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Original poster

Secondary teachers - could you answer a discipline Q please?

36 replies

WendyWeber · 11/07/2008 09:53

What sort of offence would get a Y10 boy suspended for 3 days in your school? And do previous offences make it more or less likely that a suspension will be the preferred punishment?

TIA

OP posts:
Original poster
WendyWeber · 11/07/2008 21:11

Thanks for all your responses, which are pretty much what I thought would be the case. (Getting a parrot drunk, Heated?????)

This is a bit long, sorry...

DS2 (15) is on his 3rd suspension this year. He's at a selective grammar with a very strict code of conduct.

The first, about 6 months ago, was for 1 day, for writing something very silly in another boy's maths work book - much of it was dictated by others, but he did write it. It was then scribbled out, but not well enough, & what was visible was taken to be insulting to the daughter of a member of staff, although it was intended to be flattering, and there was also a bit about "people of the Asian persuasion" which was taken to be racist but is just a phrase that he & DS1 like because of the rhyme... (I was more annoyed that he would mess up someone else's book than by what he wrote but agreed that the suspension was a reasonable response in the hope that it would make him think & stop him being so silly again.)

Vain hope The 2nd (just before Easter) was for 3 days when he was one of a number of boys - all suspended for 1-3 days - who contributed words & doctored photos to a Bebo page "subtly" taking the piss out of one of the deputy heads. He and I had a very heavy meeting with the head & another deputy head (in which I backed them to the hilt) where expulsion was mentioned as a distinct possibly if he messed up again.

Since then his behaviour has been as impeccable as he can manage. He works hard, gets very good marks, is doing DofE Bronze & just completed the 2 expeditions, completed the Junior Sports Leader qualification & was one of the top 16 considered good enough to go out into a local primary school & take Y6 classes, and was interviewed & accepted for next year's Young Enterprise.

This week he took the prefect badge from a friend's blazer & went about for a bit with it on, after which he gave it back. No big deal but one of the lunchtime supervisors who does not like him (he does not like her...) spotted him with it & reported it to the deputy head who featured in the Bebo page. This deputy had both DS2 & the owner of the prefect badge in his office & banged on for about half an hour of lesson time, including a long talk about much his previous school loved him, & also suggested that the prefect may lose his position because of this appalling behaviour, which DS2 said he thought was ridiculous.

As they left the room & went along the corridor, DS2 said to the friend, "what a nob" & the deputy head heard him. For that he is suspended for another 3 days.

This is totally OTT, isn't it? A detention would have done? NB I have not said this to DS2, in fact he has had several tediously heavy Talks from DH & me, but we have sort of come round to thinking that the deputy head has now got it in for him (our school has always been v good at drawing a line under things before) and have said he's got to either stay out of his way or if he can't, keep it buttoned.

He & I have a meeting with the head early on Tuesday before he goes back into school & I'm just wondering if I should ask for a quick word after DS2 goes off to class to say that I think this was a bit heavy-handed & that the deputy is being vindictive - opinions please?

OP posts:
Piffle · 11/07/2008 21:03

if only his art teacher, or indeed any of his teachers had spotted it first. Instead his nemesis arch enemy saw it and screamed xxxx has got a knife....
that boy since has been suspended numerous times for bullying.
the dep head who tried to "discipline" my bereft and distraught ds1 is now his mentor and friend.
good things come from bad...
but other than that I've little knowledge of other boys exclusions, ds says they're not widely talked about?

janeite · 11/07/2008 20:52

Piffle - I think I remember reading a thread about that incident. Many schools have a totally blanket exclusion policy for "knives" of any kind.

One of my lovely, lovely Year 9 boys was helping me unpack some boxes and when I was struggling with one said "Here you are miss, let me" and got a tiny little penknife out of his pocket. I had a quiet word about not bringing it in again and then told him to go home quickly and leave it there. I would have hated him to get excluded over it.

Piffle · 11/07/2008 20:46

ds accidentally had a craft knife in his blazer ( mad artist truly purely for art) and was suspended in yr7... 3 days withdrawn from school quiz team which reached national final first time ever for state school... Shotcselves in foot somewhat but that's neither here nor there now ( end of yr9)

janeite · 11/07/2008 20:40

Violence; extreme threatened violence; extortion; v bad vandalism (ie spray painting the head's door, rather than writing "F you" on the desk, sort of level).

For these sorts of things, past record would not be taken into account unless this was a really, really dreadful pupil that we were hoping would find another school if we kept putting pressure on and letting parents have to put up him at home for a couple of days: in that case, we'd step up the exclusion each time.

Whizzz · 11/07/2008 20:31

At ours I'd say something along the lines of major violence, threatening behaviour.
I don't think we'd look at past records, each case seems to be taken on its own & dealt with accordingly if you see what I mean.

hannahsaunt · 11/07/2008 20:28

Interesting. I was about to ask a related question. Boy at dsil's school was suspended for 2 days after throwing a stone at her in class which hit her on the head. She called the police; they said they wouldn't do anything formal but would go round to his house for a stern chat if she wanted. Doesn't really seem particularly acceptable to me - shouldn't the police have taken it further?

FluffyMummy123 · 11/07/2008 20:11

Message withdrawn

MaureenMLove · 11/07/2008 20:11

Same as Squeak in our school. It would have to be violence or threats to staff or students.

SqueakyPop · 11/07/2008 20:09

We don't have to deal with suspensions at our school.

However, I think that 3 day suspensions would result from violence or threats of violence towards staff and other pupils. Most other things would result in either a one day exclusion or an internal exclusion (where they have to work alone in school, often outside the head's office).

Heated · 11/07/2008 20:08

Extreme rudeness or defiance to a member of staff, fighting, bullying or, in my step bro's case, getting a parrot drunk.

Has something happened WW?