine go to a private school. If I couldn’t afford it then I would homeschool them.

@REDB99 yes tomtje useless dark haied teacher - there are some ineffective staff but not knowing of Andrew Tate was unrealistic - even if they were way behind with training they would have heard of him.

@JillAndJenTheFlowerpotMen yes when thecteacher mentioned free school meals it stuckmout like a sore thum staff wouldn't have sad that! Even alluding to it, eg "you don't pay: wouldn't be acceptable but saying that outrght, no way!

It’s not like any school I’ve worked in (including one that went into special measures while I was there). I’m not saying they were perfect by any means but not like that.

My secondary school was like this in the 1990's. My daughters did year 7 at the local school and it was Nothing like this. I worked in and out of secondary schools on surrey/sw london for years and have never seen or experienced anything like this

So I dont think this is a current realistic portrayal.

Unfortunately I think its very true to life from my experience.I removed my youngest daughter 2 years ago to home educate her .the last school my daughter was at was exactly..like the one in Adolescence, it was horrendous , the kids ran riot, teachers weren't in control, no actual learning took place.

It was strikingly similar to the school I went to, but I left 35 years ago, and of course no IT.
DS(Y11) says no way the kids would talk to the teachers like that. His school is very strict on discipline and is in a pretty "well to do" area.
DBro is a HoY of many years standing in a school in a run down, post industrial area, and said it was very realistic.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5297619-teachers-who-have-watched-adolescence-what-are-your-thoughts?

There’s another thread on this and yes, it’s fairly accurate.

DD is in Year 9 & said her school isn’t that bad. Classes do get disrupted by bad behaviour sometimes but it’s not the norm & most students would never dare to speak to the teachers that way.

I think some will be but not all. I’ve worked in education for over 20 years in 5 different secondary schools and they were nothing like that! I found the simpering dark haired teacher the most unrealistic, it’s highly unlikely that school staff haven’t had safeguarding training on the likes of Andrew Tate.

Students climbing on school roof - staff aren't allowed to approach them.or go to get them down so they get to stay there until a parent can collect them.

Chairs being thrown, tables flipped

Calm / support rooms trashed but nothing that can be done

Don't even bother trying to address social media

Ofsted inspectors having to break up fights during an inspection

Lumch halls having food thrown / food fights

Uniform being soaked in toilets / urinals

Students kicked or punched in break / lunch / corridors between lessons

Clothing / bags / phone / money / earphones etc bring stolen

Gangs of pupils waiting for pupils out side of school at the end of the day

Messages re staff between pupils

Pupils using abusive language towards staff.

I work in a secondary school and said to my other half “that’s exactly what it’s like”, the kids think they’re untouchable and just walk around on their phones and when they given detention or have their phone confiscated, the parents call up being abusive.
it scares me for when my children reach secondary age

It’s what my school in NE England was like. My school, in parts, was a bit worse to be honest. But that was 20 years ago!

Watching those scenes really brought it all back. I hated my school and school-life. I spent the whole of it completely disassociated.